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IMAGE  EVALUATION 
TEST  TARGET  (MT-3) 


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Photographic 

Sdences 

Corporation 


23  WIST  MAIN  STRHT 

wnSTH.N.Y.  MSSO 

(716)  •79-4503 


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CrHM/ICMH 

Microfiche 

Series. 


CIHM/ICIVIH 
Collection  de 
microfiches. 


Canadian  Institute  for  Historical  Microreproductions  /  Institut  Canadian  de  microraproductions  historiques 


,^ 


Technical  and  Bibliographic  Notes/Notes  techniques  et  bibiiographiques 


The  Institute  has  attempted  to  obtain  the  best 
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which  may  alter  any  of  the  images  in  the 
reproduction,  or  which  may  significantly  change 
the  usual  method  of  filming,  are  checked  below. 


L'Institut  a  microfilm^  le  meiileur  exemplaire 
qu'il  lui  a  M  possible  de  se  procurer.  Les  details 
de  cet  exemplaire  qui  sont  peut-Atre  uniques  du 
point  de  vue  bibliographique,  qui  peuvent  modifier 
une  image  reproduite,  ou  qui  peuvent  exiger  une 
modification  dans  la  mithode  normale  de  filmage 
sont  indiquAs  ci-dessous. 


D 

D 


Coloured  covers/ 
Couverture  de  couleur 

Covers  damaged/ 
Couverture  endommagte 


□   Coloured  pages/ 
Pages  de  couleur 

r~L/^ages  damaged/ 
I  ^  Pages  endommagdes 


D 


Covers  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Couverture  restaurie  et/ou  pelliculAe 


D 


Pages  restored  and/or  laminated/ 
Pages  restaurdes  et/ou  pelliculies 


I      I    Cover  title  missing/ 


Le  titre  de  couverture  manque 


□    Coloured  maps/ 
Cartes  giographiques  en  couleur 


r~~iPages  discoloured,  stained  or  foxed/ 
LJTPages  d6color6es,  tacheties  ou  piquies 

□    Pages  detached/ 
Pages  ddtachdes 


D 


D 


Coloured  inic  (i.e.  other  than  blue  or  black)/ 
Encre  de  couleur  (i.e.  autre  que  bleue  ou  noire) 


I      I   Coloured  plates  and/or  illustrations/ 


Planches  et/ou  illustrations  en  couleur 

Bound  with  other  material/ 
Relii  avec  d'autres  documants 


I    n/Showthrough/ 
L±d^  Transparence 

r~|   Quality  of  print  varies/ 


Quality  in^gale  de  I'impression 

Includes  supplementary  material/ 
Comprend  du  matdriel  supplementaire 


n 


D 


Tight  binding  may  cause  shadows  or  distortion 
along  interior  margin/ 

La  re  liure  serrde  peut  causer  de  I'ombre  ou  de  la 
distortion  le  long  de  la  marge  intArieure 

Blank  leaves  added  during  restoration  may 
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II  se  peut  que  certaines  pages  blanches  ajouties 
lors  d'une  restauration  apparaissent  dans  le  texte, 
mais,  lorsque  cela  Atait  possible,  ces  pages  n'ont 
pas  M  film<  3». 


D 
D 


Only  edition  available/ 
Seule  Mition  disponible 

Pages  wholly  or  partially  obscured  by  errata 
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obtenir  la  meilleure  image  possible. 


["""/  Additional  comments:/ 

b:^    Commentaires  supplimentaires; 


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This  item  is  filmed  at  the  reduction  ratio  checked  below/ 

Ce  document  est  filmi  au  taux  de  reduction  indiquA  ci-dessous. 

14X  18X  22X 


26X 


30X 


v^ 

12X 


16X 


20X 


24X 


28X 


32X 


The  copy  filmed  hare  has  baan  raproducad  thanks 
to  tha  ganarosity  of: 

National  Library  of  Canada 


L'axamplaira  filmA  fut  raprodult  grflca  d  la 
g4n4rosit6  da: 

Bibiiothdqua  nationala  du  Canada 


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Original  copies  in  printed  paper  covers  are  filmed 
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sion, or  the  back  cover  when  appropriate.  All 
other  original  copies  ara  filmed  beginning  on  the 
first  page  with  a  printed  or  illustrated  impres- 
sion, and  ending  on  the  last  page  with  a  printed 
or  illustrated  impression. 


The  last  recorded  frame  on  each  microfiche 
shall  contain  tha  symbol  — ^>  (meaning  "CON- 
TINUED"), or  the  symbol  V  (meaning  "END"), 
whichever  applies. 


Les  images  suivantes  ont  6t6  reproduites  avac  ie 
plus  grand  soin,  compta  tenu  de  la  condition  at 
da  la  natteti  de  I'exemplaira  film6,  et  en 
conformity  avec  las  conditions  du  contrat  de 
fiimage. 

Les  exemplaires  originaux  dont  la  couverture  en 
papier  est  imprimte  sont  fiimto  en  commenpant 
par  la  premier  plat  et  ^  n  terminant  soit  par  la 
darniire  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustration,  soit  par  Ie  second 
plat,  salon  Ie  cas.  Tous  las  autres  exemplaires 
originaux  sont  filmis  en  commenpant  par  la 
premidre  page  qui  comporte  une  empreinte 
d'impression  ou  d'iliustration  et  en  terminant  par 
la  dernidre  page  qui  comporte  une  telle 
empreinte. 

Un  des  symboles  suivants  apparaitra  sur  la 
dernidre  image  de  cheque  microfiche,  selon  Ie 
cas:  ie  symbols  — ►  signifie  "A  SUIVRE",  Ie 
symbols  V  signifie  "FIN". 


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different  reduction  ratios.  Those  too  large  to  be 
entirely  included  in  one  exposure  are  filmed 
beginning  in  the  upper  left  hand  corner,  left  to 
right  and  top  to  bottom,  as  many  frames  as 
required.  The  following  diagrams  illustrate  the 
method: 


Les  cartes,  planches,  tableaux,  etc.,  peuvent  dtre 
film6s  d  des  taux  de  reduction  diff^rents. 
Lorsque  Ie  document  est  trop  grand  pour  dtre 
reproduit  en  un  seui  cliche,  ii  est  fiimd  A  partir 
de  I'angle  sup6rieur  gauche,  de  gauche  d  droite, 
et  de  haut  en  bas,  en  prenant  Ie  nombre 
d'images  ndcessaire.  Les  diagrammes  suivants 
iilustrent  la  mdthoda. 


1  2  3 


1 

2 

3 

4 

5 

6 

COTTO.;    MATHER. 


I 


MAGNALIA  CHRISTI  AMERICAIA; 


OB, 


THE  ECCLESIASTICAL  HISTORY 


OF 


NEW-ENGLAND, 

FROM  ITS  FIRST  PLANTING,  IN  THE  TEAR  1620,  UNTO  THE  YEAR  OF  OUR  LORD  1608. 

IN   SE.VEN   BOOKS. 


BT  TBB 


REVEREND  AND  LEARNED  COTTON  MATHER,  D.D.  F.R.S. 

AND  PASTOR  OF  THE  NORTH  CHURCH  IN  BOSTON,  NEW-ENGLAND. 


IN    TWO    VOLUMES. 

VOLUME   II. 

WITH 

AN  INTRODUCTION  AND  OCCASIONAL  NOTES, 

BY  THE   REV.  THOMAS  ROBBINS,  D.D. 


TRANSLATIONS  OF  THE  HEBREW,  GREEK,  AND  LATIN  QUOTATIONS, 
BY   LUCIUS   F.   ROBINSON,   LL.  B. 


HARTFORD: 
ILAS    ANDRUS    &    SON. 
1853. 


■^■«T"-r 


F7 


f 


22902C 


/  ^53 


V  :!r/: 


<  < 


<  '.'if  ' 


ENTERED,   ACCORDING   TO   ACT  OP  CON42RE8IS,   IN   THE   YEAR   1853,   BY 

SILAS  ANDRUS  &  SON, 

IN  THE  CLERK'S  OFFICE  OF  THE   DISTRICT  COURT  OF  CONNECTICUT. 


FRt.WI 


FOUNDRY  OF  SILAS  ANDRUS  i  SOX, 
HARTFORD. 

W,  C.  Jlrmitrovg,  Typographer. 


HAFTORn: 

Pkm  ut'  W.  tj.  VViUmin*. 


Hue  i)r\ 
£t  Don 


SAL    GENTIUM. 

[THF.  S^I.r  OF  THR  XJlTJOJfS.] 

THE  FOUBTH  BOOK 


or 


THE  NEW-ENGLISH  HISTORY: 

CONTAINING 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY, 

FROM    WHENCE    THE    CHURCHES    OP    NEW-ENOLAND    (AND    MANY    OTHER    CHURCHES,)    HAVE    BEEN 

rLLUMINATED— ITS  LAWS,  ITS  BENEFACTORS,  ITS  VICISSITUDES,  AND  A  CATALOGUE  OP 

SUCH  AS  HAVE  BEEN  THEREIN  EDUCATED  AND  GRADUATED. 

WHERETO   ARE   ADDED, 

THE  LIVES  OF  SOME  EMINENT  PERSONS, 

WHO  WERE  PLANTS  OF  RENOWiV  GROWIXO  IN  THAT  NURSERY. 


OFFERED  UNTO  THE  PTJDI.ICK 

BY     COTTON    MATHER. 


Tlore,  e»  in  furnaces  of  boiling  giilU 

Btnra  dipt,  cnnio  l)iicl{,  full  iis  tliuir  urbs  cnn  hold 

or  ({iiu'rinii;  light. 


Jin.  COV/..XUS,  de  JIMXRICA. 

Itiirenium,  Pietas^  Jirtea,  ae  Bellica  Firtut, 
Hue  profuga  venient,  et  Itegna  Uluatra  eondent; 
£(  IJjmina  kit  Virtus  trit,  f'ortuna  Minialra, 
Plantar.  Lib,  5. 


ABM.  CORLEV,  on  AMERICA. 

Genius,  Ruliglitn,  Iioarning,  Vnliir  here, 
ThiiiiKh  pour  and  (>xiioil,  iihall  nn  empire  ri>ar, 
WI1080  prociuny  Miall  bu  in  Roodncsg  grunt, 
Bondsmen  to  Virtue,  Sovereign*  over  t'ule. 


HARTFORD: 

SILAS    A  N  T*  R  U  .S    &    SON. 
185  3. 


'■I 


» 


GENERAL  CONTENTS  OF  THE  SEVERAL  BOOKS. 


VOLUME    I. 

BOOK  I. 

ANTigUITIES. — ^IN  SEVEN  CHAPTERS. — ^WITH  AN  AFFENDIX. 

BOOK    II. 
CONTAINING   THE  LIVES  OF  THE  GOVERNORS  AND  NAMES  OF  THE  MAOISTBATES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND 
— IN  THIRTEEN  CHAPTERS. — ^WITH  AN  APPENDIX. 

BOOK  in. 

I 

THE  LIVES  OF  SIXTY  FAMOUS  DIVINES,  BY  WHOSE  MINISTRY  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND 
HAVE  BEEN  PLANTED  AND  CONTINUED. 


VOLUME    II. 

BOOK  IV. 

AN  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  CAMBRIDGE  IN  NEW^ENGLAND — IN  TWO  FARTS.  PART  I. 
CONTAINS  THE  LAWS,  THE  BENEFACTORS,  AND  VICISSITUDES  OF  HARVARD  COLLEGE,  WITH 
REMARKS  UPON  IT.      FART  H.  THE  LIVES  OF  SOME  EMINENT  PERSONS  EDUCATED  IN  IT. 

BOOK    V. 
ACTS  AND  MONUMENTS  OF  THE  FAITH  AND  ORDER  IN  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND,  PASSED 
IN  THEIR  synods;  WITH  HISTORICAL  REMARKS  UPON  THOSE  VENERABLE  ASSEMBLIES,  AND 
A  GREAT  VARIETY  OF  CHURCH-CASES  OCCURRING  AND  RESOLVED  BY  THE  SYNODS  OF  THOSE 
CHURCHES. — ^IN  FOUR  FARTS. 

BOOK    VI. 

A  FAITHFUL  RECORD  OF  MANY  ILLUSTRIOUS,  WONDERFUL  PROVIDENCES,  BOTH  OF  MERCIES  AND 
JUDGMENTS  ON  DIVERS  PERSONS  IN  NEW-ENGLAND. — IN  EIGHT  CHAPTERS. 

BOOK  VII. 
THE  WARS  OF  THE  LORD — BEING  AN  HISTORY  OF  THF.  MANIFOLD  AFFLICTIONS  AND  DIS- 
TURBANCES OF  THE  CHURCHES  IN  NEW-ENGLAND,  lHOM  THEIR  VARIOUS  ADVERSARIES,  AND 
THE  WONDERFUL  METHODS  AND  MERCIF.S  OF  GOD  IN  THEIR  DELIVERANCE.  IN  SIX  CHAP- 
TERS. TO  WHICH  IS  SUBJOINED,  AN  APPENDIX  OF  REMARKABLE  OCCURRENCES  WHICH 
KEW-ENGLAND  HAD  IN  THE  WARS  WITH  THE  INDIAN  SALVAGES,  FROM  THE  YEAR  1688  TO 
THE  YEAR  1698. 


iS. 


CONTENTS  OF  VOLUME  II. 


W-ESGLANO 


[W-EHOLAHD 


TS.   PART  I. 

Illege,  with 
Id  in  it. 

;,akd,  passed 
embues,  and 
Ijds  of  THOSB 


f  EBCIES  AND 


DNS  AND  DIS" 
IrSABIESi  AND 
llN  SIX  CHAP. 
ENCES  WHICH 
Iear  1688  TO 


THE    FOURTH   BOOK,    ■mtitdlid,  SAL  GENTIUM. 

Pkat 

It  cuiituins  an  account  of  the  New-English  Unlvenltyt     ,,,.•»>•  ^ 

THS    INTRODUCTIOM. 

PART  I.— The  Laws,  the  Benufactow,  and  the  Vicissitudes  of  Harvard-Colledge ;  and  a  Catalogue  of  lU 

lirudiiutes;  with  Rninurkii  upon  It,       ....,>••••  ^ 

PART  II.— The  Lives  uf  somu  Eminent  Persona  therein  educated,        .  .  •  •  .  <        34 

CHAPTER     I. 
FUlei  in  Vita ;  or,  Memorables  concerning  Mr.  John  Drock, .        3S 

CHAPTER    I  1. 

fVucliiotHt;  or,  the  Life  of  Mr.  Samuel  Mather, 30 

CHAPTER    til. 

The  Life  of  Mr.  Samuel  Danfurtb, «  ....        SO 

CHAPTER     IV. 
£ec/««>a«t««;  or,  the  Life  of  Mr.  Jonathan  Mltchel,  ........         M 

CHAPTER     V. 
/)ru«iu«  JV'or-.^njr/ieaNNf;  or,  the  Lifeof  Mr.  Urian  Oakes,       .  .  .  .  .  .  ,114 

CHAPTER     VI. 

Tlio  Life  of  Mr.  Thomas  Shephurd, 110 

CHAPTER     VII. 
St.  Stephen's  Reliques;  or.  Memoirs  of  Mr.  Joshua  Moudy,         ...  .  .  ,  .        ISo 

CHAPTER     rill. 
Oemini ;  or,  the  Life  of  the  Cullius'^, .        139 

CHAPTER     IX. 
The  Life  of  Mr.  Thomas  Shepurd,      . .  .  .        Hi 

CHAPTER     X. 
ISurly  Piety  Exompilfled;  in  the  Life  and  Death  of  M'.Nuthouaoi  Mather, \X\ 

THE    FIFTH   BOOK,    kntitulld,  ACTS  AND  MONUMENT.S. 

U  uontatns,  the  Faith  and  Order  in  the  Churches  of  Now-Erigliind,  agreed  by  their  Synods:  with  llistoricid 
Rttinarks  upon  all  those  Venerable  Assemblies ;  and  u  great  variety  of  other  Church-Coses,  occurring  ami 
resulved  in  those  American  Churciies,   ..........        177 

TUB  FIRST  PART.— The  Faith  professed  by  the  Churches  of  Nfw-Eiiglnnd.    With  Remarks,       .  .        17i> 

TIIK  SECOND  PART.— The  Discipline  practised  In  the  Churches  of  New-England.  With  llislorical  Reinnrlts; 
und  a  Rich  Culluctioii  uf  Church-Cases  liuppily  decided,        .......       -Jit? 

APPENDIX.— The  Heads  of  Agreement,  assented  to  by  the  United  Minieters,  formerly  culle<),  Presbjluriiin 
und  Coiigregutlonal,  ............       S7:i 

Till'^  THIRD  PART. — The  Prindi'los  owned,  and  Endonvours  UFed,  by  the  Churches  ul' New-Bngiund,  cmici-rn- 
»iH  the  Ohiircli-Stulu  of  their  Posterity.    With  Ruiniirkii,       .......        -iK 

IIIK  FOURTH  PART.— The  Uor»rniingSyii,>d«if  New-England :  with  subsequent  Essaycol  Rerormiitiim  in 
tile  Cliurcheii,         .............        'ii6 


I 


0  CONTENTS    OF    VOLUME    II 

THE   SIXTH   BOOK,  ■^«TlT..t■^  THAUMATUUOUS,  «••'.  rrai  "^JJO.  i. «.  l.ib^r  Mtm,ra:..i,..m. 

Il  ciiiilalni  muiiy  llliiHlrlous  DiMMVHrliw  unil  Uvmoiialralloiii  oflhtt  Plvlnti  I'mvliU-ncc,  In  KviimrkuliUi  Mcrclcit 
ami  Jud((iiii'iiU  uii  many  purllculnr  iwrauiM  aimiiiK  Ihe  people  <if  Nuw-KiiKlanil,  .  .  ,       .  U'JO 

Tlio  ImnMlucUuii :  wllh  Prupu«alt  miule  abuul  KcunlliiK  llluilrluua  UiacuverlM  uf  llie  DIvliiu  PruviUuiicu,         ;i4l 

c  II  A  r  T  B  It    I . 
CkritlHt  luptr  .Iquai.    Rulallng  Runiarkablv  8u»<lvllvvnuic«)a|  .  .  .  .  .  .313 

c  11  A  r  T  E  R    II. 
Hiuma.    Rvlating  Remorkablu  Sulvutluni  oxpvrUtiictxl  by  othun  bosldea  Ihe  Suo-farln?,        .  .  .       3U 

C  II  A  r  T  K  R     III. 
C>raMNiii(.    Rt'lnthig  Remarkabloa  doue  by  Tliuudvr.    With  a  Uruntvtogia  Stcra,  reiuarkubly  piwlucutl,         301 

C  II  AFTER     IV. 
The  RcturiiliiK  PrwIlKal.    Rrlnling  Rumarkablu  Ctiiivtirvluiia,      .......       373 

CHAPTER     V. 
Hiitoria  Xemrtioi,    Rt'lnling  Reinarknble  JildKiiieiiU  iif  Ciid,  till  Mvoral  lurta  uf  Oflt'iuloiv,  in  M'Vcrul  vcoruH 
of  liislanoet,  ........,.,,.       377 

An  Appendix,  conlainitiK  an  Illatury  uf  Crimlnnlii,  exuciittxt  Tor  Capital  Uriinoii;  wllh  their  Dying  Speechen,      'tU3 

C  II  AFTER     VI. 
The  Triumphs  uf  Grnce;  ur,  oNarrullveofthu  8iicc«tu  which  IheUutpvl  hath  had  nmung  the  InillnnsurNuw- 
EuglHiid, i'ti 

An  Appendix,  reluling  Things  Greatly  Ruroarkniile,  fflchtHl  fhini  one  little  Inland  uf  ChiiiiliunlxM  IndiuiiK,        440 

CHAPTER     VII. 
naumntogrnphia  Pneumatien,    Rclatlni;,  the  Wundera  or  Ihe  Invisible  World,  in  Prelurimtuml  Ocuum-nceit. 
It  cuiilulns  foiirloeii  atttmishini;,  but  WflHillfSttHl  liiaturlos,  ......        446 

THE    SEVENTH    BOOK,     «!<tititi.«»,    ECC  T,  ESI  A  HUM   PR^MA; 

OR,   A    BUOK   OF   THE  WARS   OK    THE    LORD. 

It  coiilnina  the  Anilctive  Dialnrbiincus  which  the  Churches  ut  Ni>w-Kn^Iund  have  sufH-red  (htm  their  varloiM 
auversariea ;  and  the  WunilvrlUI  Mvtiiuda  and  Merciu!*,  whereby  the  Churcliea  huve  buen  dfllvuruil,     .       inl 

THE     INTRODUCTION. 

CHAPTER     I . 
MitU  yocmtti  Jirttt ;  or,  seme  General  Ilendaul'TeniplHliuM,  with  which  the  Churches  of  Ni>w-Kii;{lnml  have 
been  exerciaed,    ........  ....        4U0 

CHAPTER     II. 
Little  Foxfsi;  nr,  Ihe  Spirit  of  RiK'nl  ^<'|>:irntiou  in  one  renmrktililc  zeul.il,  vexloi;  the  Chnrchca  of  Ni-w-Krii;- 
liinil.  mid  the  iipiril  ul' Giddy  FiiMuliam  in  unoiht-r;  niul  anuie  li'a.M'r  Coiilrovcrkiea  aris.n^  upon  auiidry 
occuaionii,  .............        40.> 

CHAPTER     III. 
Hydra  nrrapittlo  :  or,  llu-  FirM  Synoil  cifNvw-Kngltiiul,  (|U('llini(  n  i^liirni  of  Antlnominn  Upiniona  ;  and  many 
Rcinarkablu  Kvimuh  n-luliiiK  Iheremitii,  .........        5Utl 

CHAPTER     IV. 
Igntt  Vntiii ;  or,  Ihe  Mole'-tntlim!"  uivcu  to  tin-  Chiiiehi'x  ol'  Ncw-Knuland,  by  Unit  odd  wet  of  people  cuUwl 
Qiiuki'iv ;  Hiid  »onii!  I'liCi'iniorialile  Occutronlit  r  laiiiik;  lu  u  sect  ul'  uIAit  mid  better  |ieuple,       .  .       SIM 

C  H  A  r  T  E  K     V  . 
Wolves  in  Shei'p!<'  ClnnlhiiiB!  or,  nn  flisliiry  of  wvenil  lni|iii!'li<n<,  preteiidlni;  to  be  Minisli-ry,  dctfcted  in  the 
Churclies  ol  Nuw-l::iii,'laiul.    Willi  u  Fuithlul  Advice  to  all  Ihe  Cburchea,  einilted  by  some  of  tlie  Piu>li>r!<, 
on  that  iiccuaioii,  ...........       .'>37 

CHAPTER     VI. 
.irmii  f'iroxgiie  Cfitiii;  or,  Ihe  Troubles  which  Ihe  fiiiirclica  of  New-Kiigliind  hnve  undergone,  in  the  Wars 
winch  the  people  of  Ihnt  country  huve  hud  wiih  the  Indian  Siilvage:^         .....       .Ti-J 


A  P  P  E  N  ri  I  X . 
l)rre>i»i>im  f.iictiwaiim  ;  fir,  a  Hi«tory  of  Remnrkalilf  ( U-currenci'ii,  in  the  War  which  New-Eiigluiiil  hud  with 
Indian  Salvages  Iroin  tlie  year  llWi?,  to  the  year  ICUrf,  .......        5.-y 


mora,'  iiium, 
Mcrcli'it 

icts       :i4i 

.  313 

.  3U 

luil,  »l)l 

.  373 

il  fcortw 
«chH»,      403 

I  of  Now- 

4'« 

lliuiK,         44U 


urri'iiceH. 

446 


lAi 


;d,     .        4a7 


1111(1  Imvu 


4U0 


iJi-w-Kiiir- 
■1  eiiiuli)' 


40.-I 


mil  many 


508 


>U<  ciiIIihI 


52-.' 


(><l  ill  Dip 


r.37 


ho  Wars 


hull  with 


5^0 


3' 


i 


THE    FOURTH    BOOK. 


THE 


HISTOEI  OF  HAMARD-C0LLED6E. 


^%^^^V>^^^^^rf^^^N^^^N/S^^^VN^km.^>r 


INTRODUCTION. 

If  there  have  been  Univeraitics  in  the  world,  which  a  Beza  would  cnll  Flabelta  Saiatkc,* 
and  a  Luther  would  call  Cathedraa  Pestiknlia:  and  antichristi  luminaria,\  and  a  third  Vi>n< 
tiirea  to  ntylu  Synagngas  perditionis  and  puteos  Ahyssi;^  tho  excellent  ArrowHuiith  hiui 
truly  observed,  thut  it  is  no  moni  to  be  inferred  from  hence  that  all  are  so,  than  that  nil 
books  lire  to  be  burnt,  because  tho  Christians  did  bum  tho  magical  ones  at  Ephcsua.  The 
Ntiw-Engliinders  have  not  been  Wcigeliuns;  or  the  disciples  of  tlie  furious  funatick,  who 
held  forth  [Reader,  let  it  never  be  translated  into  English !]  Nullam  esse  in  universo  7Vr> 
rarum  Orbe  Academiam,  in  qua  Christus  inveniatur;  in  Arademiis  ne  lantillam  quiden 
Christi  c(^nilionem  reperiri  posse:  Noluisse  Cfiristum  Evangelicum  pradicari  per  Diaholos; 
ergo  non  per  Acnekmicos. }  Li'st  all  the  Hellebore  of  Nuw-Englund  (a  country  abounding 
with  Hellebore)  should  not  suffice  to  restore  such  dronmers  unto  their  wits,  it  hath  produced 
nn  University  also,  for  their  better  information,  their  utter  eonfutition.  Behold,  an 
American  University,  presenting  herself,  with  her  sons,  before  her  European  mothers  for 
their  blessing — nn  University  which  hath  been  to  these  pliintutions,  as  Livy  saith  of  Greece, 
for  the  good  of  literature,  there  cultivated,  Sal  Gentium;  an  University  which  may  make 
her  boast  unto  the  circumjacent  regions,  like  that  of  the  orator  on  the  behiilf  of  the 
English  Cambridge,  Fecimus  {absit  verba  invidia,  cui  abest  Falsilas)  ne  in  Dcmagnriis 
lapis  sederit  super  lapidem,  ne  deesscnl  in  lemplis  theolagi,  in  Foris  Jurisperiti,  in  oppidis 
medici;  remptiblicam,  ecclesiam,  sedatam,  exparatis,  quo  magis  erudili  fuerint:\\  Finally, 
an  University  which  has  been  what  Stangius  made  his  abbey,  when  he  turned  it  into  a 
Protestant  Collcdge;  T^f  ©soyvwtfiaf  ffctiisuT^plcv  xa'  -^-uX^"  ^'^aCtaXsrav  Aoyixiv  IT 
And  a  river,  without  the  streams  whereof,  these  regions  would  have  been  meer  unwatered 
places  for  the  devil! 

*  Satmi'a  fans.  t  Seats  of  pestilence  and  beacons  of  Antichrist. 

%  Synagoguos  of  perdition  and  sin1(s  of  hell. 

)  11iat  thore  is  no  institution  of  learning  in  the  world,  whero  Christ  is  to  be  funnd ;  in  such  institutions,  not  • 
particle  of  lh«  knowledge  of  Christ  can  be  obtained :  Christ  was  unwiilini);  that  the  gospel  should  be  preached  by 
devils;  eonsequoutiy,  he  is  unwilling  that  it  should  be  proached  by  scholars. 

I  We  have  provided,  (and  let  envy  be  as  far  removed  from  this  declaration  as  is  flilsohnod.)  that  in  popular 
assembliui  stone  should  not  tallc  to  stone— that  the  church  should  not  laclc  priests,  or  the  bar,  Jiirisits,  or  the  n>'n> 
munily,  physicians:  we  have  supplied  the  government,  tho  church,  the  senate,  the  army,  with  accomplished  mrn* 
who  are  the  better  qualified  to  serve  the  public  interest  in  proportion  to  tho  superiority  of  their  ftcquiremanla. 

^  A  seminary  of  the  knowledge  of  God,  and  a  school  for  logical  minds. 


I    t 


MAONALIA    OURISTI    AMEBICANA. 


PART  I. 
ITS  LAWS,  BENEFACTORS,  TICISSITDDES,  AND  ITS  GRADUATES. 

§  1.  The  nations  of  mankind,  that  have  shaken  off  barbarity,  have  not 
more  difl'ored  in  the  languages,  than  they  have  agreed  in  this  one  principle, 
that  schools,  for  the  institution  of  young  men,  in  all  other  liberal  sciences, 
as  well  as  that  of  languages,  are  necessary  to  procure,  and  preserve,  that 
learning  amongst  them,  which 

Emollit  morti,  nee  tinit  e$ae  ferot.* 

To  relate  the  thousandth  part  of  the  brave  things,  which  have  been  done 
by  the  nations  of  Asia,  in  former,  or  the  nations  of  Europe,  in  latter  ages, 
pursuant  to  this  principle,  would  bo  to  fill  huge  folio  volumes,  with  trans- 
cribing from  Hospinian  or  Meddcndorpius,  from  Alsted,  from  Junius,  and 
from  Leigh,  and  from  very  many  other  authors.  America  is  the  part  of  the 
world  whereto  our  history  is  confined ;  and  one  little  part  of  America,  where 
the  first  academy  that  ever  adorned  any  English  plantation  in  America  was 
erected;  and  an  academy  which,  \fniajores  wos^n  academias  signato  vocabulo 
appeHav':re  Universitates,  quod  Universarum  Divinarum  Ilumanarumque 
lieruvi  Cvynitio,  in  ys,  ut  Thesauro  conservato  apenatur,\  it  may,  though  it 
have  otiierwise  wanted  many  priviledges,  from  the  very  foundation  of  it 
pretend  unto  the  name  of  an  University.  The  primitive  Christians  were 
not  more  prudently  careful  to  settle  schools  for  the  education  of  persons, 
to  succeed  the  more  immediately  inspired  ministry  of  the  apostles,  and 
such  as  had  been  ordained  by  the  apostles;  (and  the  apostle  Julian  truly 
imagined  that  he  could  not  sooner  undo  Christianity  than  by  putting  of 
tliem  down!)  than  the  Christians  in  the  most  early  times  of  New-England 
were  to  form  a  Colledge,  wherein  a  succession  of  a  learned  and  able  min- 
istry might  be  educated.  And,  indeed,  they  foresaw  that  without  such  a 
provision  {ovvl  sufficient  ministry,  the  churches  of  New-England  must  have 
been  less  than  a  business  of  one  age,  and  soon  have  come  to  nothing:  the 
other  hemisphere  of  the  world  would  never  have  sent  us  over  Mex  enough 
to  have  aiisw.ered  our  necessities;  but  without  a  nursery  for  such  Men 
among  ourselves  "darkness  must  have  soon  covered  the  land,  and  gross 
darkness  the  people."  For  some  little  while,  indeed,  there  were  very 
hopeful  ciTocts  of  the  j)ains  taken  by  certain  particular  men  of  great  worth 
and  skill,  to  bring  up  some  in  their  own  private  families  for  public  services; 
but  much  of  uncertainty  and  of  inconvenicncy  in  this  way  was  in  that  little 
while  discovered;  and  when  wise  men  considered  the  question  handled  by 
Qnintilian,  Ulilius  ne  sit  domi,  atque,  intra  privatos  Parietes  studentem  con- 

*  Chaslpns  tlie  manners  and  tho  soul  rcflnes. 

+  Our  forcftithera  cnllcd  acadomlus  by  the  8ii(niflcant  name  of  Unirersitieg,  beeanse  In  them  are  rercaled,  lilr« 
a  hidden  treasure,  the  univeriat  stores  of  knowledge,  both  in  divine  and  human  things. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


9 


FES. 

vo  ndt 
nciple, 
licnces, 
ro,  that 


jn  done 
er  ages, 
ti  trans- 
ins,  and 
rt  of  the 
a,  where 
rica  was 
vocabulo 
arumque 
hough  it 
ion  of  it 
ana  were 
persons, 
;les,  and 
tan  truly 
itting  of 
England 
ible  inin- 
t  such  a 
lust  have 
[ing:  the 
enough 
|ch  Mkn 
id  gross 
sre  very 
|at  worth 
lervices ; 
|hat  little 
idled  by 
Item  con- 


ti'ntre,  an  frequentux  acholarwn^  et  velut  puhUda  prceceptoribus  traderet*  they 
poon  determined  it  as  he  did,  that  set-schooU  are  so  necessary,  there  is  no 
doing  without  them.     Wherefore  a  Colledgk  must  now  bo  thought  upon : 
a  Colledge,  the  best  thing  that  ever  Now-Engla.id  thought  upon  I     As  the 
admirable  Voctius  could  happily  boast  of  it,  thot  whereas  there  arc  no  less 
than  (en  provinces  in  the  JKtpish  Belgium,  and  there  are  no  more  than  two 
Universities  in  them,  there  are  but  s*;rcn  provinces  in  the  reformed  Belgiuni, 
and  tliere  ore  five  Universities  therein,  besides  other  academical  societies; 
tliustho  first  Possessors  of  this  protestant  and  puritan  country  were  zealous 
for  un  University,  that  should  be  more  signilicaut  than  the  Seminaries  of 
Canada  and  Mexico;  New-England,  compared  with  other  places,  might  lay 
chiim  to  the  character  that  Strabo  gives  of  Tarsus,  the  city  of  our  apostle 
Paul's  first  education;  "they  had  so  great  a  love  to  Philosophy,"  [ToirauTTi 
tftiji)  iffii  <r»  fiXotfofiav,]  and  all  the  liberal  sciences,  that  they  excelled 
Athens,  Alexandria,  and  if  there  were  any  other  place  worth  naming 
T\'here  the  schools,  and  disputes  of  philosophy,  and  all  humane  arts  are 
maintained."    And  although  this  country  did  chiefly  consist  of  such  as,  by 
the  difficulties  of  subduing  u  wretched  wilderness,  were  brought  int  ^  mcli 
a  condition  of  poverty,  that  they  might  have  gone  by  the  title  by  which 
the  modestly-clad  noblemen  and  gentlemen  that  first  petitioned  against 
the  Inquisition  in  the  low  countries  werc  distinguished,  namely,  "a  troop 
of  beggars,"  yet  these  Uumx  were  willing  to  let  the  richer  colonies,  whieli 
retained  the  ways  of  the  Church  of  England,  see  "how  much  true  religion 
was  a  friend  unto  good  literature."    The  reader  knows  that  in  every  town 
among  the  Jews,  there  was  a  school,  whereat  children  were  taught  the 
reading  of  the  law;  and  if  there  were  any  town  destitute  of  a  school,  the 
men  of  the  place  did  stand  excommunicate  until  one  wore  erected:  besides 
and  beyond  which,  they  had  midrashoOt^  or  divinity -schools,  in  which  they 
expounded  the  law  to  their  disciples.     Whether  the  churches  of  New- 
England  have  been  duely  careful  or  no,  about  their  other  soliools,  they 
have  not  been  altogether  careless  about  their  midrashoth;  and  it  is  well 
for  them  that  they  have  not. 

§  2.  A  General  Court,  held  at  Boston,  September  8,  1630,  advanced  a 
small  sum  (and  it  was  then  a  day  of  small  things),  namely,  four  hundred 
pounds,  by  way  of  essay  towards  the  building  of  something  to  begin  a  Col- 
ledge; and  New-Town  being  the  Kirkilh  lSffpher\  appointed  for  the  seat  of 
it,  the  name  of  the  town  wiu»  for  the  sake  of  somewhat  now  founding  here, 
which  might  hereafter  grow  into  an  University,  changed  into  Cambridge. 
'Tis  true,  the  University  of  Upsid  in  Sueden  luith  ordino'-ily  about  seven 
or  eight  hundred  students  belonging  to  it,  which  do  none  of  them  live  col- 
legiately,  but  board  all  of  them  here  and  there  at  private  houses;  never- 
theless, the  government  of  New-England  was  for  having  their  students 

*  Whether  it  is  more  expedient  tu  shut  up  the  ttudont  kt  hoino  ond  In  his  own  closet,  or  to  send  him  to  tho 
crowded  school  and  to  public  teuchers.  f  City  of  Book*. 


10 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


brought  up  in  a  more  collegiate  way  of  living.  But  that  which  laid  the 
most  significant  stone  in  the  foundation,  was  the  last  will  of  Mr.  John 
Harvard,  a  reverend  and  excellent  minister  of  the  gospel,  who,  dying  at 
Charlestown  of  a  consumption,  quickly  after  his  arrival  here,  bequeathed 
the  sum  of  seven  hundred,  seventy  nine  pounds,  seventeen  shillings  and 
two  pence,  towards  the  pious  work  of  building  a  CoUedge,  which  was  now 
set  a  foot.  A  committee  then  being  chosen,  to  prosecute  an  affair  so  linp- 
pily  commenced,  it  soon  found  encouragement  from  several  other  bene- 
factors: the  other  colonies  sent  some  small  help  to  the  undertaking,  and 
several  particular  gentlemen  did  more  than  whole  colonies  to  support  and 
forward  it:  but  because  the  memorable  Mr.  John  Harvard  led  the  way 
by  a  generosity  exceeding  the  most  of  them  that  followed,  his  name  was 
justly  {eternized,  by  its  having  the  name  of  Harvard  Colledge  imposed 
upon  it.  While  these  things  were  a  doing,  a  society  of  scholars,  to  lodge 
in  the  new  nests,  were  forming  under  the  conduct  of  one  Mr.  Nathaniel 
Eaton,  [or,  if  thou  wilt,  reader,  Orbilitis  Eaton]  a  blade  who  marvellously 
deceived  the  expectations  of  good  men  concerning  him;  for  he  was  one 
fitter  to  be  master  of  a  Bridewel  than  a  Colledge:  and  though  his  avarice 
was  notorious  enough  to  get  the  name  of  a  Philargyrius*  fixed  upon  him, 
yet  his  cruelly  was  more  scandalous  than  his  avarice.  He  was  a  rare  scholar 
himself)  and  he  made  many  more  such;  but  their  education  truly  was  "in 
the  school  of  Tyrannus."  Among  many  other  instances  of  his  cruelty, 
he  gave  one  in  causing  two  men  to  hold  a  young  gentleman,  while  he  so 
unmercifully  beat  him  with  a  cudgel,  that,  upon  complaint  of  it  unto  the 
court  in  September,  1639,  he  was  fined  an  hundred  marks,  besides  a  con- 
venient sum  to  be  paid  unto  the  young  gentleman  that  had  suffered  by 
his  unmercifulness ;  and  for  his  inhumane  severities  towards  the  scholars, 
he  was  removed  from  his  trust.  After  this,  being  first  fexcommunicated  by 
the  church  of  Cambridge,  he  did  himself  excommunicate  all  our  churches, 
going  first  into  Virginia,  then  into  England,  where  he  lived  privately  until 
the  restauration  of  King  Charles  the  II.  Then  conforming  to  the  cere- 
monies of  the  church  of  England,  he  was  fixed  at  Biddiford,  where  ho 
became  (as  Apostata  est  Osor  sui  Ordinis) — a  bitter  persecutor  of  the  Chris- 
tians that  kept  faithful  to  the  way  of  worship,  from  which  he  was  himself 
an  apostate;  until  he  who  had  cast  so  many  into  prison  for  conscience,  was 
himself  cast  into  prison  for  debt;  where  he  did,  at  length,  pay  one  debt, 
namely,  that  unto  nature,  by  death. 

§  3.  On  August  27,  1640,  the  magistrates,  with  the  ministers,  of  the 
colony,  chose  Mr.  Henry  Dunstar  to  be  the  President  of  their  new  Har- 
vard-CoUedge.  And  in  time  convenient,  the  General  Court  endued  the 
Colledge  with  a  charter,  which  made  it  a  corporation,  consisting  of  a  Pres- 
ident, two  Fellows,  and  a  Treasurer  to  all  proper  intents  and  purposes: 
only  with  powers  reserved  unto  the  Governour,  Deputy-Governour,  and 

•  Money-loror. 


M 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


n 


nil  the  magistrates  of  the  colony,  and  the  ministers  of  the  six  next  towns 
fur  the  time  being,  to  act  as  overseers  or  visitors  of  the  society.  The  tongues 
and  arts  were  now  taught  in  the  Colledge,  and  piety  was  maintained  with 
so  laudable  a  discipline,  that  many  eminent  persons  went  forth  from  hence, 
adorned  with  accomplishments,  that  rendered  them  formidable  to  other 
parts  of  the  world,  as  well  as  to  this  country,  and  persons  of  good  quality 
sent  their  sons  from  other  parts  of  the  world  for  such  an  education  as  this 
country  could  give  unto  them.  The  number  of  benefaotors  to  the  Colledge 
did  herewithal  increase  to  such  a  degree  of  benefits,  that  although  the 
President  were  supported  still  by  a  salary  from  the  Treasury  of  the  colony, 
yet  the  Treasury  of  the  Colledge  itself  was  able  to  pay  many  of  its  ex- 
pences;  especially  after  the  incomes  of  Charlestown  ferry  were  by  an  act 
of  the  General  Court  settled  thereupon.  To  enumerate  these  benefactors 
would  be  a  piece  of  justice  to  their  memory,  and  the  catalogue  of  their 
names  and  works,  preserved  in  the  Colledge,  has  done  them  that  jus- 
tice. But  as  I  find  one  article  in  that  catalogue  to  run  thus,  "a  gentle- 
man not  willing  his  name  should  be  put  upon  record,  gave  fifty  pounds;" 
thus  I  am  so  willing  to  believe,  that  most  of  those  good  men  that  are  men- 
tioned were  content  with  a  record  of  their  good  deeds  in  the  book  of  God's 
remembrance,  that  I  shall  excuse  this  book  of  our  church  history  from 
swelling  with  a  particular  mention  of  them:  albeit  for  us  to  leave  unmen- 
tioned  in  this  place  Moulson,  a  Saltonstal,  an  Ashurst,  a  Pennoyeb, 
a  Doddridge,  an  Hopkins,  a  Web,  an  Usher,  an  IIull,  a  Richards,  an 
HuLTON,  a  GuNSTON,  would  hardly  be  excusable.  And  while  these  made 
their  liberal  contributions,  either  to  the  edifice  or  to  the  revenue  of  the 
Colledge,  there  were  other  that  enriched  its  library  by  presenting  of  choice 
books  with  mathematical  instruments  thereunto,  among  whom  Sir  Kenelm 
Digby,  Sir  John  Maynard,  Mr.  Richard  Baxter,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Hill,  ought 
always  to  be  remembered.  But  the  most  considerable  accession  to  this 
library  was,  when  the  Reverend  Mr.  Theophilus  Gule,  a  well  knowrf  writer 
of  many  books,  and  oiuner  of  more,  bequeathed  what  he  had  unto  his  New- 
English  treasury  of  learning;  whereof  I  find  in  an  Oration  of  Mr.  Increase 
Mather,  at  the  commencement  in  the  year  1G81,  this  commemoration: — 
"•Lihris  quam plurimis  Usque  Lectu  dignissimis  Bibliotheca  Harvardina  Locu- 
pktatur,  quos  TllEOPHlLUS  Galeus,  (o  fi-xxaprHiis)  Theolorjm  nunquam  satis 
Laudatus,  hgavit;  qttosque  Novanglorum  Moses,  Dominum  Gulielmum  Stougt- 
onum  volo,  procurauit,  eoque  se  primarium  Hujm  Academim  Curatorem  prce- 
buit,  atque  Ilarvardinos  ornnes  sihi  in  perpetuum  Devindos  haljet."*  Indeed 
this  library  is  at  this  day,  far  fVom  a  Vatican,  or  a  Bodleian  dimension, 
and  sufficiently  short  of  that  made  by  Ptolomy  at  Alexandria,  in  which 
Fame  hath  placed  seven  hundred  thousand  volumes,  and  of  that  made  by 

•  The  library  of  Uiirviird  College  is  enriched  with  a  great  number  of  boolcs,  and  those  Buch  as  are  best  worth 
reading— ralected  by  ThtMiphiliw  Yiile,  (of  blessed  memory)  who  has  never  yet  received  his  full  meed  of  praise  as 
a  theologian ;  also,  by  William  Stougliton,  the  Closes  uf  the  New  Englanders,  who  was  the  flret  benefactor  of  ihia 
iobtitutiou,  and  haa  bound  ull  true  sous  of  Hurvard  to  himself  In  bonds  of  everlasting  gratitude. 


MAQNALIA   OHBISTI    AMERICANA; 

Theodosius  at  Constantinople,  in  which  a  more  certain  farM  hath  told  us 
of  ten  myriads :  nevertheless  'tis  I  suppose  the  best  furnished  that  can  bo 
shown  any  where  in  all  the  American  regions;   and  when  I  have  the 
honour  to  walk  in  it,  I  cannot  but  think  on  the  satisfaction  which  Heinsiua 
reports  himself  to  be  filled  withal,  when  shut  up  in  the  library  at  Leyden ; 
Plerumque  in  ea  simulac  pedem  posui,  foribus  .Pessulum  obdo,  et  in  ipso  AUter- 
nitatis  Oremio,  inter  tot  illustres  Animas  sedem  mihi  Sumo:  cum  ingenti  qui- 
dem  Animo,  ut  subirtde  Magnalum  me  misereat,  qui  Foelicitatem  hanc  ignorant.* 
§  4.  When  scholai's  had  so  far  profitted  at  the  grammar  schools  that  they 
could  read  any  classical  author  into  English,  and  readily  make  and  speak 
true  Latin,  and  write  it  in  verse  as  well  as  prose;  and  perfectly  decline  the 
paradigms  of  nouns  and  verbs  in  the  Greek  tongue,  they  were  judged  capa- 
ble of  admission  in  Harvard-Col  ledge ;  and,  upon  the  examination,  were 
accordingly  admitted  by  the  President  and  Fellows;  who,  in  testimony 
thereof,  signed  a  copy  of  the  Colledge  laws,  which  the  scholars  were  each 
of  them  to  transcribe  and  preserve,  as  the  continual  remembrancers  of  the 
duties  whereto  their  priviledges  oblidged  them.    While  the  President  in- 
spected the  manners  of  the  students  thus  entertained  in  the  Colledge,  and 
unto  his  morning  and  evening  prayers  in  the  hall  joined  an  exposition  upon 
the  chapters;  which  they  read  out  of  Hebrew  into  Greek,  from  the  Old 
Testament  in  the  morning,  and  out  of  English  into  Greek,  from  the  New 
Testament  in  the  evening ;  besides  what  Sermons  he  saw  cause  to  preach  in 
publick  assemblies  on  the  Lord's  day  at  Cambridge  where  the  students  have 
a  particular  gallery  allotted  unto  them ;  the  Fellows  resident  on  the  place 
became  Tutors  to  the  several  classes,  and  after  they  had  instructed  them 
in  the  Hebrew  language,  led  them  through  all  the  liberal  arts,  ere  their 
first /our  years  expired.     And  in  this  time,  they  had  their  weekly  declama- 
tions, on  Fridays  in  the  Colledge-hall,  besides  publick  disputations,  which 
either  the  President  or  the  Fellows  moderated.    Those  who  then  stood 
candidates  to  be  graduates,  were  to  attend  in  the  hall  for  certain  hours, 
on  Mondays,  and  on  Tuesdays,  three  weeks  together  towards  the  middle 
of  June,  which  were  called  "  weeks  of  visitation ;"  so  that  all  comers  that 
pleased  might  examine  their  skill  in  the  languages  and  sciences  which  they 
now  pretended  unto;  and  usually,  some  or  other  of  the  overseers  of  the 
Colledge  would  on  purpose  visit  them,  whilst  they  were  thus  doing  what 
they  called  "sitting  of  solstices:"  when  the  commencement  arrived — which 
was  formerly  the  second  Tuesday  in  August,  but  since,  the  first  Wednes- 
day in  July — they  that  were  to  proceed  Bachelors,  held  their  act  publickly 
in  Cambridge;  whither  the  magistrates  and  ministers,  and  other  gentle- 
men then  came,  to  put  respect  upon  their  exercises :  and  these  exercises 
were,  besides  an  oration  usually  made  by  the  President,  orations  both 

*  Generally,  as  soon  as  I  set  foot  in  it,  1  bolt  the  door,  and  seem  to  repose  on  the  very  bosom  of  Immortal 
mind,  among  so  many  illustrious  spirits:  with  a  sense  of  delight  so  exalted,  that  I  pity  even  princes,  who  do  not 
know  this  happiness. 


OB,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


18 


salutatory  a^d  ledictory,  made  by  some  or  other  of  the  commencerS; 
wherein  all  p-..  i.  is  and  orders  of  any  fashion  then  present,  were  addressed 
with  proper  coroplemenis,  and  reflections  were  made  on  the  most  remark- 
able occurrents  of  the  prteceding  year;  and  these  orations  were  made  not 
only  in  Latin,  but  sometimes  in  Greek  and  in  Hebrew  also;  and  some  of 
them  were  in  verse,  and  even  in  Greek  verse,  as  well  as  others  in  prose. 
But  the  main  exercises  were  disputations  upon  questions,  wherein  the 
respondentu  first  made  their  theses:  for  according  to  Vossius,  the  very  es- 
sence of  the  Baccalaureat  seems  to  lye  in  the  thing:  Baccalaubeus  being 
but  a  name  corrupted  of  Batualius,  which  Batualius  (as  well  as  the  French 
Bataile)  comes  a  Batuendo,  a  business  that  carries  heating  in  it:  So  that, 
**  Batualii/werM^j/  vocati,  quia  jam  quasi  Batuissent  cum  adversario,  ojc  Manus 
conseruissent ;  hoc  est,  Publice  Disputassent,  alqua  ita  Peritice  suce  specimen 
dedissent.*  In  the  close  of  the  day,  the  President,  with  the  formality  of 
delivering  a  book  into  their  hands,  gave  them  ih.Q\T  first  degree:  but  such 
of  them  as  had  studied  three  years  after  their  first  degree,  to  answer  the 
Horation  character  of  an  artist, 

Q,ui  Sludiia  Annas  Seplem  dedil  insenuitqiie  Libris  el  curis.i 

And  besides  their  exhibiting  synopses  of  the  liberal  arts,  by  themselves 
composed,  now  again  publickly  disputed  on  some  questions,  of  perhaps  a 
little  higher  elevation;  these  now,  with  a  like  formality,  received  their 
second  degree,  proceeding  Masters  of  Art. — "  Quis  enim  doctrinam  amplec- 
titur  ipsam,  proemia  si  toWis?":J:  The  words  used  by  the  President,  in 
this  action,  were : 

FOB  THE  BATCHELOUBS. 

Admitlo  ie  ad  Primum  Gradum  in  Artibus,  scilicet,  ad  respondendum  questioni, 
pro  more  Academiarum  in  Anglid. 

Tibique  Trado  hunc  Librum,  und,  cum  potestate  public^  preelegendi,  in  aliqud, 
artium  {quam  projiteris)  quotiescunque  ad  hoc  munu^  evocatus  fueris.fj 

FOB  THE  MASTEBS. 

Admitto  te  ad  Secundum  Gradum  in  Artibus,  pro  more  Academiarum  in  Anglid. 
Tradoque  tibi  hunc  Librum,  und,  cum  potestale  profitendi,  ubicunque  aa  hoc  munus 
publicd  evocatus  fueris.[\ 

§  5.  Mr.  Henry  Dunster,  continued  the  President  of  Harvard-Colledge, 
until  his  unhappy  entanglement  in  the  snares  of  Anabaptism  fill'd  the 

*  They  were  called  Battailert,  becaoae  they  had  battled  as  It  were  with  an  antagonist— that  is,  had  engaged 
in  a  public  controversy  or   igcussion,  and  thus  given  a  specimen  of  their  proflciency. 

t  Who  seven  long  yen.  i  has  spent  in  student-toil. 

%  For  who  would  seek  even  learning  itself,  if  you  should  strip  it  of  its  rewards  f 

I  I  admit  you  to  the  first  degree  in  Arts,  that  is  to  say,  to  the  privilege  of  responding  in  debate,  according  to 
Ihe  custom  of  the  English  Universities ;  and  I  deliver  to  you  this  book,  with  the  privilege  of  reading  in  public,  in 
such  profbsiiion  aa  you  shall  select,  os  oden  as  you  are  summoned  to  that  duty. 

I  I  admit  you  to  the  second  degree  in  Arts,  according  to  the  custom  of  the  fUiglish  Universities;  and  I  deliver 
lu  you  this  book,  with  the  privilege  of  practising  a  profession,  whenever  you  shall  be  called  upon  to  do  so. 


ii 


4  ! 


m 


MAONALIA   OHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


overseers  with  uneasie  fears,  lest  the  students,  by  his  means,  should  oomo 
to  be  ensnared:  Which  uneasiness  was  at  length  so  signified  unto  him, 
that  on  October  24,  1654,  he  presented  unto  the  overseers  an  instrument 
under  his  hands;  wherein  he  resigned  the  Presidentship,  and  they  accepted 
his  resignation.  That  brave  old  man  Johannes  Amos  Commenius,  the/ame 
of  whose  worth  hath  been  trumpetted  as  far  as  more  than  three  languages 
(whereof  every  one  is  indebted  unto  his  Janua)  could  carry  it,  was  indeed 
agreed  withal,  by  our  Mr.  Winthrop  in  his  travels  through  the  hio  coun- 
tries^ to  come  over  into  New-England,  and  illuminate  this  Colledge  and 
country,  in  the  quality  of  a  President:  But  the  solicitations  of  the  Swedish 
Ambassador,  diverting  him  another  way,  that  incomparable  Moravian 
became  not  an  American.  On  November  2,  1654,  Mr.  Eichard  Mather 
and  Mr.  Norton  were  employed  by  the  overseers  to  tender  unto  Mr.  Charles 
Chancey  the  place  of  President,  which  was  now  become  vacant;  who, 
on  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  that  month,  had  a  solemn  Inauguration 
thereunto.  A  person  he  was,  of  whom  'tis  not  easie  to  say  too  much;  but 
let  it  here  be  enough  to  recite  the  words  of  Mr.  Increase  Mather  (who  now 
succeeds  him)  in  one  of  his  orations: 

"CI.  Tile  ClinncoBus,  quern  Cakolum  magnum^  jure  optima  nominate  possumus: 
Fuit  ille  senex  venerandus,  linguarum  et  artium  prasidiis  instructissimus,  gymna- 
siarcha  praclari  doclus ;  qui  injUiis  prophetarum  erudiendis  Jidelem  navavit  operam 
omnemque  diligentiam  adhibuit.  Abitus  et  obitus  tanti  viri,  Collegium  qtiasi  trun- 
catum,  ac  tantum  non  enecatum  reliquerunt."* 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Chancey,  which  was  at  the  latter  end  of  the  year 
1701,  the  Alnia  Mater  Academia  must  look  among  her  own  sons,  to  find 
a  President  for  the  rest  of  her  children ;  and  accordingly  the  Fellows  of 
the  Colledge,  with  the  approbation  of  the  overseers,  July  13,  1672,  elected 
Mr.  Leonard  Hoar  unto  that  ofiice;  whereto,  on  the  tenth  of  September 
following,  he  was  inaugurated. 

This  gentleman,  after  his  education  in  Harvard-Colledge,  travelled  over 
into  England;  where  he  was  not  only  a  preacher  of  the  gospel  in  divers 
places,  but  also  received  from  the  University  in  Cambridge  the  degree  of 
a  l>octor  of  Physick.  The  Doctor,  upon  some  invitations,  relating  to  a 
settlefnent,  in  the  pastoral  charge  with  the  South  Church  at  Boston,  returned 
into  New-England ;  having  first  married  a  virtuous  daughter  of  the  Lord 
Lisle,  a  great  example  of  piety  and  patience,  who  now  cross'd  the  Atlantick 
with  him;  and  quickly  after  his  arrival  here,  his  invitation  to  preside  over 
the  Colledge  at  Cambridge,  superseded  those  from  the  Church  in  Boston. 
Were  he  considered  either  as  a  scholar  or  as  a  Christian,  he  was  truly  a 
worthy  man;  and  he  was  generally  reputed  such,  until  happening,  I  can 

*  That  Ohauncey.  whom  we  may  properly  stylo  Chnrles  the  Great,  was  a  venerable  old  mnn,  most  nccnm- 
pIlKhed  ill  the  fundamental  principles  of  science  and  in  the  use  of  language,  most  expert  in  the  art  of  instruction, 
who  di'volod  himseir  wild  exemplary  and  unfiiiliiig  diligence  to  the  instruction  of  the  sons  of  the  prophets.  The 
death  of  so  groat  a  muii  lelX  the  college  crippled  and  well  nigh  crushed. 


; 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


«M' 


/ 


scnrce  tell  hoto^  to  fall  under  the  displeasure  of  some  that  made  a  figure  in 
tlic  neighbourhood,  the  young  men  in  the  Colledge  took  advantage  there- 
from, to  mine  his  reputation,  as  far  as  they  were  able.  He  then  found  the 
Rectorship  of  a  Colledge  to  be  as  troublesome  a  thing  as  ever  Antigonus 
(lid  his  robe;  and  he  could  subscribe  to  Melchior  Adams'  account  of  it, 
"  Sceptmm  illud  scholasticum,  plus  habet  solicitudinis  quam  pulchritudinis, 
jjIus  curce  quam  auri,  plus  imperHmenti  quam  argenti."*  The  young  plants 
turned  cud-weeds,  and,  with  great  violations  of  the  fifth  Commandment,  set 
themselves  to  travestie  whatever  he  did  and  said,  and  aggravate  every  thing 
in  his  behaviour  disagreeable  to  them,  with  a  design  to  make  him  odious; 
and  in  Sk  day  of  temptation,  which  was  now  upon  them,  several  very  good 
men  did  unhappily  countenance  the  ungovorned  youths  in  their  ungov- 
ernableness.  Things  were  at  length  driven  to  such  a  pass,  that  the  stu- 
dents deserted  the  Colledge,  and  the  Doctor,  on  March  15,  1675,  resigned 
his  Presidentship.  But  the  hard  and  ill  usuage  which  he  met  withal  made 
so  deep  an  impression  upon  his  mind,  that  his'grief  threw  him  into  a  con- 
sumption, whereof  he  dyed  November  28,  the  winter  following,  in  Boston; 
and  he  lies  now  interr'd  at  Braintree :  where  he  might  properly  enough 
have  this  line  inscribed  over  him  for  his 

EPITAPH 
MaluB  eelcri  tauciut  JLfneo.i 

The  fate  of  this  ingenious  man  was  not  altogether  without  a  parallel,  in 
what  long  since  befel  Dr.  Metcalf,  the  Master  of  St.  John's  Colledge  in 
Cambridge;  who,  as  Dr.  Fuller  has  related  it,  was  injuriously  driven  from 
the  Colledge,  and  expired  soon  after  his  going  out  of  his  office:  But  I 
would  not  have  my  reader  go  too  far,  in  constructing  the  remark,  which 
the  great  Caius  made  thereupon,  "  Omnes  qui  Metcalfi  excludendi  autores 
extiterunt,  multis  adversce  fortanoR  procellis,  sive  divina  ultione,  set'  fato  suo 
jactu.ti,  mortem  ohienint  exemiAo  memorabilia^  All  that  I  shall  farther  add 
concerning  our  Doctor  is,  that  in  his  time,  there  being  occasion  for  the 
Colledge  to  be  recruited  with  new  edifices,  there  was  a  contribution  made 
for  it  through  the  Colony,  which,  in  the  whole,  amounted  unto  one  thou- 
sand, eight  hundred,  and  ninety  five  pounds,  two  shillings  and  nine  pence; 
and  of  this,  there  was  eight  hundred  pounds  given  by  the  one  town  of 
Boston;  and  of  that,  there  was  one  hundred  pounds  given  by  the  one 
hand  of  Sir  Thomas  Temple,  as  true  a  gentleman,  as  ever  set  foot  on  the 
American  strand;  and  this  contribution,  with  some  other  assistances, 
quickly  produced  a  new  Colledge,  wearing  still  the  name  of  the  old  one, 
which  old  one  is  now  so  mouldered  away,  that 

*  The  academic  Keptre  Is  more  (hiltful  of  anxiety  than  of  p)ea«tire— brings  more  care  than  cash— more 
eml>iirra!<8ment  than  remuneration.  f  His  mnsts  all  splintered  by  the  driving  gale. 

t  All  who  favoured  (he  dismiual  of  Metcalf,  after  suffering  many  adversities,  either  flrom  special  divine  veil- 
seance,  or  the  ordinary  course  of  Providence,  died  In  a  remarkable  manner. 


16 


UAQNALIA   OHBISTI    AMEBIOANA; 


Jam  ttgtt  ut  u&t  Trt^a  fuit,* 


After  the  death  of  Dr.  Hoar,  the  place  of  President  pro  tempore,  was 
put  upon  Mr.  Urian  Oakes,  the  excellent  Pastor  of  the  Church  at  Cam- 
bridge ;  who  did  so,  and  would  no  otherwise  accept  of  the  place ;  though 
the  offer  of  sl/uH  setikment  in  the  place  was  afterwards  importunately  made 
unto  him.  He  did  the  services  of  a  president,  even,  as  he  did  all  other 
services,  faithfully,  learnedly,  indefatigably ;  and  by  a  new  choice  of  him 
thereunto,  on  February  2,  1679,  was,  at  last,  prevailed  withal  to  take  the 
full  charge  upon  him.  We  all  know,  that  Britain  knew  nothing  more 
famous  than  their  ancient  sect  of  Druids;  the  philosopher^  whose  order, 
they  say,  was  instituted  by  one  Samothes,  which  is  in  English,  as  much 
as  to  say,  an  heavenly  man.  The  Celtic  name,  Deru  for  an  Oak,  was  that 
from  whence  they  received  their  denomination ;  as  at  this  very  day,  the 
Welch  call  this  tree  Derw,  and  this  order  of  men  Derwyddon.  But  there 
are  no  small  antiquaries,  who  derive  this  oaken  religion  and  philosophy 
fi-om  the  Oaks  of  Mamre,  where  the  Patriarch  Abraham  had  as  well  a 
dtvelling  as  an  altar.  That  Oaken-Plain,  and  the  eminent  OAK  under  which 
Abraham  lodged,  was  extant  in  the  days  of  Constantino,  as  Isidore,  Jeroni, 
and  Sozomen  have  assured  us.  Yea,  there  are  shrew'd  probabilities  that 
Noah  himself  had  lived  in  this  very  Oak-Plain  before  him ;  for  this  very 
place  was  called  Oiiy»i,  which  Was  the  name  of  Noah,  so  styled  from  the 
Oggyan  {suhdneritiis  panibus\)  sacrifices,  which  he  did  use  to  offer,  in  this 
renowned  Grove:  And  it  was  from  this  example  that  the  ancients,  and 
particularly  that  the  Druids  of  the  nations,  chose  oaken  retirements  for 
their  studies.  Reader,  let  us  now  upon  another  account  behold  the  students 
of  Harvard-CoUedge,  as  a  rendezvous  of  happy  Druids,  under  the  influ- 
ences of  so  rare  a  President:  But,  alas!  our  joy  must  be  short  lived;  for, 
on  July  25,  1681,  the  stroak  of  a  sudden  death  fell'd  the  tree, 

Qui  tantum  inter  caput  extulit  omnes,' 
Quantum  lenta  solent,  inter  viburna  eypresgi.t 

Mr.  Oakes,  thus  being  transplanted  into  the  better  world,  the  President- 
ship was  immediately  tendered  unto  Mr.  Increase  Mather;  but  his  Church, 
upon  the  application  of  the  overseers  unto  them  to  dismiss  him  unto  the 
place  whereto  he  was  now  chosen,  refusing  to  do  it,  he  declined  the  motion. 
Wherefore,  on  April  10,  1682,  Mr.  John  Rogers  was  elected  unto  that 
place;  and  on  August  12,  1683,  he  was  installed  into  it.  This  worthy 
person  was  the  son  of  the  renowned  Mr.  Nathanael  Rogers,  the  Pastor  to 
the  Church  of  Ipswich ;  and  he  was  himself  a  preacher  at  Ipswich,  until 
his  disposition  for  medicinal  studies  caused  him  to  abate  of  his  labours  in 
the  pulpit.    He  was  one  of  so  sweet  a  temper,  that  the  title  of  delicioi 


*  The  harvRSt  wnve*  where  onee  stood  Troy. 
t  Bread  baked  under  UBfaes, 


X  Whoeo  nohle  head  towered  high  above  the  rest. 
As  'mid  the  reeds  tbo  cypress  lifts  Its  crest. 


OB,    THE   HISTOBY    OF    NIW-ENGLAND. 


17 


mpore,  was 
ih  at  Catn- 
:e;  though 
ately  mado 
1  all  other 
nee  of  him 
,0  take  the 
;hing  more 
hose  order, 
ii,  as  much 
h,  was  that 
ry  day,  the 

But  there 

philosophy 
i  as  well  a 
nder  which 
ore,  Jeroni, 
bilities  that 
)r  this  very 
d  from  tlio 
ffer,  in  this 
icients,  and 
:ements  for 

le  students 
the  influ- 

ived;  for, 


President- 
is  Church, 

unto  the 
he  motion, 
unto  that 
is  worthy 
Pastor  to 
vich,  until 
abours  in 

of  delicice 


fie  the  rest,   , 
I  crest. 


humani generis*  might  have  on  that  score  been  given  him;  and  hia  real 
piety  set  off  with  the  accomplishments  of  a  gentleman,  as  a  gem  set  in  gold. 
In  his  Presidentship,  there  fell  out  one  thing  particularly,  for  which  tho 
Golledge  has  cause  to  remember  him.  It  was  his  custom  to  bo  somewhat 
hng  in  his  daily  prayers  (which  our  Presidents  use  to  make)  with  the 
scholars  in  the  Colledge-hall.  But  one  day,  without  being  able  to  give 
reason  for  it,  he  was  not  so  long,  it  may  be  by  half,  as  he  used  to  be. 
Heaven  knew  the  reason/  The  scholars,  returning  to  their  chambers, 
found  one  of  them  on  fire,  and  the  fire  had  proceeded  so  far,  that  if  the 
devotions  had  held  three  minutes  longer,  the  Colledge  had  been  irrecov- 
erably laid  in  ashes,  which  now  was  happily  preserved.  But  him  also  a 
proBmature  death,  on  July  2,  168-i,  the  day  after  the  Commencement, 
snatcht  away  from  a  society  that  hoped  for  a  much  longer  enjoyment  of 
him,  and  counted  themselves  under  as  black  an  eclipse  as  the  Sun  did 
happen  to  be,  at  the  hour  of  his  expiration. 

But  that  the  character  of  this  gentleman  may  be  more  perfectly  exhib- 
ited, we  will  here  take  the  leave  to  transcribe  the  epitaph  engraved  on  his 
tomb,  in  God's-acre,  at  Cambridge.  It  is  the  desire  of  immortality  inwrought 
into  the  very  nature  of  man,  that  produced  the  invention  of  epitaph.",  and 
while  some  will  ascribe  the  invention  unto  the  scholars  of  Linus,  who  so 
signified  their  afibction  to  their  slain  muster,  others  will  that  it  may  bo 
ascend  as  high  as  the  gi-eat  stone  of  Abel,  mentioned  in  the  first  book  of 
Samuel,  which,  they'll  tell  us,  was  erected  as  a  memorial  to  Abel  by  his 
father  Adam,  with  that  inscription  upon  it,  "Here  was  shed  the  blood  of 
the  righteous  Abel." 

Now,  to  immortalize  this  their  master,  one  of  tho  scholars  in  Harvard- 
CoUedgo  gave  to  the  great  stone  of  Kogers  the  ensuing  lines,  to  be  now 
read  there  for  his  memorial ;  which,  for  the  same  cause,  we  make  a  part  of 
our  history : 


Mandatur  huic  TerriB  et  Tumulo, 
Humanitatis  JErarinm, 
Theologitc  Horreum, 
Optimar^um  Literarum  Bibliotheca, 
Ret  Medicinalia  Systema, 
Integritatia  Domicilium, 
Fidei  Eepositorium, 
Christianas  Simplicitalis  Exemplar, 


D.  JOANNIS  ROGF.RSII, 
Rogereii  Doctiasimt  Ipsuicenfiis  tn 

Nov-AngliA,  Filii, 
Dedhnmensis,  in  Veteri  Anglift.fxr 
Orbem  Terrarum  Clariaaimi,  Nepotia, 
Collegii  Harvodini 
Lectiaaitni,  ac  Meritd  dilectisaimi  Prnsidis, 
Para  Terreatior. 
Cteleatior,  a  nobia  Ercpta  fuit, 

Julii  20,  A.  D.  M.  DC.  LXXX.  IV. 
^tatia  sua,  LIV. 


Se,  Domini  Rcverendiaaimi, 

Chara  eat  para  restatia  nobia,  et  quando  cadaver.i 
*  The  fnvourito  of  mankind. 

t  To  this  mHund  of  earth  is  committed  n  treasury  of  benevolence,  n  slorehoiiso  of  theologic  leaminft,  n  library 
of  the  choicest  literature,  a  living  system  of  medicine,  an  embodiment  of  integrity,  n  ropoaitury  of  (a\lh,  a  pntlom 
of  Christian  sympathy,  a  garner  of  all  virtues— in  other  words,  tho  mortal  remains  uf  tho  Very  Kcverend  John 
Rogers,  son  of  the  Very  Learned  Nnthannel  Rogers,  of  Ipswicn  tn  New-England,  grandson  of  Mr.  Rogers,  of  Dod« 
ham  in  Old-Englutid,  whose  name  is  illustrious  throughout  tho  world.  He  was  a  nivourito  and  doservedly  ndroinxl 
Prevtdolit  of  Harvard  College.    His  immortal  part  was  borne  away  fyom  us  July  the  SOth,  A,  D,  M84. 

His  very  dust  is  dear ;  'tis  all  wo  hare. 

Vol.  II.— 2 


18 


MAUNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


§  6.  The  colledge  was  now  again,  by  universal  choice,  cast  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Increase  Mather,  who  had  already,  in  other  capacities,  been 
serving  of  it;  and  he  accordingly,  without  leaving  either  his  house  or  his 
church  at  Boston,  made  his  continual  visits  to  the  colledge  at  Cambridge, 
managing  as  well  the  weekly  disputation^  as  the  annual  commencements,  and 
inspecting  the  whole  affairs  of  the  society;  and  by  preaching  ollen  at 
Cambridge,  he  made  his  visits  yet  more  profitable  unto  them. 

Eeader,  the  interest  and  figure  which  the  world  knows  this  my  parent 
hath  had,  in  the  ecclesiastical  concerns  of  this  country,  ever  since  his  first 
return  from  England  in  the  twenty-second,  until  his  next  return  from 
England  in  the  fifty-third  year  of  his  age;  makes  it  a  difficult  thing  for 
me  to  write  the  church-history  of  the  country.  Should  I  insert  every 
where  the  relation  which  he  hath  had  unto  the  public  matters,  it  will  be 
thought  by  the  envious  that  I  had  undertaken  this  work  with  an  eye  to 
such  a  motto  as  the  son  of  the  memorable  prince  of  Orange  took  his  device, 
patriteque patriqui.:*  should  I,  on  the  other  side,  bury  in  utter  silence  all 
the  effects  of  that  care  and  zeal  wherewith  he  hath  employed  in  his  pecu- 
liar opportunities,  with  which  the  free  grace  of  Heaven  hath  talented  him 
to  do  good  unto  the  public;  I  must  cut  off  some  essentials  of  my  story.  I 
will,  however,  bowle  nearer  to  the  latter  mark  than  the  former:  and  if  no 
body  blame  Sir  Henry  Wotton  for  still  mentioning  his  father  with  so  much 
veneration,  as  "that  best  of  men,  my  father,"  I  hope  I  shall  not  be  blamed 
for  saying  thus  much,  "  my  father  hath  been  desirous  to  do  some  good." 
"Wherefore  I  will  not  only  add  in  this  place,  that  when  the  honourable 
Joseph  Dudley,  Esq.,  was  by  the  king's  commission  made  President  of 
the  territory  of  New-England,  this  gentleman,  among  other  expressions 
of  his  hearty  desire  to  secure  the  prosperity  of  his  mother,  whose  breasts 
himself  had  sucked,  continued  the  government  of  the  colledge  in  the  hands 
of  Mr.  Mather,  and  altered  his  title  into  that  of  a  rector.  But  when  wise 
persons  apprehend  that  the  constitution  of  men  and  things,  which  followed 
after  the  arrival  of  another  governor,  threatened  all  the  churches  with 
quick  mines,  wherein  the  colledge  could  not  but  be  comprehended,  Mr. 
Mather  did,  by  their  advice,  repair  to  Whitehall ;  where,  being  remarka- 
bly favoured  by  three  crowned  heads,  in  successive  and  personal  applications 
unto  them,  on  the  behalf  of  his  distressed  country,  and  having  obtained 
several  kindnesses  for  the  colledge  in  particular,  he  returned  into  New- 
England,  in  the  beginning  of  the  year,  1692,  with  a  royal  charter,  full  of 
most  ample  privileges.  By  that  royal  charter,  under  the  seal  of  King 
William  and  Queen  Mary,  the  country  had  its  English  and  its  Christian 
liberties,  as  well  as  its  titles  to  its  lands  (formerly  contested)  secured  to  it; 
and  the  province  being  particularly  enabled  hereby  to  incorporate  the  col- 
ledge, (which  was  the  reason  that  he  did  not  stay  to  solicit  a  particular 
charter  for  it,)  immediately  upon  his  arrival  the  general  assembly  gratified 

*  My  countiy  and  my  lira. 


nto  the 
es,  been 
e  or  bia 
nbridge, 
ente,  and 
often  at 


ly  parent 
I  bis  first 
irn  from 
thing  for 
jrt  every 
it  will  be 
m  eye  to 
lis  device, 
silence  all 
his  pecu- 
ented  him 
'  story.    I 
and  if  no 
h  so  much 
be  blamed 
ntie  good." 
lonourable 
esident  of 
xpressions 
>se  breasts 
the  hands 
when  wise 
h  followed 
:ches  with 
jnded,  Mr. 
;  remarka- 
»plication3 
obtained 
[into  New- 
;er,  full  of 
^1  of  King 
Christian 
|ured  to  it; 
ite  the  col- 
particular 
[y  gratified 


INCREASE  MATHER. 


OU,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


19 


his  desire,  in  granting  a  charter  to  this  university.  Mr.  Mather  now  reus- 
Burning  the  muility  of  President  over  the  coUedge,  which  in  hia  absence 
had  flourished  for  divert  years,  under  the  prudent  governnnent  of  two 
tutors,  Mr.  John  Leveret  and  Mr.  William  Bruttle,  he  does  to  this  day 
continue  his  endeavours  to  keep  alive  that  nVcr,  the  streams  whereof  have 
made  glad  this  city  of  God.  Unto  this  brief  recitation  of  occurrences 
relating  to  the  coUedge,  I  shall  only  annex  a  few  passages,  used  by  Mr. 
Mather  when  ho  gave  the  degrees,  at  the  first  commencement  oiler  his 
arrival ;  because  they  are  expressive  of  things  purely  academical: 

"  Gradus  academicus  est  honor  oh  virtutem  potiasimum  intellectualem,  merentibiis, 
collalus :  estque  baccalaureatua,  magiaterium,  ac  docioralus.  Doctoratus  in  Noairo 
Athenao  plane  ignotua  ;  et  quod  supra  noa,  nihil  ad  noa.  De  verd  nomenis  bacca- 
laurel  notalione,  inter  periliaaimoa  atnbigitur.  NonnuUi  verbum  A  baculo,  derivari 
volant;  unde  scholastici  hanc  baccalaurei  descriplionem  formarunt  baccalaurtua 
est  persona  habena  dignitatem  bajutandi ;  baculum,  premovibilia  in  magistrum. 
Ridiculum  animal  baccalaureua  sit  oportet,  si  hvec  dejinitio,  auo  dejinito  per  omnia 
quadraret !  A  BaccA  laurus  vocem  desumi  verisimilius  est ;  caveant  artem  bacca- 
laurel,  ne  laureolos,  In  mastaceo  quarant.  Ad  maglateril  gradum  quod  attinet,  eo 
decorari  aolent,  qui  abaoluto  liberallum  artium  atudio,  iatd  laured  se  dignos  prabent. 
Magiater  artium,  in  qulbaudam  academlla  phlloaophlce  doctor  audit :  sic  apud  BeU 
gaa,  et  sic  etlam,  ni  fallor,  apud  nonnuUos  Germanoa ;  quamvla  Anglis,  Gallis, 
Hlspanls,  Italia,  Polonls,  late  tltulua  alt  Ignotla.  De  untlqultate  et  utilitate  gra* 
duum  academlcorum,  multi  mulla  acripsPrunt ;  pree  cateria,  Altlnglus  et  Conringius. 
Honos  allt  artes.  Ea  quldem  virtutls  perfectlo  est,  ut  propter  se  expccti  debcal ; 
ea  tamen  est  humani  ingenii  perversltaa,  qudd  nisi  honorlhus  erigantur  artes,  neglcctui 
habcntur. 


Vix  facili  inveniea  multia  in  millibua  unum, 
Virtutem  pretium,  qui  putet  eue  aui. 

"  De  jure  conferendi  academicos  honores,  juvenis  docllssimus  Christianas,  Ilterus, 
Jibrum  pereruditum  nuper  edldlt :  atque  alteram  de  jure  erigendl  academlas,  Zeig. 
lerus  publici  juris  fecit.  Mltto  Rotmarum,  qui  collegia  corpora  eccleslastica  esse 
vult  ac  igltur  pro  academlls  non  habenda,  qua  privilegils  pontijiclorum  non  sunt 
donaia.  Jus  constltuendl  academlas,  omnibus  et  soils,  qui  ro  xOpiov  habent  in  repub' 
Ilea  Irlbuitur.  Oggeret  forsan  aliquis,  si  hac  protestas  inter  regalia  numeretur, 
quid  Novanglla  cum  academla  ?  Quid  Cantabrlgla  Novanglorum  cum  gradu  acade' 
mico  ?  Ejusmodl  oljectores  sclant  vellm,  noatram  academlam  regia  auctoritate  jam 
Jirmatam  et  munitam  ease.  Notius  est  quam  ut  med  narralione  egeat,  qudd  non 
solum  summce  potestates,  sed  alii,  eorum  nomine,  hos  honores  dlspersiant,  oudfL 
exempli  gratid,  in  imperlo  Romano  Germanlco,  Archlduces  Austria,  etlam  et  comitea 
Palatini;  quodque  in  fcederato  Be.lgio,  singuli  ordlnes,  In  unaquaque  provincia^ 
hanc  pofestatem  habeant  et  exerceant.  Imo,  et  Rex  ipse  magnua  Gulielmus,  magna 
Britannia  imperator,  mihi  dlcere  dignltatus  est,  se  sat  scire,  qudd  apud  suos  in 
Novanglld  subdltos  esset  academla  ;  qua.  academla  [alebat  deiiclum  humani  generis^ 
rex  noster  potentlssimus)  mlhl  erlt  In  gratia.     Quid  verbis  regils  gratlosius  esse 


20 


HAONALIA    OUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


polerit  f  Deindi  verb  sutnma  j)rovinciA  MaamchusrUrnah  curia,  guhernalor,  xrnnfua, 
populuaque  Nov.Anglicanua,  collegium  Harvardinuin,  acadrmiam,  cum  auctorilale 
confvrcudi  gmdus  pro  more  acadcmiarum  Anglio".  nomindruni  el  inatitueruiit, 
Adauul  deniquc  illuatrea  duumviri :  D.  Guliclmua  Phipaiua,  hiijua  terrilorii  gubcr. 
nator  umjilisaimus,  regia  mandato  delegatua ;  nee  nan  D.  Gulielmua  Stoughlmua, 
fro-gubcrnator,  Macenaa  noaler  cetemam  honorandua  ;  quoa  equidem  tnnquam  cancel, 
larium  et  vice-cancellarium,  hujua  aeademia  vcneror,  animo,  mcnleque  auapicio, 
Hac  cum  iata  ae  habeant,  ad  gradua  academicoa  aine  morA,  ac  aolilo  more,  cur  non 
procedcremua,  nullua  video"* 

§  7.  At  the  commencement,  it  has  been  the  annual  custom  for  the 
batcheiors  to  publish  a  sheet  of  theses,  pro  virili  dt'fcndemiie,f  upon  all  or 
most  of  the  liberal  arts;  among  which  they  do,  with  a  particular  character, 
distinguish  those  that  are  to  bo  the  subjects  of  the  public  disputations  then 
before  them ;  and  those  theses  they  dedicate,  as  handsomely  as  they  can, 
to  the  persons  of  quality,  but  especially  to  the  governour  of  the  province, 
whose  patronage  the  colledge  would  be  recommended  unto.  The  mnstera 
do,  in  an  half  sheet,  without  any  dedication,  publish  only  the  questions, 
pro  inoduh  discutiendai,^  which  they  propose  either  afTirmatively  or  neg.v 

*  A  collegiate  degree  i«  an  honour, cnnfHrrad  on  thine  who«e  tntelleettwl  merit* entitle  them  to  II,  and  la  either 
B  Baehelor*«i  Mnilnr's,  or  Ductor'i.  The  Inst  ore  altogplher  ignored  In  nur  ImtitiitlonB  of  Irnrning  ;  fur  what  in  too 
high  Air  IIS,  Is  of  coumu  of  no  value  to  us.  The  true  etymology  of  the  term  »  baccniauruat«i"  Is  still  In  dispute.  Some 
Iracu  it*  deri\'Btlon  fl-om  taeu/mii, "a  staff,"  and  deflne  a  bachelor,  as, "a  person  having  the  prerogative  of  bvuling 
others— holding  the  staff— a  dugrou  antecedent  to  that  of  Muster,"  A  Bachelor  of  jtrU  would  be  a  rliliciilous  crun- 
lure.  If  this  dt'flnitlon  should  hold  good  throughout.  It  Is  more  probable  that  the  word  is  taken  from  ftncr.i  lauT&$ 
(berry  uf  the  laurel).  Let  the  Bachelors  beware  lest  they  look  for  their  berries  on  the  mocic-laurol.  As  for  the  Mus- 
ter's degree,  those  usually  receive  Its  honours,  who  by  strict  application  to  liberal  studies  prove  thvinsulves  worthy 
of  that  distinction,  A  Master  of  Arts,  in  some  instances,  Is  styled  a  Doctor  of  Philosophy ;  it  Is  so  in  Belgium,  and 
also,  if  I  mistake  not,  In  some  parts  of  Germany ;  although  that  title  is  unknown  In  England,  Frniico,  Hpuin,  Italy, 
and  Poland.  Many  writers,  chief  among  whom  are  Alting  and  Conringius,  have  discussed  the  aiitl(|iiily  and  u«e- 
(Ulnnss  of  academic  degrees.  Honour  promotes  learning.  It  Is  indeed  the  perfection  of  virtue,  that  It  deserves  to  be 
cultivated  fiir  Its  own  sake ;  yet  such  is  the  perversity  of  human  nature,  that,  ludess  stimulated  by  hopes  of  die- 
Unction,  we  disregard  the  claims  of  learning. 

Few  trust  the  creed— tliouftli  some  in  inmb  accord — 
That  vmue  is  her  own,  her  best  rewoid. 

A  young  Christian,  Itter,  has  lately  written  a  very  learned  work  on  the  right  of  conferring  ocndemic  degrees ;  and 
Zeiglor  has  given  to  the  public  another  concerning  ihe  riglit  to  establish  institutions  of  learning.  I  say  nothing  of 
Rotmnr,  who  wishes  colleges  to  be  classed  as  ccclcslnstical  bodies,  and  not  bo  treated  therefore  lis  ncndemles,  which 
■re  not  endowed  with  the  privileges  of  the  priesthood.  The  right  of  establishing  colleges  is  reserved  to  all  those, 
and  to  those  only,  who  hold  the  sovereignty  in  the  State.  And  perhaps  some  one  would  here  suggest.  If  this  pre- 
rogative is  one  of  sovereignly,  what  has  Nuw-Englund  to  do  with  colleges  ?  What  has  the  Nuw-Gngland  Cambridge 
to  do  with  ocu(ii<mic  digrees?  I  would  have  such  objectors  understand  that  our  college  is  now  established  and 
oonflrmed  by  royal  authority.  It  is  too  notorious  to  need  any  statement  from  me,  that  not  only  the  sovereign 
power,  but  others,  In  the  sovereign's  name,  dispense  these  honours,  us  for  instance,  as  in  Catholic  Germany,  the 
archdukes  of  Austrio,  and  even  the  Counts  Palatine:  and  as  in  the  Belgian  confederation,  every  rank,  anil  that 
too  In  every  province,  exorcises  this  right.  Yes,  and  even  the  great  VV'iiiium,  King  of  the  British  Empire,  conde- 
•cended  to  say  to  mo,  that  he  well  understooil  Ihat  there  was  a  college  among  his  New-Englanil  subjects:  "  which 
college"  (added  that  ornamoiit  of  human  nature,  our  mighty  sovereign,)  "  I  shnii  hold  in  special  favour."  Wliul 
could  be  more  gracious  than  the  royal  words  I  Then  Indeed  did  the  high  court  of  the  Province  of  Mossnchuwtts, 
the  governor,  the  senate  imd  the  people  of  New-England  name  and  establish  Harvard  as  n  college,  with  tliu 
authority  to  confer  degrees  after  the  maimer  of  the  English  Universitits.  Finally,  it  received  the  countenance  of 
an  Illustrious  duiimvirate — Mr.  William  Phips,  the  most  august  governor  of  this  territory,  and  Mr.  William  Stoiigh- 
ton,  ex-governor,  ever  to  be  honored  aa  our  .Mujccnns,  whom  indeed  I  revere  as  the  Clinnceiiur  and  Vico-Chun- 
cellorof  this  liistitulion,  und  to  whom  I  look  up  with  profound  esteem.  When  sunh  is  tho  state  of  things,  I  see 
DO  reason  why  we  sliould  not  continue  our  ncadomic  degrees  without  hesitation  and  in  the  usual  manner. 

t  Propositions,  to  be  defended  with  all  tho  disputant's  ability, 

X  Quealions  to  be  discussed  according  to  tlio  part  assigned  to  the  disputant. 


I 


OR,    TU£    UiSTOKT    Of    NKW-ENULAND. 


21 


r,  arvdiun, 
tmlorilalf 
atiluerunt. 
yrii  ffubcr- 
ovghlonus, 
am  cancel- 
B  3U.ti>icio. 
•e,  cur  non 

n  for  the 
)on  all  or 
character, 
ktioiis  tlicn 

they  can, 
I  province, 
ho  mantcrs 

questions, 
y  or  ncga- 

)  II,  and  \»  either 
;  for  what  l»  loo 
1  (liaputtt.    Bomo 
ifiitlvu  of  bitutliig 
n  rliliciilous  crtm- 
•<im  ^(Itr,l  lauri§ 
Aiifi>rlln)Mii«r 
■insolvfs  worthy 
111  llulKlum,  and 
iiCL',  Spuln,  lluljr, 
itUiiiily  ami  u^e- 
It  (leservca  tii  be 
by  hupet  of  ill*- 


nic degrees;  ond 
I  say  nothing  of 
icademlos,  which 
vud  to  all  those, 
igcat,  If  this  pre- 
gland  Cambridge 
ostubllshcd  and 
ly  the  Bovereign 
lie  Germany,  the 
'  rank,  and  tliat 
Empire,  conde- 
uhjccta:  "which 
fiivour."    What 
Ma89iichii?«tt», 
loUege,  Willi  the 
countenuiico  of 
VVllllom  Sloiigh- 
aiid  Vico-Chuu- 
«f  things  I  BOO 
nanncr. 


lively  to  maintain  m  rcspontlonts,  In  tlio  disputationd  which  nro  by  thorn 
be  nianagoil.  Tliey  that  porviso  tlio  f hoses  of  the  batchelors  of  later 
yeat«  published,  will  llnd  that  iIkhi^Ij  the  lljiiiia'an  discipline  bo  in  this 
college  preferred  unto  the  vNristotela'an,  yet  they  do  not  so  confine  them- 
selves unto  that  neither,  ns  to  u>  jirive  themselvcH  of  that  libera  phiijsop/iia* 
wliich  the  jood  sju'rits  of  the  ago  Imvc  mxln  ,xed,  ever  siiico  the  great  Lord 
Bacon  show'd  'em  the  way  to  "the  advancement  of  learning:"  but  they 
seem  to  be  rather  of  the  *rr/,  begun  by  Potamon,  called  ixXrfxTuoi.f  who, 
adhering  to  no  former  sect,  chose  out  of  thorn  all  what  they  lik'd  beat  in 
any  of  them :  at  least,  T  am  sure,  they  do  not  show  such  a  veneration  for 
Aristotle  as  is  express'd  at  Queen's  Colledge  in  Oxford;  where  they  read 
Aristotle  on  their  kiws,  and  th«>se  who  take  degrees  are  sworn  to  defend 
his  philosophy.  A  Venetian  writer  pretends  to  enumerate  no  less  than 
twelve  thousand  volumes  publishetl  in  the  fourteenth  age,  about  the  phi- 
losophy of  Aristotle;  none  of  ours  will  add  unto  the  number.  For  this  let 
the  learned  reader  accept  the  excuse  wliieh  their  present  president,  in  one 
of  his  orations,  at  the  close  of  their  exercises,  has  helpt  us  unto: 

^^Mihi  quidem  maximi' arridet,  quM  voa  qui  estia  in  artihua  liberalibua  initiati, 
iiberum  philoaophandi  modum,  jHtthis  quam  peripaleticiasimum  aapere  videinini, 
Nullua  addubito  quin  CI.  (Jaaaendi  exercilationea  vobia  non  aunt  ignola,  in  quihua, 
qudd  apvd  Arialotekm  mulla  drficiunt,  nrilla  atiperjluant,  multa  fallant,  plurihua 
oalendit.  Triium  est  illud,  qui  non  vult  intrftigi  debet  negltgi ;  nonnulla  autem  in 
libria  Aristotelia  nemo  mortalium  fmtcsl  inlelligcrc.  Fertur  itaque  de  Hcrmolao 
barbaro,  qudd  Damonem  ab  inferis  eir.itaverit,  ut  quid  Aristolcles  per  suam  evriXi- 
j^f'av  vo/uit,  expoueret.  En  cgregium  Aristotc/is  inlcrpretem  !  Qtuim  plurima  in 
ejus  scriptis,  aulhoris  paganismum  redolent:  mundumfacit  incrcalum:  mortuorum 
resurrectionem  possihilem  nrgat ;  animnm  mortafem.  Nonnulli  Pyrrhoncm,  qui 
fuil  paler  Sccpticorum :  alii  Zenonemy  qui  fuit  pater  Sloicorum ;  multi  Pfatonem 
qui  fail  pater  Academicorum,  Aristoteli  pr<rferunl.  Vos  autem  quibus  lihere  phi- 
losophari  contigil^  in  nultius  jurare  trrba  magistri,  eatis  addicti :  ast  unicum  Aria, 
lolclis  dictum  ver6  aureum,  memoriA  tenealis :  amicus  Plato,  amicus  Socrates  (^addo 
ego  amicus  Aristoteles)  scd  magis  arnica  reritas."^ 

They  likewise  which  peruse  the  questions  published  by  the  masters,  will 
find,  that  as  these  now  and  then  presume  to  fly  as  high  as  divinity,  so 
their  divinity  is  of  that  reformed  stamp  which  carries  as  frequent  confuta- 

«  Liberal  philosophy.  t  Eclectics. 

X  It  Ib  a  subject  of  great  Kmiiflonllon  to  me,  that  you,  who  hnvn  boon  Initiated  In  liberal  studies,  have  adopted 
a  liberal  mode  of  phllosophiting,  intitead  of  noullnv  about  Oom  school  to  school,  ns  if  you  were  literally  reripniettc*. 
I  doubt  not  that  the  essiiys  of  (aiisiiendl  w*f  fnnilllnr  to  you;  In  which  ho  demonstrales  that  many  of  AristoUehi 
ponitlons  are  deficient— others,  carried  to  exlrvmes— tithcrs  sllll,  lUllacious.  It  Is  a  Irlte  rumnrk,  (liat  the  writer 
who  cannot  be  underslood,  ought  to  be  thrown  aside ;  yet  there  am  some  things  in  ArlMtotle  which  no  human 
being  can  comprehend.  Wherefore  it  Is  alleitetl  of  Ui'rniolaus,  nn  Asiatic,  that  hu  exorcised  a  spirit  (Vom  belt,  to 
explain  to  him  what  Aristotle  meant  by  his  nttrinkrin  (active  development  of  the  (Vicultlea).  Certainly,  an  imp 
Would  be  a  flne  Interprt'ter  of  Arislotlu !  How  much  that  he  has  written  is  redolent  of  the  heiithenism  of  Us  author! 
Hi!  represents  the  world  us  uncre.Meil ;  denies  the  posKibillty  of  a  rooirrection  fVom  the  dead  and  the  immortality 
oflhii  soul.  Tu  Aristollesomeprurerryrrlusftiunderof  the  Skeptics,  Zeno,ri>under  of  Hut  Stoics,  Plato,  the  founder 
uf  tlui  Aciidemlclnns.  But  you,  who  nm  nocuHtouietl  to  phllosophite  in  a  liberal  spirit,  'ire  pludged  to  the  formulaa 
of  an  maeler :  and  you  should  mor«<over  rememtM>r  thnt  one  truly  golden  sentiment  or  Aristotlw :  >'  Find  a  friend 
iu  Plato,  a  friend  In  Socratus,"  (and  I  sny,  a  fk'lvnd  ill  .Aristotle,)  "but  be  sure,  above  ali,  to  'ind  a  ft  lend  In  truth." 


/ 


^i  ! 


22 


MAGNALIA    CIIRI9TI    AMERICANA; 


tions  of  Arminianisrn  with  it  as  are  possible:  herein  condemning  those 
Protestant  universities,  abroad  in  the  world,  which  have  not  preserved 
the  glorious  doctrines  of  grace  in  such  purity,  as  that  great  party  among 
the  Romanists  themselves,  which  go  under  the  name  of  Jiansenists.  But 
for  this  also  let  their  present  president  be  accountable,  whose  oratioiiH  at 
the  end  of  their  exercises  have  uttered  such  passages  as  these  unto  them: 

"Gravis  illafuit  profundi  docloris  querela,  totum  pene  mundum  post  Pelagium  in 
errorem  abire.  Causa  in  promptu  est ;  nam  propter  Ada,  ct  in  eo  peccantis  liumani 
generis,  nanfragium,  morlales  prout  res  sint,  nee  sentiunt,  nee  judicant,  Toti,  loti, 
quanti  quantique  sunt,  a  bono  el  vera  aversi,  conoersi  ad  malum  et  errorem.  Pe/a- 
gianismus  ilaque  homini  in  statu  lapso  naluraUs  est,  nee  unquam  sic  avelli  poles. 
qudd  non  iterum,  tanquam  infcUx  Lolium,  in  f undo  nalurm  corruptee  exoriatort 
Videmus  Papislas,  Socianistas,  nee  non  Arminii  sequaces,  Pelagii  de  liberi  arbilri. 
viribus,  virus  absorbentes  ac  devorantes  ;  tametsi  eorum  error,  7ion  tantum  ab  Aitgusi 
tino,  jamdudum,  et  a  Luthero,  in  libra  insigni  cut  tilulus  est,  de  servo  arbitrio,  sed 
etiam  ab  innumeris  hujus  seculi  viris  perquam  eruditis,  refutatur.  Sed  facessal 
jam  Arminianismus,  cum  sit  nco-pelagianismus.  Mild  in  mentem  venit  anagramma, 
sive  ingeniosa  nominis  Arminii  interpretatio,  ex  literarum  trajectione.  Jacobus 
Arminius,  avcKypamkari^oixivog  est,  vani  orbis  amicus;  at  nobis  ergo  non  sit  amicus, 
Habemus  aulem  in  Amyraldo,  Arminium  redioivum  ;  parum  enim,  aut  nihil  njferunl 
Amyraldislice.,  quos  Novalores  et  Mcthodislas  vocant,  nisi  qua;  ab  Arminianis  acce- 
permit,  uti  multis  CI.  Molienus  evicit.  Facessant  igitur  Novalores,  et  in  nostra 
academia,  nee  vola,  ncc  vestigium  Arminianismi  unquam  invcniatur.  In  quantum 
verb  inceptores  nostri  veram  contra  Arminianismum  sententiam  pro  virili  propugnd- 
runt,  eos  laured  dignos  habeamus."* 

And  now,  I  hope  that  the  European  churches  of  the  faithful  will  cast  an 
eye  of  some  respect  upon  a  little  university  in  America,  recommended  by 
the  character  that  has  been  thus  given  of  it.  Certainly  they  must  be  none 
but  enemies  to  the  reformation,  the  sons  of  Edom,  (which  the  Jewish  llab- 
bins  very  truly  tell  us  is  the  name  of  Rome  in  the  Sacred  Oracles,)  that 
shall  say  of  such  an  university,  "rase  it!  rase  it!" 

§  8.  But  our  account  of  Harvard  College  will  be  rendered  more  complete, 

*  It  was  a  Rrieroua  comi'lRint  nf  a  fur-rnmod  schnlnr,  that  almost  the  wholH  world  had  run  aflcr  relagliit 
into  error.  The  reason  is  manlfeat :  Tor  on  account  of  tlio  full  o(  Adam,  and  of  our  sinrul  rncn  thrnugh  him,  men, 
■a  tilings  go,  neither  thinic  nor  judge.  All,  rII  lire  nvorse  to  truth  und  goodness,  und  inclined  to  evil  und  to  error. 
Pelugiuiiism  is  thererure  natural  to  man  in  his  fallen  state,  nnr  can  it  ever  be  so  effectually  rooted  out,  but  that,  like 
the  noxious  lare,  it  will  spring  up  again  in  the  soil  o{  a  corrupt  nature.  We  see  Papists.  Sociiiiiins,  even  Armin- 
lans,  swallowing  and  consiimin^  the  poison  of  Pelagius  concerning  the  power  of  free  will:  Hllhiiugh  their  error 
was  utterly  refuted  centuries  ago  by  Augustine,  and  in  later  limes  by  Luther,  in  that  famous  work,  entitled  The  Will 
%vt  Free,  and  iil><o  by  innumerable  other  able  writers  of  the  present  century.  But  let  Arminianism  go,  since  it  is 
nothing  but  Neo-Pelagiunisin.  An  anairram  occurs  to  me,  which,  by  a  transposition  of  letters,  becomes  an  ingeni- 
ous deflnition  of  the  word  Arminius:  Jacobus  .irminiua,  aniigrammatized,  becomes  vani  orbis  amicus  (a  friend 
of  the  vuin  worli") :  for  that  very  reason,  let  him  not  be  our  friend  !  We  And  also  in  the  word  .Imyralilus,  jlrminiua 
redivivus  (Armini  is,  restored  to  lil'e) :  for  the  followers  of  Amyrimlt,  sometimes  called  New  Schoolmen  nnd  Meth- 
odists, profess  little  ff  nothing  but  what  they  have  learned  from  the  Arminiaus,  ns  the  renowned  Mulieniis  has 
eunvincingly  shown  by  numerous  proofs.  Let  then  the  New  Schoolmen  go,  und  let  no  speck  or  trace  of  Arminian- 
ism be  ever  found  In  our  Institution.  But  let  our  young  disputants  be  accounted  worthy  uf  the  laurel  in  proportion 
to  the  energy  with  which  they  vindicate  the  truth  from  the  assaults  of  Arminianism. 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


23 


ling  tlmso 
prosiM'vod 
rty  among 
lists,  lint 
mvtions  at 
nto  them: 

Pelagium  in 
ntis  ham  a  III 
Toll,  lofi, 
e.m.  Pe/a- 
ivelli  poles- 
B  exoriatort 
beri  arhilri. 
n  ah  Aiigtisi 
arbitrio,  sed 
■led  facessat 
anagramma, 
e.  Jacobus 
I  sit.  amicus, 
xihil  ajferunt 
nianis  acce- 
ct  in  nostra 
In  quantum 
'i  propugnd' 


,vill  cast  au 
nended  by 
1st  be  none 
wish  Rab- 
icles,)  that 

)  complete, 

n  nftcr  relagiiit 
iu|;h  liim,  men, 
il  and  tu  error, 
ut,  but  tliat,  like 
nn,  even  Arinin- 
iiKh  tlioir  error 
ilillea  The  HVl 
go,  Hi  lice  it  is 
oiiies  an  inf(eiii- 
micut  (H  I'riuiid 
Uiius,  Jlrminiua 
Inii'ii  mill  Meth- 
MkIIhmiis  haa 
ctf  of  Arminian- 
el  ill  proportion 


if  we  do  here  transcribe  the  laws  of  it;  wbicli  laws,  now,  Eeador,  do 
bespeak  thy  patience: 

STATUTA,  LEGES,  ET  PBIVILESIA,  A  PRESIDE  ET  SOCIIS,  COLLEGII  HARVARDINI,  APUD 
CATABRIGIENSES  IN  NOVA  ANGLlA,  APPROBATA  ET  SANCITA ;  QUIBUS  SCHOLARES 
SIVB  STUDENTES,  ET  ADMISSI  ET  ADMUTTENDI,  AD  LITEKaI»  ZT  BONOS  MOKES, 
PROMOVENDUM,  SUBJICERE  TENENTUR. 

1.  Cuicunque  fuerit  peritia  legendi  Ciceronem,  aut  quemvia  alium  ejuamodi  classicum  autnrem 
ex  tempore  et  eongrui  loqu^ndi  ac  scribendi  latine  facultas,  oratione  tarn  suluta  qudin  ligata, 
»uo  {ut  aiunt)  marte,et  adunquam  inflectendi  Gracorum  nominum,  et  verborum  paradigmnta; 
tiic  admiasionem  in  collegium  jure  potest  expectare:  quicunque  vera  destitutus  fuerit  hac  peritia, 
admitianem  sibi  neutiquam  vindicct. 

2.  Quicunque  in  collegium  admittuntur,  iidem  etiam  contubernio  excipiendi  sunt;  et  unuS' 
quisquc  ac/iolarium  asconomo  tres  libraa,  cum  tioi>pitio  accipitur,  numerabit;  eidem  adfincm  cujua- 
que  trimeatris  quod  debitum  erit,  aolvet :  nee  licet  ulli  academico,  nondum  gradu  ornato,  convictum 
extra  collegium  quoerere,  nisi  tenia  impetrata  a  praaide,  aut  sua  tutore.  Si  quia  autrm  tianc 
prtBaidta  aut  tutoris  indulgcntiam  obtincbit,  consuetudinem  usitatam,  fideliter  observabit ;  sin 
autem  aliquia  a  collegia  deeedendo,  privatam  inatitutioncm  quaaierit ;  copia  a  prceside,  vel  a 
tutoribus  ilL  non  facta,  nulla  privilegio  academico  patietur. 

3.  Dum  hie  egcrint,  tempus  atudioae  redimunto;  tam  cominunea  omnium  scltolarium  tiorat, 
quam  snis  pralectionibus  dcalinataa,  obaervando. 

4.  Unusquiaque  acholarium  exercitia  omnia  scliolaslica  et  religinaa,  tam  publico  quam  privata, 
tibi propria  praatabit.  Adtiuc  in  statu  pupillari  dcgenles,  aexiea  quotannia  rostra  oratorio  ascend- 
ent. Unaquaque  septimana  bis  diaputationibus  publicis  soptiiatrec  interesse  debent :  cum  baceO' 
laurci  turn  sophista,  analyain  in  aliquam  S.  litcrarum  partem,  instituent :  baccalaurei  singulis 
semestribua,  puhlice  quipstionea  plnlosophicas  sub  presidis  moderamine  discutient :  absente  vera 
praaide,  duo  aeniores  tutores  moderatoris  partes  alternatim  agent. 

5.  Ne  quis  sub  quovis  prtBtextu,  hominum,  quorum  perditi  ac  discincti  sunt  mores,  consuetu- 
dine  utitor. 

6.  Nemo  in  statu  pupillari  dcgena,  nisi  coneesad  priiis  a  praside,  vel  a  tutoribus,  venia  ex 
oppido  exeat ;  nee  quisqunm,  cujuscunque  gradfls  aut  ordinis  fuerit,  tabernas  aut  diversoria,  ad 
comessandum,  out  bibendum,  accedat,  nisi  ad  parentes,  curatores,  nutricios,  aut  liujuamodi,  accer- 
situs  fuerit. 

7.  Nullus  acholaris,  nulla  parentum  curatorum  aut  tutorum  approlante,  quidquam  emito,  ten- 
dito,  nut  cotnmutato;  qui  autem  secUs  fecerit ,  a  praside  aut  tutore, pro  delicti  ratinnc  mulctnhitur- 

8.  Omnes  scliolarcs  a  vestihus,  qua  fastum  aut  luxum  pros  ae  ferunt,  abstineant ;  nee  ulli 
ttudciili  extra  limites  academias,  sine  toga,  tunica,  vel  penula,  exire  Uceat. 

9.  Omnis  scliolaris  non  graduatus,  solo  cognomine  vocetur,  nisi  ait  commensalis,  aut  equiti$ 
primngenitus,  vel  insigni  genere  natua. 

It).  Omnis  commenaalia,  quinque  libraa  in  perpetuum  academia  uaum  solvet,  priusquam  in 
collegium  admittatur. 

11.  Unuaquisque  actiolaris  in  atatu  pupillari  degens,  tutori  suo  duas  libras,  at  si  commensalis, 
tres  libraa,  per  unnum  dinumerare  tenebitur. 

12.  Nulli  ex  arholaribua  scnioribus,  solia  tutoribua  et  eollegii  sociis  exceptia,  recentem  sivd 
juniorem,  ad  itincrandum,  aut  ad  aliud  quodvis  faciendum,  minis,  verberihi/.i.  vel  aliia  verbis 
impellere  licebit.  Et  siquia  non  graduatus  in  tianc  legem  peccavcrit,  coatigatione  corporali, 
expulsione,  vel  aliter,  pruut  pratsidi  cum  aociia,  visum  fuerit  punietur. 

13.  Srfiolarea,  cujuacnnqne  eonditionis,  a  lusu  alearum  rel  rhnrtarum  pirtnrum,  nee  non  al> 
omni  lusus  genere,  in  quo  de  perunia  concertatur,  nbatineant,  aub  pmna  viginti  solidorum  totiis, 
qmtiea,  si  sit  gradnntua;  vel  aliter,  pro  arbitrio  praaidia  et  tutnria,  si  non  ait  graduatus. 

14.  Siquia  acliolarium  a  praeibua,  aut  prtrlectioiiibus  abfurril,  nisi  necessitate  coactus,  aut  prte- 
tidis  aut  tutoris  nnctus  vnniam ;  admonitioni,  aut  aliuamodi,  pro  praaidia  out  tutoris,  prudenttd, 
poena,  si  plus  quam  seinel  in  Hebdomade  peccaverit,  erit  obnnxius. 

15.  Nullus  acholaris  qudvis  de  causa  {nisi  pramunstrata  et  approbata  prasidi  et  tutori  suo)  d 


ji 

1 1 

I  I 

h 


24 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


ttudiia,  statisve  exereitiis  ahesto :  excepta  temihorajentacluo,prandio  vera  aetquikorA,  eoneeiai; 
nee  non  cmnce  usque  ad  horam  nonam. 

16.  Siquis  acholarium  ullam  Dei  aut  hujua  collegii  legem,  sive  animo  perversa,  sive  ex  aupinA 
ncgligentia  violdrit,  postquam  fuerit  bis  admonitua,gravioribu8  pro  prasidis  aut  tutoris  prudentia, 
pants,  coerceatur.     In  Atrocioribus  autem  delictia,  ut  adeo  gradatim  proccdatur,  nemo  expeettt. 

17.  Quicunque  scholar  is,  probations  habitd,  poterit  aacras  utriusque  teatamenti  scripturaa,  de 
textu  originali  Latine  Interpretari ;  et  logice  reaolvere;  fueritque  naturalia  et  moralis  philoaophia 
principiis  imbutus;  vitaque  et  moribus  inculpatua;  et  publicia  quibusve  comitiis  dpraside  et  aociia 
collegii,  approbatua,  prima  auo  gradu  passit  ornari.  Aliter  nemo,  nisi  post  triennium  et  decern 
menses  ab  admissions  in  collegium,  adprimum  in  artibus  gradum  admittetur. 

18.  Quicunque  sckolaris  locum  habuit  communem,  scriptamque  synopain,  vel  compendium  logieee, 
naturalia  et  moralia  philosophic,  arithmetics,  aut  aatronomia,  exibuerit,  fueritque  ad  theaea 
suns  dcfendendas  paratus ;  nee  non  originalium,  ut  supra  dictum,  linguarum,  peritus;  quem 
etiamnum  morum  integritaa  ae  atudiorum  diligentia  cohonestaverint,  publicia  quibusvis  comitiis 
probalione  facta,  aecundi  gradiis,  magisterii  nimirum,  capax  erit. 

19.  Statutum  eat,  qudd  qui  thcologite  dat  opernm,  antequam  baecalaureatum,  in  ilia  facultatt 
consequatur,  gradum  magisterii  in  artibus,  suacipiat  ae  acduld  theologicis,  et  hebra'icia  lectionibua 
incumbat;  quibua  annorum  septem  dabit  operam  :  quo  spatio,  bis  disputabit  contra  theologiee  bae- 
calaureum  aemelque  respondebit  in  theologia;  concionabitur  Latine  scmel,  et  semel  Anglice,  vel 
in  templo,  vcl  in  aula  academits :  et  si,  in  hoc  tempore,  in  theologia  profecerit,  per  solennem 
inaugurationem,  baccalaureua  fiet :  hac  tamen  cautione  servata  we  quis  ante  quinquennium  com- 
pletum  d  auscepto  magistrali  gradu,  concionem  hujuamodi  habere  permittetur, 

20.  Statutum  est,  quod  qui  cupit  in  ordinem  doctorum  theologiee  cooptari,  per  integrum  quin- 
quennium, post  susccptum  baccalaurei  gradum,  lectionibua  et  studiis  theologicis  dabit  operam,  et 
antequam  incipiendum,  in  eadem  facultate  admittatur,  in  queationibua  theologicia  bis  opponct,  semel 
respondebit,  idqne  doctori,  ai  commode  fieri  poterit ;  Latini  aemel,  Anglice  aemel,  concionabitur 
in  templo,  vel  in  aula  academics;  solennitcr  sexies  legat,  et  explicet  aliquam  scripturm  partem, 
et  post  solennem  inccptionem,  semel  infra  annum  ipse  sibi  queationem  proponere  tencbitur  in  aula 
academiiB,  cujua  ambigua  et  dubHationea,  in  utramque  partem,  enucleabit,  definiet  et  determinabit. 

21.  Statutum  est,  quod  prater  ctetera  exercitia,pro  gradibua  theologicia  preatanda,  unusquisque 
tdm  pro  theologia  baccttlaureatu,qudm  pro  doctoralu  candidatus,  tractatum  quendam  contra  htere- 
aiam  vel  errorem  aliquem  grassantem,  aut  in  aliud  utile  quoddam  argumcntum  {dirigentihua  id 
prccaide  et  collegii  aociis)  pro  communi  ecclesiarum  commodo,  in  lucem  emittere,  tencbitur. 

22.  Gradus  academici,  qui  d  preside  et  curatoribus  collegii  Harvardini  antehac  collati  sunt, 
pro  validis  haheantur. 

23.  Unusquisque  scholario  harum  legum  exemplar,  a  prceside  et  aliquo  tutorum  sulscriptum, 
aibi  comparabit  priusquam  in  collegium  admittatur.* 

•  STATUTES,  LAWS  AND  PRIVILEOES,  APPROVED  AND  SANCTIONED  BV  THE  PRESIDENT  AND  FELLOWS  0» 
HARVARD  COLLEGE  AT  CAMBRIDGE  IN  NEW  ENGLAND:  TO  WHICH  BOTH  SCHOLARS  AND  STUDENTS 
CANDIDATES  FOR  ADMISSION  AS  WELL  AS  THOSE  ADMITTED,  ARE  REQUIRED  TO  CONFORM,  FOR  THE 
PROMOTION  OF  LEARNING  AND  GOOD  MORALS. 

1.  Everyone  competent  to  rood  Cicero  or  any  other  classic  author  of  that  kind  extemporaneously,  and  also  to 
tpcnk  and  write  Latin  prose  and  verao  with  tolerable  sltill  and  without  assistance,  and  of  declining  tho  Greek  nouns 
and  verbs,  may  expect  to  bo  admitted  to  the  College:  if  deficient  in  any  of  these  qualifications,  lie  cannot  under 
any  circumstances  bo  admitted. 

2.  All  persons  admitted  to  ColleKe  must  board  nt  tho  Commons,  and  must  each  pay  three  pounds  to  tho  steward 
on  their  entrance,  and  must  discharge  all  arreare  at  tho  end  of  every  three  months  ;  nor  shall  any  iinder-graduate 
of  tho  institution  be  allowed  to  board  out  of  College,  unless  by  special  permission  of  the  President,  or  his  tutor. 
If  leave  to  do  so  shall  be  granted  by  either  of  these  officers,  the  student  shall  faithfully  observe  the  usual  nilog  of 
the  Commons ;  but  if  any  ever  shall  leave  College  for  private  quarters,  without  permission  of  tho  President  or 
Tutor,  he  shall  not  enjoy  any  privilege  of  the  institution, 

3.  While  the  youth  is  here,  he  will  be  required  to  bo  diligent,  and  to  observe  study-hours  with  tho  same  strict- 
ness as  he  does  those  of  public  recitation. 

4.  Every  student  must  reganl  it  as  his  duly  to  attend  all  college  exercises,  secular  and  religious,  public  and 
private.  While  in  the  fi-eslunen  class,  ho  must  speak  in  public  on  tho  stage  eight  times  a  year.  HupliJHters  must 
be  present  nt  a  public  debate  twice  a  week.  Both  bachelors  and  snphislers  must  write  out  no  iiimlyBis  In  some 
branch  of  siicred  literature:  bachelors  will  discuss  in  public  philosophical  questions  once  a  Inrliiigbt,  under  tho 
superintendence  of  tho  President :  in  tho  President's  absence,  the  two  senior  tutors  will  "ct  as  moderator  by  turns. 


I 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


26 


conee$$&  ; 

•.X  tupinA 
jrudentia, 

expeettt. 
pturat,  de 
hilosopMtB 
le  et  sociia 

et  decern 

um  logiete, 
ad  theaea 
lus;  quern 
is  comitiia 

I  facultate 
leciionibua 
tlogia  hac- 
nglice,  vel 
r  solennem 
nium  com- 

ynim  quin- 
operant,  et 
oonct ,  semel 
\ncionabitur 
rm  partem, 
tur  in  aula 
iterminabit. 
tnusqtiisque 
untra  hcere- 
gentibua  id 
itiir. 
ollaii  aunt, 

ulscriptum, 


FEI.I.DWS    0» 
STUDENTS, 
M,  FOR  THE 

nnd  also  to 
I  Greuk  nouns 
cnnnot  under 

I  th(!  steward 
rider-griidunte 

nr  hid  tutor. 
stiiil  ruins  of 

President  or 

u  enmu  strict- 

K,  pii1>lic  and 
iliislfM  must 
iyuis  ill  some 
)it,  iiiuler  tho 
tor  by  tumi. 


§  9.  Among  the  laws  of  Harvard-Colledge  thus  recited,  the  reader  will 
find  the  degrees  of  a  baccalaureate  and  a  doctorate,  in  divinity,  provided  for 
those  that,  by  coming  up  to  terms  beyond  those  required  in  any  one  Euro- 
pean university,  shall  merit  them.    Now,  though  there  are  divines  in  the 

5.  No  one  must,  under  any  pretext,  be  found  in  the  society  of  any  depraved  or  dissolute  person. 

6.  No  one  in  the  lower  class  shall  leave  town  without  express  permission  trom  tho  President  or  tutors:  nor 
■hull  any  student,  to  whatever  class  he  may  belong,  visit  any  shop  tX  tavern,  to  eat  and  drink,  unless  invited  by  • 
parent,  guiudian,  step-parent,  or  some  such  relative, 

7.  No  student  shall  buy,  sell  or  exchange  any  thing  without  tho  approval  of  his  parents,  guardians,  or  tutor*. 
Whoever  shall  violate  this  rule,  shall  be  lined  by  the  President  or  tutor,  according  to  the  magnitude  of  the  offence. 

8.  All  studenU  must  refrain  from  wearing  rich  and  showy  clothing,  nor  must  any  one  go  out  of  the  college- 
yard,  unless  in  his  gown,  coat  or  cloak. 

9.  Every  under-graduate  shall  be  called  by  his  surname  only,  unless  he  is  a  commoner,  or  the  oldest  son  of  « 
gentleman,  or  the  child  of  a  noble  house. 

10.  Every  commoner  shall  pay  Ave  pounds  for  the  iwrpetual  use  of  the  college,  before  admission. 

11.  Every  scholar  in  the  lower  class  shall  puy  his  tutor  two  pounds  a  year ;  unless  he  be  a  commuiier,  when  he 
■hall  pay  throe  pounds  a  year. 

12.  No  person  in  a  higher  class.  Tutors  and  Fellows  of  the  college  excepted,  shall  be  allowed  to  force  a  freshman 
or  junior  to  go  on  errands  or  do  other  services,  by  blows,  threats  or  luiigiia[{e  of  any  kind.  And  any  under-graduate 
who  violates  this  rule,  shall  be  punished  by  bodily  chastisement,  expulsion,  or  such  other  mode  as  shall  seem 
advisable  to  the  President  and  Fellows, 

13.  Students  of  all  grades  are  to  abstain  from  dice,  cards  and  every  species  of  gaming  for  money,  under  a  pen- 
alty, in  the  case  of  a  graduate,  of  twenty  shillings  for  each  offence ;  and,  if  the  offender  is  an  under-graduate,  ho 
shall  be  liable  to  punishment,  at  the  discretion  uf  the  President  and  his  tutor. 

14.  If  any  student  is  absent  from  prayers,  or  recitation,  unless  necessarily  detained,  or  by  permission  of  the 
President  or  a  tutor,  ^e  shall  be  liable  to  an  admonition ;  and,  if  he  commit  the  offence  more  than  once  in  a  wcok, 
to  such  other  punishment  as  the  President  or  tutor  shall  assign. 

15.  No  student  must  be  absent  from  his  studies  or  stated  exereiscs  for  any  reason,  (unless  it  is  first  made  known 
to  the  President  or  tutor,  and  by  them  approved)  with  the  exception  of  the  half-hour  allowed  for  lunch,  a  half-hour 
for  dinner  and  also  for  supper,  until  nine  o'clock. 

10.  If  any  student  shall,  either  through  wilfulness  or  negligence,  violate  any  law  of  God  or  of  this  college,  after 
being  twice  admonished,  he  shall  suffer  severe  punishment,  ul  tho  discretion  of  the  President  or  his  tutor.  Uut  in 
high-handed  offences,  no  such  modlfled  forms  of  punishment  need  be  expected. 

17.  Every  student  who,  on  trial,  shall  be  able  to  translate  from  the  original  Latin  text,  and  logically  to  explain 
tho  Holy  Scriptures,  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testament,  and  shall  also  be  thoroughly  acquainted  witli  the  princi- 
ples of  natural  and  mortU  philosophy,  and  shall  bo  blameless  in  life  and  character,  and  approved  at  a  public  exam- 
ination by  the  President  and  Fellows  of  the  College,  may  receive  tho  first  degree.  Otherwise,  no  one  shall  be 
adniittud  to  the  llrst  degree  in  arts,  unless  at  the  end  of  three  years  nnd  ten  months  from  the  time  of  his  ndniiasion. 

18.  Every  scholar  who  has  maintained  a  good  standing,  and  exhibited  a  written  synopsis  of  logic,  niitiirul  and 
moral  philosophy,  arithmetic  and  astronomy,  and  shall  be  prepared  to  defend  a  proposition  or  thesis ;  shall  also  bo 
versed  in  the  original  languages,  as  aforesaid :  and  who  carries  with  him  a  reputation  for  upright  cliarnclcr  and 
diligence  in  study,  and  shall  pass  successfully  a  public  examination,  shall  be  admitted  to  the  second,  or  Master's 
degree, 

11).  It  is  resolved,  that  those  who  pursue  theology,  before  they  receive  a  bachelor's  degree  in  that  depart- 
ment, shall  first  obtain  a  Master's  degree  in  the  arts,  and  shall  diligently  apply  themselves  to  theological  uiid  Hebrew 
literature,  and  shall  devote  seven  years  to  these  studies.  During  this  time,  the  candidate  shall  hold  two  discussions 
with  a  liHchelor  of  theology,  and  shall  once  be  a  respondent  in  a  theological  debate:  he  shall  pronounce  one  oration 
in  Imtin  and  one  in  English,  either  in  church  or  the  college-hall.  And  if  by  this  time  he  shall  become  proficient  in 
theology,  he  shall,  with  a  solemn  ceremony,  be  made  a  Bachelor.  However,  this  caution  should  be  observed,  that 
no  one  shall  bo  permitted  to  pronounce  the  oration  until  Ave  years  after  his  admission  to  tho  Master's  degree. 

ao.  It  is  resolved,  that  the  person  who  desires  to  be  admitted  into  tho  class  of  Doctors  of  Divinity,  shall 
devote  himself  for  Ave  entire  years  after  he  has  taken  his  bachelor's  degree  to  a  course  of  theological  reading 
and  study,  and  before  his  admission  in  this  department,  ho  shall  twice  defend  and  once  endeavour  to  refute  some 
theological  proposition,  if  con  venient,  against  a  Doctor  of  theology.  He  shall  pronounce  one  oration  in  Latin  and 
one  in  English  in  a  church,  or  the  college-hall ;  he  shall  six  times  publicly  read  and  explain  some  portion  of  Scrip- 
ture ;  and  after  a  solemn  initiation,  shall  be  obliged  once  in  a  year  to  propound  a  question  in  the  college-hull,  and 
to  eliicidalo,  define,  and  decide  its  ambiguities  and  points  of  doubt,  as  presented  on  both  sides. 

?I,  It  is  determined,  that  in  addition  to  other  exercises  to  bo  attended  to  Ity  candidates  for  degrees  in  theology, 
every  one  of  them,  no  matter  to  which  degree  he  is  looking,  shall  be  obliged  to  publish,  for  the  common  beneflt 
of  the  churches,  and  under  the  direction  of  the  President  and  Fellows,  some  tract  against  heresy  or  an  existing  error, 
or  some  iilhcr  useful  argument. 

Sj.  Academic  degrees,  heretofore  conferred  by  the  President  and  Follows  of  Harvard  college,  shall  be  holden 
to  bn  villlil. 

3:1.  I''very  student  shall  obtain  a  copy  of  these  laws,  signed  by  the  President  or  some  one  of  the  tutors,  upon 
bis  adiiilsiiion  to  college. 


m 


1  ! 


26 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


country  whose  abilities  would  fully  answer  the  terms  thus  proposed,  yet 
partly  from  the  novelty  of  the  matter  itself,  which  under  the  former  charter 
was  never  pretended  unto,  and  partly  from  the  modesty  of  the  persona  most 
worthy  to  have  this  respect  put  upon  them,  there  was  yet  never  made 
among  us  any  of  these  promotions.  'Tis  true,  these  titles  are  of  no  very 
early  original ;  for  the  occasion  of  them  first  arose  about  the  year  of  our 
Lord  1185.  Lotharius  the  emperor,  having  found  in  Italy  a  copy  of  the 
"Eoman  civil  law,"  which  he  was  greatly  taken  withal,  he  ordained  that 
it  should  be  "publickly  expounded  in  the  schools;"  and,  that  he  might 
give  encouragement  unto  this  employment,  it  was  ordained  that  the  public 
professors  of  this  law  should  be  dignified  with  the  style  of  doctors^  whereof 
Bulgarus  Hugolinus,  with  others,  was  the  first.  Not  long  after,  this  rite 
of  creating  doctors  was  borrowed  of  the  lawyers  by  divines,  who  in  their 
schools  publickly  taught  divinity;  and  the  imitation  took  place  first  in 
Bononia,  Paris  and  Oxford.  But  I  see  not  why  such  marks  of  honour  may 
not  be  properly  given  by  an  American  university,  as  well  as  an  European, 
to  them  who,  by  such  capacity  and  activity  for  the  service  of  the  churches, 
do  deserve  to  be  so  distinguished.  Indeed,  this  university  did  present 
their  President  with  a  diploma  for  a  doctorate,  under  the  seal  of  the  col  ledge, 
with  the  hands  of  the  fellows  annexed:  which,  because  it  is  the  Jirst  and 
the  sole  instance  of  such  a  thing  done  in  the  whole  English  America,  I 
will  here  transcribe  it: 

Quum  gradus  academicos,  tarn  in  theologiA,  qtiam  in  philosophiA,  pro  more  acO' 
demiarum  in  Anglid,  conferendi  polestas,  ah  atnplissimo  gubernatore,  el  a  summa 
Massachusettensis  provincice  curia,  secundum  sereniss.  Regis  ac  regincB  Gulielmi 
et  MaricB,  illis  concessa  diploma,  sit  ad  nobis  commissa :  et  qttoniam  vir  clarissimus, 
D.  Chescentus  Matherus,  CoUegii  Harvardini  in  Novd  Anglid  presses  reverendus, 
libros  quam  plurimos  tarn  Anglic^  qudm  Latind  cdidit,  omnigtnd  literaturd  refcrtos, 
multisque  pralered  modis,  non  solw.n  in  Unguis  et  in  artibus  liberalibus  peritissimum, 
verum  etiam  in  S.  S.  scripturis  et  in  theologid  se  ostendit  versatissimum ;  atque 
per  studia  et  merita  veri  extraordinaria,  non  tanlum  apud  Americanas,  sed  et 
Europceanas  ecclesias  commendatissimum  sc  reddidit;  proptered  dictum  D.  Cres- 
SENTiuM  Matherum,  doctoraU  cathedrd  dignutn,  judicamus,  eumque  pro  authorilate 
nobis  commissd,  S.  theologies  doclorem,  nominamus  ac  renunciamus.  In  cvjiis  rci 
testimonium,  acadetni(t  sigillum  hisce  Uteris  affiximus ;  nos,  quorum  hie  sunt  sub. 
scripta  nomina.  Datum  Cantabrigia  Nov-Anglorum  die  Novembris  septimo,  anno 
Domini  millesimo,  sexcentesimo,  nonagesimoque  secundo."* 

*  Whereng  the  power  of  conferring  ncndemic  degrees  both  in  theology  nnd  philosophy,  according  to  the  custom 
of  the  English  Universities,  has  been  conflded  to  us  by  dur  most  excellent  governor  and  the  high  court  of  llio 
Province  of  Manxnchusotta,  according  to  the  Charter  granted  to  them  by  their  Most  Serene  Majesties,  the  King 
and  Q\ieen  William  and  Mary :  and  whereas  that  most  distinguished  man,  Mr.  Increase  Mather,  the  vvnnrabie 
President  of  Harvard  College  in  New  Englnrd,  has  published  many  books  in  English  und  in  Lulin,  repit'le  with 
the  most  varied  learning,  and  Is  more<'"er  most  uccumpiished  in  literature  and  the  liberal  arts,  and  also  adniinthly 
versed  in  the  sacred  Scriptures  and  theological  lure,  and  hag  obtained  for  himself  by  his  acquirements  and  extra- 
ordinary  merits  a  great  reputation,  not  only  in  America,  but  in  Europe:  We  therefore  deem  tlie  said  Iiirren^io 
Mather  wortliy  of  the  Doctorate,  and,  according  to  the  uiiilKirity  vested  in  us,  pronounce  and  declare  hini  ii  Doclor 
of  Divinity.  In  testimony  wliereof,  wu  whoso  names  nre  hcreui^to  subscribed  have  to  these  prcsi'nts  umxed  ibo 
lual  of  the  college.    Dated  at  Cambridge  in  New  England,  on  the  seventh  day  of  November,  A.  D.  1G93, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


27 


;d,  yet 
iharter 
8  most 

made 

o  very 

of  our 

of  the 

;d  that 

might 
!  public 
(•hereof 
his  rite 
n  their 
first  in 
)ur  may 
iropean, 
lurches, 
present 
solledge, 
first  and 
nerica,  I 

nore  aca- 

a  summa 
GuUelini 

irissimuSf 

verendus, 
rcfertos, 

Itisshnum, 
atque 

IS,  sed  et 
Cres- 

mthorifate 

cvjus  rei 

sunt  sub- 

limo,  anno 


to  tho  custom 

court  of  ilio 

lies,  Ihi!  King 

ttie  voiiorable 

1,  replflH  with 

Iso  odiniinlily 

its  mill  extra- 

Rnid  Iiirri'nsio 

tiim  II  Doctor 

itK  ufllxud  Ibo 

i)92. 


Nevertheless,  whatever  use  he  may  hereafter  see  cause  to  make  of  this 
instrument,  he  hath  hitherto  been  willing  to  wear  no  other  title  than  what 
formerly  he  had  in  the  catalogue  of  our  graduates,  which  is  the  next  thing 
that  my  reader  is  to  be  entertained  withal. 

§  10.  Eeader,  the  sons  of  Harvard  are  going  to  present  themselves  iu 
order  before  thee.  The  catalogue  nretends  not  unto  such  numbers  aa 
Osiander  will  find  for  us  in  the  Academy  of  Tubinga,  which  yielded  more 
than  four  thousand  masters,  Inter  quos  erant  magna  Nomina  et  Lumina;* 
nor  such  numbers  as  Howel  reports  of  Paris,  where  there  have  boon  known 
at  one  time  twenty  thousand — yea,  thirty  thousand  students;  nor  such 
numbers  as  Alsted  reports  of  Prague,  where  the  University  had  at  once 
forty-four  thousand  forreigners^  that  were  students  in  it,  besides  the  native 
Bohemians.  Nevertheless,  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  here  are  pretty 
competent  numbers  for  a  poor  wilderness  in  its  infancy ;  and  a  poor  wil- 
derness indeed  it  had  been,  if  the  cultivations  of  such  a  Colledge  had  not 
been  bestowed  upon  it.  In  the  perusal  of  this  catalogue,  it  will  be  found 
that,  besides  a  supply  of  ministers  for  our  churches  from  this  happy  sem- 
inary, we  have  hence  had  a  supply  of  magistrates,  as  well  as  physicians, 
and  other  gentlemen,  to  serve  the  commonwealth  with  their  capacities. 
Yea,  the  considerable  names  of  Stoughton  and  Dudley,  in  this  list,  have 
been  advanced  unto  the  chief  place  in  government;  nor  has  the  countiy 
sent  over  agents  to  appear  at  Whitehall  for  any  of  its  interests  upon  any 
occasion,  for  more  than  these  thirty  years,  but  what  had  their  education 
in  this  nursery.  It  will  be  also  found  that  Europe,  as  well  as  America, 
has  from  this  learned  seminary  been  enriched  with  some  worthy  men; 
among  whom  I  will  rather  choose  to  omit  the  mention  of  Sir  George 
Downing,  who  occurs  in  the  first  class  of  our  graduates,  than  reckon  him 
with  a  company  so  disagreeable  to  him  as  the  rest,  thot  were  many  of  them 
afterwards  famous  ministers  of  the  gospel  in  England  and.  Ireland.  Non 
bene  conveniunt,  nee  in  una  sede  7norantur.f  It  will  be  likewise  found  that 
not  a  few  of  these  "  Harvardians  "  have  by  their  published  writings  been 
useful  unto  the  world.  That  excellent  man,  who  is  the  leader  of  this 
whole  company,  and  who  was  a  "star  of  the  first  magnitude"  in  his  con- 
stellation, to  wit,  Mr.  Benjamin  Woodbridge,  an  eminent  herald  of  Heaven 
at  Salisbury,  and  afterwards  at  Newbury  in  England,  and  (after  the  "act 
of  uniformity  "  and  the  persecution  following  hereupon  crecpled  him,)  in 
several  other  places,  as  he  had  opportunity.  He  wrote  several  considerable 
treatises  about  justification;  as,  also,  "against  the  unwarrantable  practice 
of  private  Christians  in  usurping  the  office  of  public  preaching;"  and,  as 
the  scoffing  Wood  acknowledges,  "he  was  accounted  among  the  brethren 
a  learned  and  a  mighty  man."  After  him  we  have  had,  besides  those  whose 
lives  are  anon  to  be  written,  many  others  that  by  tvriting  have  made  them- 

•  Among  whom  were  grent  nnmes  and  great  lights. 
t  They  do  not  agree  well,  and  cannot  stay  in  tho  same  place. 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


I  ri 


selves  to  live;  and  not  only  have  we  had  a  Danforth,  a  Nathanael  Mather, 
an  Hoar,  a  Rowlandson,  a  Nowel,  a  Whiting,  an  Hooker,  a  Moodey,  an  Ele- 
azar  Mather,  a  Richardson,  a  Thacher,  an  Adams,  a  Saltonstal,  a  Walter, 
the  authors  of  lesser  composures,  out  of  their  modest  studies,  even  as  with 
a  CtBsarean  section,  forced  into  light;  but  also  we  have  had  an  Hubbard, 
an  Isaac  Chancey,  a  Willard,  a  Stoddard,  the  authors  of  larger  composures. 
Yea,  the  present  President  of  the  Colledge  has  obliged  the  public  with 
more  than  thirty  several  treatises  of  diverse  matters,  and  figures,  and  in 
diverse  languages.  'Tis  true,  there  is  one  more  among  the  sons  of  this 
colledge,  that  might  already  bring  in  a  catalogue  of  more  than  three-score 
several  books,  which  the  press  has  had  from  him;  nevertheless,  as  Ronsard 
the  French  poet,  upon  reading  of  Du-Bartas'  Weeks,  would  say.  Monsieur 
Dii  Bartas  afaitplxis  en  une  Semaine,  que  Je  rCmj  faiten  toute  ma  vile:  "Du 
Bartas  has  done  more  in  one  week,  than  I  have  done  in  all  the  days  of 
my  life:"  so  it  must  bo  acknowledged  that  three  composures  of  one  writer 
may  be  more  valuable  than  threescore  of  another.  Nor,  indeed,  must  be 
enumerated  among  the  least  blessings  of  New-England,  that  it  has  been, 
above  all  the  rest  of  the  English  America,  furnished  with  presses,  from 
which  it  has  had,  a  thousand  ways,  the  benefits  of  that  art  of  printing: 
a  gift  of  heaven,  whereof  Beroaldus  well  sang: 

Quo  nil  Viiliua  dedit  Vetustaa, 
Lihroa  Scribere  qua  docea  premendo.* 

Finally,  if  Harvard  be  now  asked,  as  once  Jesse  was,  "Are  here  all  thy 
sons?"  it  must  be  answered,  no:  for  upon  a  dissatisfaction,  about  a  hard- 
ship which  they  thought  put  upon  themselv'^,  in  making  them  lose  a  good 
part  of  a  year  of  the  time,  whereupon  the;y  claimed  their  degree  (about 
the  year  1655,)  there  was  a  considerable  number,  even  seventeen  of  the 
scholars,  which  went  away  from  the  Colledge  without  any  degree  at  all. 
Nevertheless,  this  disaster  hindred  not  their  future  serviceableness  in  the 
churches  of  the  faithful,  and  some  of  them  indeed  proved  extraordinary 
serviceable:  among  whom  it  would  be  criminal  for  me  to  forget  Mr.  Wil- 
liam Brirasmead,  Pastor  at  this  day  to  the  church  of  Malborough;  and 
Mr.  Samuel  Torrey  of  Wegmouth,  (of  whose  there  are  published  three 
sermons,  which  at  so  many  several  times  were  preached  at  the  anniversary 
elections  of  magistrates.)  And  unto  these  I  may  add  Mr.  Samuel  Wake- 
man,  the  pastor  to  the  church  of  Fairfield,  of  whom  we  have  three  or  four 
several  sermons  published. 

What  now  remains  is  to  look  over  our  catalogue;  and  then  single  out 
some  subjects  for  a  more  particular  biography.  Only,  while  I  carry  in  my 
reader  to  speak  with  them,  the  writer  himself  (solicitous  that  the  name 
which  Philo  Judajus  puts  upon  a  colledge;  namely,  Ai^atfxaXsiov  (fuft-ifair-ns 
dpSTTii,  or  "a  school  of  all  virtue,"  may  ever  and  justly  be  the  name  of 

*  Dest  gift  of  nnciont  times— the  Frcss. 


I 


J* 

I 

I 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-KNOLAND. 


29 


[ather, 
m  Ele- 
Valter, 
IS  with 
ibbard, 
osures. 
ic  with 
and  in 
of  this 
;e-score 
?onsard 
fonsieur 
e:  "Du 
Jays  of 
B  writer 
nust  be 
as  been, 
es,  from 
rinting: 


all  thy 
,  hard- 
agood 
(about 
of  the 
at  all. 
in  the 
:)rdinary 
^r.  Wil- 
gh;  and 
ed  three 
liversary 
Wake- 
or  four 

ngle  out 
ry  in  my 
be  name 

name  of 


Har\  ard  colledge,)  will  take  the  leave  to  address  their  successors  with  cer- 
tain admonitions,  translated  from  no  less  than  a  national  synod  of  the 
Protestant  churches  in  France.  The  last  national  synod,  that  sat  bofbro 
the  dissipation  of  those  renowned  churches,  after  the  other  and  many  cares 
which  the  former  most  venerable  assemblies  took  of  their  universities, 
by  their  decree,  earnestly  exhorted  the  governors  of  the  universities  to 
exert  all  their  power  "for  the  suppression  of  abuses  crept  in  among  them, 
redounding  to  the  disgrace  of  religion,  and  opening  the  flood-gates  to  tho 
deluge  of  profaneness,  to  break  in  upon  the  sanctuary,"  and  under  sovero 
penalties  enjoined  the  scholars,  but  most  especially  the  students  in  divinity, 
"to  keep  themselves  at  the  greatest  distance  from  such  things  as  are  con- 
trary to  Christian  modesty  and  sanctity,  and  to  perfume  the  house  of  God 
betimes  with  the  sweet  odours  of  an  early  religious  conversation,  every 
way  becoming  the  sacred  employment  whereto  they  be  designed.  Now, 
when  we  have  transcribed  some  of  the  excellent  words  used  by  Monsieur 
Guitton,  at  the  presenting  of  this  decree  to  the  university  of  Saumur,  we 
will  without  any  further  delay  give  our  catalogue  leave  to  appear  before  us: 

"You  have  consecrated  your  labours,  your  time,  your  whole  man,  unto  the  service  of  tho 
sovereign  monarch  of  the  whole  world ;  that  Lord,  who  is  ndor'd  by  all  tho  angels.  Your 
own  consciences,  sirs,  as  well  as  mine,  must  needs  tell  you,  you  cannot  bring  witii  you  too 
much  humilily,  nor  too  much  self-abasement,  nor  too  much  self-annihilation,  nor  too  much 
simplicily  and  sincerity,  when  you  come  into  His  presence,  wliose  eyes  are  a  '  tiamiii"  lire,' 
and  who  'searcheth  your  hearts  and  trieth  your  reins;'  and  offer  yourselves  to  bo  oiiroH'd 
in  the  number  of  his  menial  servants  and  gospel-ministers. 

"To  be  short,  sirs,  you  are  destiiiated  unto  an  employment  in  which  there  be  no  advance- 
ments made  but  by  prayers;  and  prayers  are  never  heard  nor  answered  by  God,  furtlier  than 
they  be  sincere;  and  they  be  not  iti  the  least  sincere,  where  tho  hearts  are  not  guided  and 
purified  by  the  truth  of  God's  holy  word  and  spirit,  who  dietateth  our  prayers,  and  ijiiii-kneth 
and  sanctifieth  our  affections.  Do  you  imagine,  sirs,  tlnit  God  will  give  you  his  holy  spirit, 
without  whom  you  are  nothing  and  can  do  nothing,  unless  you  ask  him  of  God?  And  arc 
you  then  qualified  and  fitted  for  prayer,  a  most  holy  duty,  when  as  your  8i)irit  is  stuffed  up, 
occupied  and  distracted  with  your  youthful  lusts,  and  replenished  witii  the  provoking  objects 
of  your  vanity?  Or,  can  you  bring  unto  this  sacred  ordinance,  unto  this  most  religious 
exercise,  that  attention,  assiduity  twd  perseverance,  wh'wh  is  needful  to  the  getting  of  t'raeiou.s 
answers  and  returns  from  Heaven,  whenas  the  better  and  far  greater  part  of  vour  time  is 
consumed  in  worldly  companies  and  conversations?  Certainly,  sirs,  you  will  find  it  exceed- 
ingly  difficult  to  disentangle  yourselves  from  those  impressions  you  htwvfirst  received,  and 
to  empty  yourselves  of  the  vanities  you  have  imbibed,  that  you  may  be  at  liberty  to  rellect 
and  meditate  upon  God's  holy  word. 

"My  dear  brethren,  honour  and  adorn  that  profession  whereto  you  are  devoted,  and  it  will 
reflect  beams  of  honour  again  upon  you.  Consider,  sirs,  what  is  becoming  you,  and  God 
will  communicnte  what  is  needful  for  you,  to  ev'ry  one  of  you.  Let  his  name'  and  aiory  be 
the  ...incipal  mark  and  butt  of  your  conditions  and  studies,  and  it  will  brini:  down  the 
choicest  and  chiefest  of  blessings  of  God  upon  you.  Let  your  lives  and  conversations  bo 
accompanied  and  crowned  with  all  the  virtues  and  graces  of  reformed  Christians;  willi  that 
humility  which  becometh  the  servants  of  CJod;  with  that  i\nivers:il  modesty  and  simplicity 
which  God  requireth  from  the  ministers  of  his  sanctuary,  in  their  lives,  su'tinns,  li.iMts.  lan- 
guage, behaviour,  and  in  your  whole  course.    And  then,  sirs,  this  your  sunctilication  will  be 


K^  MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 

most  acceptable  unto  Gnd  and  saving  unto  yourselves;  it  will  bring  your  profession  into 
credit  und  reputation;  it  will  attract  upon  you  tho  best  blessings  of  Heaven;  it  will  render 
your  Ntudius  and  empluyments  prosperous,  successful  and  edifying;  the  churches  will  be 
the  bolter  for  you,  and  tiie  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  be  by  yuu  prumoted  and 
advanced." 

To  these  admonitions  of  Monsieur  Guitton,  I  will  only  fcr  a  farewell, 
unto  every  scholar  now  address'd,  subjoin  that  wherewith  Mr.  Carter  took 
his  leave  of  a  scholar:  Fugefastum,  ignavium  et  antichristum.^ 

Our  Catalogue  is  now,  without  any  further  ceremony,  to  be  produced; 
a  catalogue  of  Christian  students,  instructed  in  those,  which  the  other  day 
were  pagan  regions ;  a  catalogue,  whereof  I  may  therefore  say,  as  the  his- 
torian does  of  the  temple  built  by  Constantino,  it  is  to  iratfiv  juxTa/ov,  x,  irodsu- 
fAsvov  ^iaft.a — To  all  good  men,  a  desirable  spectacle. 


CATALOGUS, 

EORUM  QUI  IN  COLLEGIO  HARVIDINO,  QUOD  EST  CANTABRIGI.f:  NOV-ANGLORUM,  AB  ANNO 
1G43,  AD  ANNUM  1606.  ALICUJUS  GRADUS  LAUREA  DONATI  SUNT.f 


1648. 
1640. 

*  Johannes  RoKoraiiis  Mr.  Prates. 

*  Siimufl  EHtnii  Mr.  Sueius, 

*  Urinniis  Onkes  Mr.  Soeina,  Prtetea, 

*  Juhnnnos  C<illiii!i  Mr.  Sotins, 

*  Johannes  Rowers. 

I6S0. 
GuMelmus  Stoiiiichton  Mr.  Oimii, 

*  Johannes  Gloveras  M.  D,  Merd. 
*  Toshua  Hobartns  Mr. 

Jeremioa  llobartiis  Mr. 

*  Edmundus  Weld. 

*  Samuel  Phillpsiiis  Mr. 

*  Leornardus  Hoar  Mr.  M.D,  CaHtahr, 

Prases 

*  Isancus  Allertonns. 

*  Jonathan  Inceiis  Mr. 

1031. 
Michael  WiK«l«9Wortl>  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Murlgena  Collonus  Mr. 

*  Thomas  Diidlieiis  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  .'olinnnes  Glovoriis  Mr. 
Hi'iiricus  niitlcnis  Mr. 

*  Nathaniel  Pt'lhamns. 

*  Johannes  Duvisius  Mr. 
Isnaciis  Channciciis  Mr. 

*  Ichabod  Chiiuiicipiis  .Mr. 

*  Jonathan  nurnciis  Mr. 

lO:.-.'. 

*  Josephus  R(iwlim(li<onus. 

1053.  .'Uiff.  0. 
Samnel  Willis. 

*  Johannes  Ancier  Mr. 

*  Thomas  Shcpardus  Mr.  Sueius. 

*  Samuel  Nowel  Mr.  Soeius, 

*  Richardu8  Hubbard  Mr. 


1643. 

*  Benjamin  Woodbrldge. 

*  Georjfius  Downing. 

*  Johannes  Bulklaeus  Mr, 
Gulielmus  Hubbard  Mr. 
Samuel  Bellingham  Mr.  M.  D.  Ludg. 

*  Johannes  Wilsonus  Mr. 

*  Henrlcus  Saltonstall. 

*  Tobias  Bamardus.  [Hii. 

*  Nathanool  Brusterus.  Th.  Bat.  Dub. 
1643. 

*  Johannes  Jonesius  Mr. 

*  Samuel  Matherus  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Samuel  Danforth  Mr.  Soeius, 

*  Johannes  Allin. 
1644. 
1643. 

*  Johannes  Ollverns. 

*  Jeremias  Hollandus. 

*  Gulielmus  Amesiua. 

*  Johannes  Uussollus  Mr, 
Samuel  Stow,  Mr, 

*  Jacobus  Ward. 

*  Kobortus  Johnson. 
1646. 

*  Johannes  Alcock  Mr. 

*  Johannes  Rrock  Mr. 

*  Georsius  Stirk. 

*  Nathaniel  While  Mr, 
1C47. 

*  Jonathan  Mitchel  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Nathaniel  Matherus  Mr. 
Cnnsolantius  Star  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Johannes  Barden. 

*  Afbrahnmus  Waiver. 

*  Georgius  Haddenus  Mr. 

*  Gulielmus  Mildmay  Mr, 

*  Avoid  pride,  sloth,  and  antichrist. 

+  C'ATALoorle  of  those  who  received  Degrees  from  Ilurvard  OilIeKO,  Cambridge,  New-England,  between  the 
jears  1C4'.>  and  lUDd. 

X  wild  were  aduiitlHd  to  the  fccord  degree  in  ICW.  On  Iho  day  roUuwini;,  Cticle  Kirs  were  luhnilleil  to  llie 
lecond  degree,  us  is  iibn:d.  in  iUSO, 


*  Johannes  Whiting  Mr. 

*  Siunuel  Hookerus  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Johannes  Slono  Mr.  Cantab.  JIngt, 
Gulielmus  Thoms<mus. 

Qui  nd  seeundum  gradnm  admissi 
fuere  1655.  Diei  sequentis  barealau- 
rri,  ad  seeundum  gradum  admissi  Ml 
maris  est.    16S3.t 

1633.  ./lug.  10. 

*  Edwardus  Rawsonus. 

*  Samuel  Bradstrcet  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Joshua  Long  Mr. 
Samuel  Whiting  Mr, 

*  Joshua  Momley  Mr.  Soeius. 

,  Joshua  Ambrosius  Mr,  Oznnii. 

*  Nehemiah  Ambrosius  Mr,  Soeiu$. 
Thomas  CraxbiRua. 

I0.';4. 

*  Phillpus  Nel8<m, 

;16S5, 

Gershom  Ritlklasus  Mr,  Soeius, 
Murdccai  Matthewsius. 
1656. 

*  Eleazarus  Mattherus. 
Crescentius  Matherus  Mr.  Dubt.  Hib. 

S,iriiis,  Reetnr.  Prases.  S.  T,  D. 
Robenus  PaintRUS  Mr. 

*  PuIk  el  Dummerus. 

*  JoliaiMH's  Haynesius  Mr.  Cantab. 

*  itohannes  Eiiolus  Mr. 

*  Thninns  <;ravesius  Mr.  Soeius. 
Johannes  Eminersonus  Sir. 

1057. 
Zecharios  Syninies  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Zechnrias  llrigden  .Mr.  Soeius, 
Johannes  Ooltonus  Mr, 
Johannes  Hale  Mr, 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


81 


Elistia  CtHikcns  Mr. 

*  Juhuiiiiuii  Whiting. 

*  Buriiuboii  Chancaiia  Mr. 

1058. 

*  JoMpliuR  Eliutui  Mr. 

*  JuDvphua  HHynes. 

*  Bei\|uinln  Buiil(«r  Mr. 
Jonah  {''ordhamui. 

*  JohBiinus  liurahain. 

*  Samiivi  Talcut. 

*  Hamual  Shnpordu  Mr.  Steiut, 

1A50. 
NathaniPl  Saltaulall. 

*  Bainuul  Alcock. 
P.  Abljah  HuvBvius. 
Samu'a  Wlllara  Mi.  Soeiut. 
Tliumas  Parish. 

BamiKil  Choverua. 

*  Ezfklul  Rtigerui. 
SamiKii  Itulchurut. 
Jacobim  Nuyus, 
Mtiseii  Nuyes, 

1660. 

*  Simuii  nradetreet  Mr. 

*  Natlmnlui  Collins  Mr. 

*  Samiifl  Eliotus  Mr.  Soetut, 

*  GullittlniiiH  Whltingbam. 

*  Just!|ili<i!i  Cuokttus. 

*  Samiiul  Curterus. 

*  Munii!<!<<'h  Armitaglus. 

*  Petrus  liulklasus  Mr.  Socitu. 

1661. 

*  Johannes  Bellingham  Mr. 

*  Natlmniel  ChaunciBus  Mr.  Sociut. 

*  EIniitliiin  Chauncsua  Mr. 
Israel  Chuiincnus  Mr. 

*  Cum|>uiii4untiua  Osbom. 

*  Daniel  Weld. 

*  JoaepliiiD  Cuokaoa. 
Joseplititi  Whiting  Mr.  Soeiut, 
Caleb  Watminus  Mr. 

*  Jcihaniit-d  Parkerufl. 

*  Tiidimi^  Juhnsonus. 

*  Bezalufl  Shcrmanua. 

1662. 
Johnnnc»  [luliokuii. 
Lunjamiii  Thumsomis. 
Bolumon  i^todurdiui  Mr.  Soeius. 
Mosts  Fi:<kn!us  Mr. 
Ephraiin  i<avagiug. 
Thomas  Oukus. 

1663. 

*  Sumiiol  Symondus. 
Enmiii'l  Cobbet. 

*  JoliJinnos  ReyneruB  Mr. 

*  Benjiiiiiin  Bluckinan. 

*  Tluimas  Mighil  Mr. 

*  Nailmuiel  Cutler. 

1664. 

*  Alcxandur  Nciwellus  Mr.  Sociui. 

*  Jusiah  Klinta^iis  Mr. 

*  Jowphiis  Pynchonua  Mr.  Soeius. 

*  Samuel  Urackenburius  Mr. 

*  Ji)l»innea  Wuudbridge. 
Ji)»epliii!i  Kasterbroukteus  Mr. 
Samuel  :<treet. 

1605. 

*  Bcnjamio  Eliotus  Mr. 


Jowphiia  Dudlggua  Mr. 

*  Samuol  Bishop. 

*  Edvardus  Mitchelaonui. 
Samuel  Maniiaua. 

*  Berantua  AlhertoniU. 
Jabez  Foxius  Mr, 

*  Caleb  Cheuschaumuk  Indu$, 

1060. 

*  Joaophua  Brownieua  Mr.  Soeiut, 

*  Johannes  Ricbardsonua  Mr.  Soeiut. 

*  Daniel  Masuniis. 
Johanuea  Filerua. 

1667. 
Jolmnnea  Ilarriman  Mr. 

*  Nathaniel  Atkinsonua. 

*  Johannes  Fosterus. 
Gershom  ilobartus  Mr. 

*  Japheth  Hobartiia 
Nehemiah  Ilobartus  Mr.  Sociut, 
Nicholaua  Noyea. 

1668. 
Adamus  WInthrop 

*  Johaimus  Cuilick 
Zucharlas  VVhitmannui 
Abramus  Piersonua 
Johannes  Pruddoo. 

16U9. 

*  Samuel  Eppa  Mr. 
Daniel  Epi>a 

Jeremiaa  Shcpbardos  Mr. 
Daniel  Gwtkin  Mr.  Soeiut 
Johannes  Bridghamua  Mr. 

*  Daniel  Ruaaellus  Mr. 

*  Josephus  Taylorua  Mr. 
Jacobus  Bayley  Mr. 
Josephus  Gorrish 
Samuel  Treat  Mr. 

1670. 
Nathaniel  Iligginson  Mr. 

*  Amnii  Ruliumah  Corlet  Mr.  Soeiut, 
Thomas  Clarke  Mr. 

*  Georgius  Burrough. 

1671. 

*  Isaacus  Fosterus  Mr.  Soeiut. 
Samuel  Phips  Mr. 
Samuel  Suwall  Mr.  Soeiut. 
Samuel  Mathcrua 

*  Samuel  Danrorth  Mr.  Soeiut. 
Petrus  Thacherus  Mr.  Sociut, 

*  Guiielmns  Adamus  &Ir. 
Thomas  Weld  Mr. 

*  Johannes  Bowles  Mr. 
Johannes  Nortonus 
Edvardus  Taylorus. 

1672. 
1673. 
Edvardus  Peihamua 

*  Georgius  Alcock 
Samuel  Angler  Mr. 
Johannes  Wise  Mr. 

1674. 

*  Edmandtis  Davie  M.  D,  Padua, 

*  Tliomos  Sergeant. 

1675, 
Joseph  us  Hanley 
Johannes  Pike  Mr. 
Jonathan  nussellus  Mr. 

*  Petrus  Oliverus  Mr. 


Samuel  Andrew  Mr,  Soeiut, 

Jacobus  Minol 

Timolhteua  Woodi  Mr. 

*  Daniel  Allln  Mr. 
Johannes  Emmersonua  Mr. 

*  Natlianiel  Gookiii  Mr.  Sotiut, 

1078. 

*  Thomas  Shephardua  Mr. 
Thomas  Brattle  Mr. 
Jeremiah  Cushing. 

1677. 
Thomas  Chevers  Mr. 
Johannes  Danforth  Mr.  SoHiu. 
Edvardus  Payson  Mr, 
Samuel  Sweetman 
Josephus  Capon  Mr. 
Thomas  Scottow. 

1678. 
Johannes  Cottoniis  Mr,  Soeiut, 
Coltonus  Mathcrus  Mr.  Soeiut, 
Grindailub  Rawsonua  Mr. 

*  Uriauuu  Oakes. 

1079. 

*  Jonathan  Danforth  Mr. 

*  Edvardus  Oakes  Mr. 

*  Jacobus  Ailing  Mr. 
Thomas  Barnardus  Mr. 

1680. 

*  Richardus  Martin 
Johannes  Leveretua  Mr.  Soeiut 
Jacobus  Oliver  Mr, 
Gulielmus  Brattle  Mr,  Soeiut, 

*  Percivallus  Green  Mr. 

1681. 

*  Samuol  Mitchcl  Mr.  Soeiut, 
Johannes  Cottonus  Mr. 
Johannes  Hasting  Mr. 
Noadiah  Riissellus  Mr. 
Jacobus  Plorpont  Mr. 
Johannes  Davie 

Samuel  Russellua  Mr. 
Gulielmus  Oenisou  Mr. 
Josephus  Eliot  Kir. 

1082. 

1083. 
Samuel  Danforth  Mr. 
Johannes  Williams  Mr. 
Gulielmus  Williams  Mr. 

1684. 

*  Johannes  Denison  Mr. 
Johannes  Rogersius  Mr. 
Gordonius  Snitonstall  Mr. 

*  Richardus  Wenslwua 
Samuel  Mylesius  Mr, 
Nehemiah  Walterus  Mr.  Sociut, 
Josepluis  Webb  Mr. 
E<lvardus  Thomaonus 
Benjamin  Rolf  Mr, 

1685. 

*  Thomas  DudlaDus  Mr. 

*  Wurhanius  Matherus  Mr. 

*  Nathaniel  .Matherus  Mr. 
Roulandus  Cottonus  Mr. 
Henricua  Gibs  Mr. 

*  Thomas  Berrius  Mr. 

*  Johannes  Whiting  Mr. 
Edvardus  Mills  Mr. 
Johannes  Eliotus  Mr. 


'Mil 


n 


MAQNALIA    OHRISTI    AMEBIOANA: 


Bumuel  Shopardui 

*  Putrua  Ruck 
InanciM  Grm-nw(>od 
Ji>han«l<*9  White,  Mr.  Sociut 
Juiialbun  Plurpont  Mr. 

lone. 

FrMcitcus  Wnlnwrighl 
DuiiJamIn  l.ynile  Mr. 
Danlvl  RoKorsltM  Mr. 
fieorglui  Philllpslua  Mr. 
Roborttis  Halo 
CnmliM  Chnncaat 

*  Niooltui  Murtonoi. 

1687. 
JnhiinnM  Dnvenport  Mr. 
JuhoiintM  Clark  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Ri>|i(«n<  Mr. 

*  Jnimthiin  MItchel  Mr. 
Diuilol  Druwor  Mr. 
TimnthtiiiH  Stovuna  Mr. 

*  Nalhniilul  Welsh 

*  Jnaophiis  Diiaatttt  Mr. 
Henricu!)  Newman  Mr. 
Joaloa  Dwli<ht 
Sethus  Shove  Mr. 

168& 
1680. 

*  Jac()b<i8  Allen  Mr 
8am\iel  M(MKley  Mr. 
Gullelmua  Pnyii  Mr. 
AildliiKldniis  DuTonport 
JohnnnuH  lliiynos 

*  OulielniiM  Partrigg 
RIchnnliM  VVhitllnKham  Mr. 
Johaniirs  Kmersoniu  Mr. 
JohaniK^s  Sparhawk  Mr. 

*  Bpiijuinlii  Miinton 
Johannes  Evttleth 

*  DoiOnmin  Plerpont  Mr. 
JuhaniiL's  llniicock  Mr. 
Thoniuii  8wnn  Mr. 

1690. 
Prulus  niiillntiig  Mr.  Soeiu*. 
Saniuol  Miitheriis  Mr. 
Johniint'S  Willnrtl  Mr. 

*  Daniel  Doniam 
Johannes  JoncHiug  Mr. 
Josepiitis  Whiting  Mr. 
Nathnnif'l  CInp 
Josophii.s  Ovlcheras  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Htone 
Johannv!*  Clurk  Mr. 
Thomas  Kiickinghamua 
Samuel  Mcn^fleld  Mr. 
Petrus  nnrr  Mr. 

*  Johannes  Selleek 


JohannM  Newmveh  Mr. 
Thomai  Greenwood  Mr. 
Benjamin  Wadaworth  Mr.  aM<ii«, 
Thomas  Rugglea  Mr. 
BtephanuR  Mix  Mr.  , 

Bdinundus  Uuttb  Mr. 
NIoholiens  I.ynde 

*  Bei\|amlii  Eosterbrooksua  Mr. 

1601. 
Johannes  Tyns  Mr. 
Ebonotvr  Pemb<>rton  Mr.  Sotitu, 

*  Thomas  Makarty  Mr. 
Josephus  Uird  Mr. 
Chrlatopheriu  Tiippan  Mr. 
Bamuel  Kinury  Mr. 

*  Thomas  Atkinaonus 
TImotheus  Rdwards  Mr. 

1609. 
Bei^amln  Colman  Mr. 
Zecharias  Ahlon 
Ebeneier  Whilu  Mr. 
Jacob\iR  Townaond 
Johannes  Mors  Mr. 
Caleb  Ciianlng  Mr. 

1603. 
Isaaeus  Chnuncwiu  Mr. 
Btephaniis  Biickiiighamus 
HonriciiH  Flliitieus  Mr. 
Simon  BradstriMH  Mr. 
Johannes  Wadieus  Mr. 
Kuthanuel  lltHlson 
Penn  TownsencI 
Nathanool  Williams  Mr. 
Georgliis  Duiiison 
Johannes  WiMidword  Mr. 
Joeephus  Doxter  Mr. 
Guliohnus  Veiixle 
Nathaniel  Hunting  Mr. 
Boi\|amin  RiiiTiIIus  Mr. 
Guliolmus  Grosvenor  Mr. 

1604. 
Adamns  Winthrnp  Mr. 
Johannes  WiHHlbridgo 
Dudlwus  Woodbrldgo 
Eliphalot  Adamus  Mr, 
Johannes  Saviigo 
Johannes  Oallnntine  Mr. 
Salmon  Treat 
Jabcz  Fitch  Mr,  Socitit, 

1605. 
Samuel  Vassal 
Gnalterus  Piico  Mr. 
Richurdus  Hiilioniitall  Mr. 
Nathaniel  Ssiltuii»lnll  Mr. 
Johannes  Hubbard  Mr. 


BImon  Wlllard  Mr. 
HablJah  8uva«e  Mr. 
Oliver  Noysa  Mr. 
Thorooi  Phlps 
TImotheus  Lindal 
Jonathan  Law 
Eiuklel  IaiwIs 
Thomas  Blowers  Mr. 
Thomas  l.lttle 
Ephmlm  l.lttle 
Johannes  Perklnti  Mr. 
Jedodlah  Andrews  .Mr. 
Josephus  Smith 
Johannes  Robinson  Mr 
Joeephus  Green  M 
Josephus  Mors  Mr. 
NIcolaus  Webster. 

lUIM. 
Goorgius  Vnuifhan 
Petrus  Thachcrus 
Dudlnus  Woodbrldgs 
Jonathan  Reinirr>(lun 
Samuel  Whitmiiii 
Samuel  Estnbi-ookicua 
Andreas  Gardner 
Samuel  Melyen. 

1607 
Elisha  Cookens 
Antonius  Stoddardiu 
Antonins  Stoddardua 
Jabot  Wukoroan 
Nathaniel  Collins 
Snmuul  Burr 
Johonni^  Rend 
HamunI  Mimdey 
Richardus  Brown 
ll';:»o  Adams 
Joouimes  Swin 
Johannes  Pnuthmayd 
Joaophns  Colt 
Joeephus  Parsonna 

1608. 
Thomas  Symmes 
Joslas  Cottnnus 
Samuel  Mnthurus 
Joslas  Wlllard 
Dndlaus  Brndstreet 
Petrus  Cutler 
Johannes  Fiixins 
Nathanael  Hubbard 
Henricus  Swan 
Johannes  White 
Joslas  Torrey 
Oxenbridge  Thncherus 
Richardus  Billings. 


Illi  quorum  neminibut  hac  hoeta  (•)  prmffitur,  e  vim*  eruerunt,* 

CANTABRIGI^,  NOV-ANGLORUM,  SEXTO  QUINTILIS.— MDCXCVIIl.f 

"We  will  conclude  our  catalogue  of  the  graduates  in  this  colledge  with 
the  elegy  v,hich  the  venerable  Mr.  John  Wilson  made  upon  its  founder. 

*  Those  to  whose  names  nn  asterisk  (•)  Is  prcRxed,  have  departed  this  life. 
i  'iambrldge,  New-England,  May  6th,  1608. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


IN   1-IENTISSIMUM,   REVERENDISSIMUMQVE   VIRUM, 

JOHANNEM   HARVARDUM, 

ft    SUGOESTIO    SACRO    CAROLOENSI    AD    CCELOS    KVBCTVM, 
AD   ALUMNOS   CANTABRIENSKS   LITERATOS,  PUEMA. 


JOHANNES  IIARVARDUS. 

Ankaik.-Sr  XOfr  (JIHI)  SURDA  AURE. 

En,  mihiftrt  animu»,  patroni  nomine  v$ttri 
(Si  ni/n,  (<l^ !)  lurild  ipernilur  aure)  lo^ui 
Sic  ait. 
Me  Ptuf,  immema  per  Clirittum  motuii  amtrtf 

Ad  Calos  tr.rrium  juiifit  abive  luum. 
Parebatn ;  moHitujtie  Dei  praeunte  paraiam 

QuiequiU  ad  optattim  eufficiebat  opui. 
Me  (liret  indignum)  lelegit  gratia  Chriati, 

fundarem  mii«i>,  qui  pia  tettapiii, 
(JVim  qui'id  vet  ekarA,  moriena  more  earerna, 

Aiit  harea  aliva  qu6d  mihi  nullua  erat ;) 
Heredea  roa  ipae  meoa,  sed  linquere  f  HHJit, 

Uaque  ad  dimidiam  aortia  opumque  I)eua. 
Me  cummune  bonum,  praaertim  gloria  Ckriatiy 

Jmpulit  et  charit  pnateritalia  amor : 
Sat  ratua  eaae  mihi  aobulia,  pictatia  amore 

Kdueet  illuatrea  ai  achola  noatra  viroa, 
Hae  mihi  apes  (I'i'dl  mvrienti  dutcior  olim) 

Me  recreat,  Cali  dum  requitte  fruor. 
At  ai  degenerca  liqueat  voa  eaae  (quod  abait .') — 

Otia  ai  atudiia  aint  potiora  bonia : 
Si  nee  doelrind,  nee  morihua  estia  konealia 

Jmbuli,  (faatu  non  leeiore  tamen.) 


Orata  ait  aut  tiobia,  ai  f  (da  vet  kmrttii  nil*, 

Voa  aimul  ii^fieient,  tea,  dominifue grtgtm  : 
Hire  mihi  patrvno  quim  aunt  eontraria  »««lr*/ 

Atque  magia  f  mmiio  diaplititura  Dm  I 
AVc  tamen  iata  meo  aie  nomine  dicier  (f  l«, 

Mine  quaai promitlat  non  melior»  miki! 
Oaudia  Calorum  vi'x  me  aaliare  valtrtnl. 

Si  tanta  orbatua,  apeque,  fidequt  forem, 
llle  Deua  robia,  veatriaqua  iaboribua,  »lm»wtf 

F.t  dtdit,  et  porrd  auppeditabit  optm. 
Fjua  in  obaequio,  aie,  O  f  aie,  pergile  (imrK, 

Utfiuat  hine  major  gloria  lauaqne  Dm, 
At  ai  quia  rieto  matt  ait  dt  tramitt  grtaau* 

((iuod  liarid,  et  Solomon,  et  Pelrus  ipae  f  hmI.) 
Hie  aibi  niplaciat,  monitua  nequeferre  rttniet. 

In  reetam  poaaint  qui  reroeare  nam. 
Sic  grati  voa  eate  Deo  !  reetrique  lahortt 

Quo*  olim  in  C'hrialo  auaeipietia  erunt, 
Vtque  relua  meruit  aibi  Cautabrigia  aamm, 

Sie  numenfiet  dulee  feraique  mod*. 

JOIIANNKS  WlLSONl'S. 

Vkrba  DorT.  Arrowdmitii,  in  Orat.  ANTiWKiaa* 
LIANA. — Fazit  Deua  optimua,  maiimua,  tenatrm  adtt 
veritatia  kane  academiam,  ut  dtinetpa  in  AngM  lupum^ 
in  Hibernia  bufonem,  ineenire  faciliua  «i(,  quim  •Ml 
^aeiRianum,  aiit  .4rffliHiaiiiim  in  Otntabrigia, 


[translation  of  the  above,  expressly  for  this  edition.] 
TO  THE  MOST  PIOUS  AND  REVEREND 

JOHN   HARVARD, 

BORNE   FROM   THE    SACRED   DESK   AT   CHARLESTOWN   TO   THE  SKIBS, 
A  POEM,  ADDRESSED  TO  THE  LEARNED  ALUMNI  OF  CAMBRIDGE. 


JOHN  HARVARD. 

ANAORAM.-UNLE8S  WITH  A  DEAF  EAR. 

Tour  patron's  voice  my  eager  spirit  hcurg — 
Nay !  spurn  it  not  with  dull  ntid  llslloss  eurs, 

He  speaks. 
Godi  through  the  bouiidlcsa  mercy  of  his  Sun, 
Called  to  my  Spirit— sweetly  led  me  on— 
Filled  me  with  strength  divine,  and  showed  Ibc  way 
Wliicli  made  lire  blessed  to  its  latest  day. 
That  call  I  heeded :  though  unworthy  still, 
I  strove  to  do  my  heavenly  Master's  will ; 
Cliuscn  of  God  to  found,  through  grace  Divine, 
For  Christian  Learning  an  enduring  shrine. 
Not  that  no  spouse  sustained  my  fainting  head, 
Or  loving  children  watched  my  dying  bed  ;— 
These  I  remembered,  yet  a  half  of  all 
I  gave  to  you  who  throng  this  sacred  hall. 
The  common  weal,  the  glory  of  my  God, 
The  love  of  man— these  lured  me  where  I  trod. 
Strong  was  my  faith — 'twas  all  I  asked— that  ye 
Would  shine  u»  lights  of  truth  and  piety. 
This  hope,  in  life  so  blesiied,  adds  a  zest 
To  the  liii;h  pleasures  of  this  heavenly  rest. 
Hut  if,  degenerate,  ye  shall  ever  flud 
^^loth  dearer  than  the  riches  of  the  miud; 
If,  losing  virtue,  nought  is  left  beside 
A  bloated  ignorance,  inflamed  by  pride; 

Vol.  II.— 3 


If  darling  heresies  delight  alTurd, 

And  ye  deny  your  conscience  and  your  Lord. 

How  will  ye  spurn  the  path  your  founder  trod— 

How  tempt  a  covenant-keeping  God  t 

Yet  blend  not  thoughts  like  these  with  thoughts  of  in« ; 

A  better  fortune  seem  these  eyes  to  see. 

Nay  I  Heaven  itself  could  scarce  suffice  my  heaH, 

If  hope  like  this  should  languish  and  depart. 

Thus  far  our  God  each  pure  endeavour  cheera, 

And  will  supply  the  strength  of  future  years. 

Walk  by  His  light.  His  wisdom  and  Ills  will— 

He  shall  reveal  a  brighter  glory  still. 

And  if,  like  David's— Peter's— ftom  the  way 

Of  virtue  any  heedless  fool  shall  stray. 

Yet  if,  like  them,  the  wanderer  shall  repent, 

Our  God  doth  pardon  every  penitent. 

To  Him  be  glory!  to  his  glory,  too, 

Do  whatsoe'er  your  hands  shall  And  to  do. 

And  as  old  Cambridge  well  deserved  its  name, 

May  the  new  Cambridge  win  as  pure  a  tame. 

JOHN  WILSON. 

Words  op  Dr.  Arrowsmitii  in  iiis  ANTiwrioH- 
LIAN  Oration.— May  the  great  and  good  God  grant, 
that  this  college  shall  be  so  tenacious  of  the  truth,  that 
it  will  be  easier  to  And  a  wolf  in  England  and  a  snake 
in  Ireland,  than  either  a  Socinlan  or  Armiuian  ia 
Cambridge! 


THK 


HISTORY  OF  HARVABD-COLLEDGE. 


Ill 


^<MM^»*»*VMMMW»^^^^VS^<»«»^^<»^»^|>^<^^»<»<W^^'M»^^^'^^^^^* 


PART  II. 
THE  LIVES  OF  SOME  EMINENT  PERSONS  THEREIN  EDUCATED. 

Di»eant  ergo  rabidi  adveritu  Chriitum  eanti,  di$eant  eoru:^  teelatoret,  qui  putant  eecltnam  nui'^>$ 
pkilotophot  tt  tloquentet,  nullut  habuitse  doetores,  quiinti  «(  quales  vtri  earn  extruxerint  et 
ornaverint,  et  detinant  Jldem  noilram  ruitiea  tantum  rimplicitatit  argvfire  $uamqe  potiut 
imperitiam  agnoteant. — Hieron.  Praef.  ad  Catul.  de  Script.  Ecci,es.« 

§  1.  The  great  Basil  mentions  a  certain  art,  of  drawing  many  doves,  by 
anointing  the  wings  of  a  few  with  a  fragrant  ointment,  and  so  sending 
them  abroad,  that  by  the  fragrancy  of  the  ointment  they  may  allure  others 
unto  the  house  whereof  they  are  themselves  the  domesticks.  I  know  not 
how  far  it  may  have  any  tendency  to  draw  others  unto  the  religion  hitherto 
professed  and  maintained  in  Harvard-Col  ledge :  but  I  have  here  sent  forth 
some  of  the  doves  belonging  to  that  house,  with  the  ointment  of  a  good  yutme 
upon  them.  And  yet  I  should  not  have  bestow'd  the  ointment  of  their 
embalm'd  names,  as  I  have  done,  if  the  God  of  heaven,  by  first  bestowing 
the  ointment  of  his  heavenly  ^roce  upon  them,  had  not  given  them  to  deserve 
it.  Socrates  being  asked,  which  was  the  most  beautiful  creature  in  the 
world,  answered,  "A  man  garnished  with  learning."  But,  with  his  leave, 
a  more  beautiful  creature  is, "a  man  garnished  with  vertue. "  Reader,  I 
will  now  show  thee  ten  men  garnished  with  both. 

§  2.  The  death  of  those  brave  men  that  first  planted  New-England, 
would  have  rendred  a  fit  emblem  for  the  country — a  beech  tree  with  its 
top  lopt  off,  and  the  motto  ruina  relmquor,"f  (which  tree  withers  when  its 
top  is  lopt  off  I) — if  Harvard-Colledge  had  not  prevented  it.  But  now,  upon 
the  lops  of  mortality,  una  avulso  non  deficit  alter. X  We  hu.'e  opportunity 
to  write  the  lives  of  another  set,  who  indeed  had  their  whole  growth  in 
the  soyl  of  New-England ;  persons,  whom  I  may  call  cedars  and  fir-trees, 
as  Jerom  did  Cyprian  and  Hilary,  and  other  holy  men,  in  his  comment  on 
that  passage,  Isa.  Ix.  13 :  "  The  glory  of  Lebanon  shall  come  unto  thee, 
the  fir-tree,  and  the  pine-tree,  to  beautifie  the  place  of  my  sanctuary." 

*  Let  then  theM  rabid  dogs,  who  rave  ogainst  Christ,  luid  let  those  who  folluw  the  pack,  all  seeming  to  sup- 
poae  that  the  Churoh  bos  embraced  no  philosopher*,  urutors  and  schoiurs,  understand,  huw  great  and  how  many  are 
the  men  who  have  reared  and  adorned  her,  and  lot  them  cease  to  call  our  fnitb  nothing  belter  than  rude  (implicit)', 
mkI  let  them  rather  acknowledge  their  own  despicable  ignorance.— Jiromb. 

1 1  am  lu'rt  a  ruin.  %  Though  one  la  gone,  another  fllla  its  place. 


FIDES 

Otii 

§1.  D 

the  issue  i 
inonished 
whose  goi 
goodness. 
Tig  (TS  ^  ri- 
truly  answ 
inarian,  cli 
Was  a  goo( 
with  a  reas 
'so  nui 


ho 


good  astroi 
was  chieflj? 
The  eulogy 
^'ujus  linguc 
that  so  kar 
§  2.  He 
A.  D.  1620 
was  yet  a 
manner,  to 
he  came  to 
to  New-Eni 
sooner  was 
death,  but 
together;  w 
for  the  servi 

§3.  He 
studied  fljr 
ion  that,  as 
of  you,  but 
city  of  book 
liim,  until  Ji 
university. 
inomentandi,{ 

•  Faith  in 
t  Faith  fori 
t  His  speec 
I  Fouls  to^ 


OB,    TIIK    HISTUKY    Or    N  BW-KMULAIf  O. 


35 


FIDES  IN   VITA;*    OR,   THE   LIFE   OF   It.  JOHN   BROCK. 

OlimJIdf  »rat  in  vitA,  magia  quim  in  mrtieulorum  proftationt. — Erasm.  BriST.t 

§  1.  Dksiqnino  to  write  the  lives  of  some  learned  men,  who  have  been 
the  issue  and  the  .'  onour  of  Ilarvard-CoUedge,  let  my  reader  be  rather  ad- 
monished than  scandalized  by  it,  if  the  first  of  these  lives  exhibit  one 
whose  goodness  was  al)ove  his  kanimrf,  and  whose  chief  learning  was  his 
goodness.  If  one  had  asked  Mr.  John  Rrock  that  question  in  Antoninus, 
Ti'jtfS  ri  rix^ri:  «'0f  what  art  hast  thou  proceeded  master?"  he  might  have 
truly  answered,  'Ayat>iv  Vivm ;  "  My  art  is  to  be  good."  lie  was  a  good  gram- 
marian, chiefly  in  this,  that  ho  "still  spoke  the  truth  from  his  heart."  lie 
was  a  good  logician^  chiefly  in  this,  that  he  "presented  himself  unto  God 
with  a  reasonable  service."  He  was  a  good  arithmetician^  chiefly  in  this,  that 
ho  "so  numbred  his  days  as  to  apply  his  heart  unto  wisdom."  He  was  a 
good  astronomer^  chiefly  in  this,  that  his  "conversation  was  in  heaven."  It 
was  chiefly  by  being  a  goo<i  Christian  that  he  proved  himself  a  groorf  itrtutt. 
The  eulogy  which  Gregory  the  Great  bestow'd  on  Stephen  the  Monk,  erat 
hiijits  lingua  rustica,  sed  docta  I'ita;'!^  so  much  belong'd  unto  this  good  man, 
that  so  learned  a  life  may  well  be  judg'd  worthy  of  being  a  written  one. 

§  2.  He  was  born  at  the  town  of  Stradbrook,  in  the  county  of  Suffolk, 
A.  D.  1620.  And  from  his  own  trial  of  earlg  piety  in  himself,  while  ho 
was  yet  a  youth,  ho  wn  qualifuHl,  in  a  more  significant  and  efiicacious 
manner,  to  recommond  it  unto  young  people,  as  he  very  much  did,  when 
he  came  to  be  old.  When  he  wjvs  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  he  came 
to  New-England,  as  to  a  nursery  of  piety,  with  his  parents:  and  here,  no 
sooner  was  he  reco\  crcd  of  the  sm.\ll  pox,  wherein  he  was  very  nigh  unto 
death,  but  anothci  lit  of  sitskness  held  him  for  no  less  than  thirty  weeks 
together;  whereby  the  hand  of  Heaven  ordering  the/urnoce,  pi'cpared  him 
for  the  services  that  he  afterwards  performed. 

§  3.  Ue  was  adinittc^l  into  Iiarvard-Colledge,  A.  D.  1643,  where  he 
studied  for  several  years,  with  an  exemplary  diligence;  being  of  the  opin- 
ion that,  as  Caleb  said  unto  his  men,  "I  bestow  my  daughter  upon  one 
of  you,  but  ho  that  will  have  her,  must  first  win  Kiriath-Sepher ;  i.  e.  a 
city  of  books;"  thus,  one  is  not  worthy  to  have  a  church  bestow'd  upon 
him,  until  he  hath  some  time  lain  before  Kiriath-Sepher,  and  staid  at  some 
university.  After  five  years  lying  here  (as  loth  to  be  one  of  the  sacerdotes 
momentandi,%  or  modd  idiuttv,  mox  cfenct,|  sometimes  by  the  ancients  com- 

•  Faith  in  tho  life. 

t  F»ith  furmorly  timnirxsled  ilwlf  In  tho  lifts  rnthor  thui  In  it  proflsMlon  of  the  itrticles  of  a  oreed. 
X  Ilia  speech  wiu  uii|ioliahetl,  but  hii  lift)  wM  wiae.  |  Priostly  rainule-men. 

I  Foola  to-day,  prieiits  tu-iuurruw. 


M 


86 


MAONALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


plained  of)  he  cntred  upon  the  work  of  the  evangelical  ministry';  first  jit 
Rowl}',  and  then  at  the  Isle  of  Sholcs.  Here  Scaliger  might  have  indeed 
found  "wisdom  inhabiting  the  rocks,"  and  here  a  spiritual  fiaherman  di«i 
more  than  a  little  good  among  a  rude  company  of  literal  ones. 

§  4.  In  the  year  1662,  he  became  a  pastor  to  the  church  at  Reading. 
And  here  he  continued  in  the  fiiithful  discharge  of  his  ministry,  until  the 
time  that  (as  the  ancients  expressed  it)  "he  took  his  journey  a  little  before 
his  body  into  another  country."  He  wholly  devoted  himself  unto  his 
beloved  employment;  preaching  on  Lord's  days,  and  on  lectures  at  private 
church-meetings,  and  at  meetings  of  young  persons  for  the  exercises  of 
religion,  which  he  mightily  encouraged,  as  great  engines  to  render  his  rnoie 
publick  labours  effectual  on  the  rising  generation.  His  pastoral  visits,  to 
water  what  had  been  sown  in  his  public  labours,  were  also  very  sedulous 
and  assiduous;  and  in  these  he  managed  a  peculiar  talent,  which  he  had 
at  Christian  conference,  whereby  he  did  more  good  than  some  abler  preach- 
ers did  in  the  pulpit.  He  was  herewithal  so  exemplary  for  his  holiness, 
that  our  famous  Mr.  Mitchel  would  say  of  him,  "he  dwelt  as  near  heaven 
as  any  man  upon  earth."  • 

§  5.  About  three  or  four  years  before  his  death,  he  was  visited  with  a 
long  and  sore  fit  of  sickness :  but  upon  his  restoration  from  that  sickness, 
he  enjoy'd  amore  wonderful  presence  of  God  with  him  in  his  ministry  tlian 
ever  before,  and  a  more  wonderful  success  of  it.  At  length,  he  told  one  in 
his  family,  that  he  had  besought  this  favour  of  Heaven:  "to  live  but 
fourteen  days  after  the  publick  labours  of  his  ministry  should  be  fin- 
ished:" and  he  was  in  this  thing  most  particularly  favoured.  He  fell  sick, 
and  after  a  sickness  of  iuat  fourteen  days,  on  June  18, 1688,  his  friends  full 
of  sorrow  for  their  loss  might  use  Nazianzen's  words  concerning  him, 
"A;piVTaTai — he  is  flown  away."  But  their  sorrow,  quod  talem  amiserint,* 
was  (to  use  the  words  of  Jerom  to  Nepotian)  accompanied  with  gladness, 
gudd  tahm  habucrint.j" 

§  6.  Good  men,  that  labour  and  abound  in  prayer  to  the  great  God, 
sometimes  arrive  to  the  assurance  of  a  j^a^ticular  faitJi  for  the  good  suc- 
cess of  their  prayer.  'Tis  not  a  thing  that  never  happens,  that  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  in  the  midst  of  their  supplications  for  this  or  that  particular 
mercy,  find  their  hearts  very  comfortably,  but  unaccountably,  carried  forth 
to  a  strange  perswasion  that  they  shall  receive  this  particular  mercy  from 
the  Lord;  and  this  perswasion  is  not 'a  meer  notion  and  fancy,  but  a  spe- 
cial impression  from  Heaven,  upon  the  minds  of  the  saints  that  are  made 
partakers  of  it.  This  particular  foith  is  not  the  attainment  of  every  Chi'ia- 
tian,  much  less  an  emhinncnt  of  every  prayer.  There  is  no  real  Christian 
but  what  ^ra?/s  in  faith;  his  prayer  hath  a  general  faith  in  the  power,  and 
wisdom,  and  goodness  of  God,  and  the  mediation  of  Christ.  But  there 
is  many  a  real  Christian  who  is  a  stranger  to  the  meaning  of  this  thing: 

*  That  they  iihould  have  U»\  m  good  •  man.  f  That  thpy  gliould  havo  once  poggcssc'l  so  Koud  a  man 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


87 


at  God, 
)od  sue- 
le  cliil- 
irticulaT 
ed  fortli 
cy  from 
a  spo- 
re made 
ry  Chria- 
;3hristian 
wcr,  and 
ut  there 
is  tiling'. 


a  particular  faith  for  such  mercies,  without  which  a  man  may  get  safe  to 
heaven  at  the  last.    It  is  here  and  there  a  Christian,  whom  the  sovereign 
grace  of  Heaven  does  favour  with  the  consolations  of  a  particular  faith : 
nor,  if  a  Christian  taste  of  these  joys,  may  he  expect  more  than  a  taste 
of  them ;  they  are  dainties  that  are  not  every  day  to  be  feasted  on :  'tis 
not  in  every  prayer  that  the  King  of  Heaven  will  admit  every  one  to  so 
much  of  intimacy  with  himself.    Indeed,  such  a  particular  faith  is  not  so 
much  the  duty  of  a  Christian,  as  his  comfort,  his  honour,  his  privikdge. 
There  is  a.  praying  in  faith,  incumbent  on  every  Christian  in  every  prayer; 
but  this  particular  faith  for  the  bestowal  of  such  and  such  desired  mercies, 
is  not  incumbent  on  a  Christian;  'tis  not  required  of  him.    'Tis  avast 
priviledge  for  a  Christian  to  be  assured  that  the  Lord  will  do  this  or  that 
individual  thing  for  him ;  however,  'tis  no  sin  for  a  Christie.,  to  break  off 
not  assured  of  it.    But  it  is  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  that, 
with  a  singular  operation,  does  produce  in  a  Christian  this  particular  faith; 
which  indeed  is  near  akin  to  ihe  faith  of  miracles.    Nor  does  the  principal 
efficiency  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  in  these  illapses,  exclude  and  hinder  the 
instrumentality  of  the  holy  angels  in  them:  they  are  no  doubt  the  holy 
angels  that,  with  an  inexpressible  impulse,  bear  in  upon  the  mind  the 
particular  faith  wherewith  some  saints  are  at  some  times  irradiated.    The 
wondrous  meltings,  the  mighty  wrestlings,  the  quiet  waitings,  and  the  holy 
resolves,  that  are  characters  of  a  particular  faith,  which  is  no  delusion,  are 
the  works  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  wherein  his  holy  angels  may  be  instruments. 
Eminent  was  Mr.  Brock  for  his  mysterious  excellency.    This  good  man 
was  one  full  of  the  Holy  Spirit  and  faith.     He  had  many  of  those  things 
which  we  may  call  (as  the  martyr  Cyprian  call'd  those  communications 
from  Heaven  which  often  directed  him  in  his  exigencies)  "Divine  conde- 
scentions."    And  there  were  many  notable  effects  of  his  faithful  and  fer- 
vent prayers,  whereof  the  exact  history  is  now  lost,  because  it  was  not 
in  the  proper  season  thereof  composed  and  preserved. — Some  few  remark- 
ables  are  not  only  still  remembred,  but  also  well  attested. 

One  Thomas  Bancroft  lay  very  sick  of  the  small  pox;  his  distressed 
mother  came  drowned  in  tears  to  Mr.  Brock:  she  told  him,  "she  left  her 
son  so  sick  that  she  did  not  imagine  ever  to  see  him  alive  again;"  he 
replied,  "Sister,  be  of  good  cheer;  the  Lord  has  told  me  nothing  of  your 
son's  dying;  I'll  again  go  with  his  case  unto  the  Lord."  The  young  man 
recovered,  and  is  at  this  day  a  deacon  of  the  church  in  Reading. 

A  child  of  one  Arnold,  about  six  years  old,  lay  sick,  so  near  dead,  that 
they  judg'd  it  really  dead.  Mr.  Brock,  perceiving  some  life  in  it,  goes  to 
prayer;  and  in  his  prayer  used  this  expression:  "Lord,  wilt  thou  not 
grant  some  sign,  before  we  leave  prayer,  that  thou  wilt,  spare  and  heal 
this  child?  We  cannot  leave  thee  till  we  have  it!"  The  child  sneez'd 
immediately.  Mr.  Brock  then  gives  thanks,  and  breaks  off.  The  very 
next  day  the  child  visited  him,  and  carried  him  a  present. 


:i 


\  il 


88 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


When  Mr.  Brock  lived  in  the  Isle  of  Sholes,  he  brought  the  peot)le 
into  an  agreement  that,  besides  the  Lord's-days,  they  would  spend  ono 
day  every  month  together  in  the  worship  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  On 
a  certain  day,  which  by  their  agreement  belong'd  unto  the  exercises  of 
religion,  being  arrived,  the  fishermen  came  to  Mr.  Brock,  and  asked  him 
that  they  might  put  by  their  meeting,  and  go  a  fishing,  because  they  had 
lost  many  days  by  the  foulness  of  the  weather.  He,  seeing  that  witliout 
and  against  bis  consent  they  resolved  upon  doing  what  they  had  asked 
of  him,  replied,  "If  you  will  go  away,  I  say  unto  you,  catch  fish,  if  you 
can !  But  as  for  you  that  will  tarry,  and  worship  the  Lord  Jesus  Chiist 
this  day,  I  will  pray  unto  Him  for  you,  that  you  may  take  fish  till  you 
are  weary."  Thirty  men  went  away  from  the  meeting,  and  five  tarried. 
The  thirty  which  went  away  from  the  meeting,  with  all  their  skill,  could 
catch  but  ^ur  fishes;  the  five  which  tarried,  went  forth  afterwards,  and 
they  took  jiJve  hundred.  The  fishermen  after  this  readily  attended  what- 
ever meetings  Mr.  Brock  appointed  them. 

A  fisherman,  who  had  with  his  boat  been  very  helpful  to  carry  a  peo- 
ple over  a  river  for  the  worship  of  God,  on  the  Lord's-days  in  the  Isle  of 
Sholes,  lost  his  boat  in  a  storm.  The  poor  man  laments  his  loss  to  Mr. 
Brock;  who  tells  him,  "Go  home,  honest  man;  I'll  mention  the  matter  to 
the  Lord;  you'll  have  your  boat  again  to-morrow."  Mr.  Brock,  now  con- 
sidering of  what  a  consequence  this  matter,  that  seem'd  so  small  other- 
wise, might  be  among  the  untractable  fishermen,  made  the  boat  an  article 
of  his  prayers;  and,  behold,  on  the  morrow,  the  poor  man  comes  rejoy- 
cing  to  him,  that  his  boat  was  found,  the  anchor  of  another  vessel,  that 
was  undesignedly  cast  upon  it,  having  strangely  brought  it  up  from  the 
unknown  bottom  where  it  had  been  sunk. 

When  K.  Charles  II.  sent  one  of  his  infamous  creatures,  whose  name 
was  Cranfield,  for  to  be  governour  of  Hampshire,  a  northern  province  of 
New-England,  one  of  the  illegal  outrages  committed  by  that  Cranfield 
was  the  imprisoning  of  Mr.  Moodey,  the  minister  of  Portsmouth.  One 
who  then  lived  with  Mr.  Brock,  seeing  him  one  morning  very  sorrowful, 
ask'd  him  the  reason  of  his  present  sorrow.  Said  he,  "I  am  very  much 
troubled  for  my  dear  Brother  Moodey,  who  is  imprisoned  by  Cranfield: 
but  I  will  this  day  seek  to  the  Lord  on  his  behalf,  and  I  believe  my  God 
will  hear  me!"  And  on  that  very  day  was  Mr.  Moodey,  (forty  miles  off',) 
by  a  marvellous  disposal  of  Providence,  delivered  out  of  his  imprisonment. 

Multitudes  of  such  passages,  whereof  these  are  but  f  ome  few  gleanings, 
caused  Mr.  John  AUin  of  Dedham  to  say,  concerning  Mr.  Brock,  "I  scarce 
ever  knew  any  man  so  familiar  with  the  great  God  as  his  d'^ar  servant 
Brock!" 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


>eoule 
d  ono 
.  Oa 
ises  of 
d  liiin 
;y  hud 
•itliont 

asked 
if  you 

Christ 
iill  you 
tarried. 
I,  could 
ds,  and 
i  what- 

^  a  peo- 
!  Isle  of 
3  to  Mr. 
latter  to 
low  con- 
[1  other- 
0.  article 
!S  rejoy- 
sel,  that 
i-oia  the 

36  name 
vince  of 
ranfield 
One 
irrowful, 
y  much 
ranfield: 
my  God 
liles  off,) 
lonment. 
eanings, 
'  I  scarce 
sevvant 


h 


FRUCTUOSUS;*  OR,  FHE  LIFE  OF  MR.  SAIHDEl  MATHER. 

H&c  eaati  mantant  in  religione  nepotet 
Et  nati  natorum,  et  qui  nateintur  ab  illU.f 

§  1.  It  is  a  thing  truly  and  justly  thought  among  the  churches  of  God, 
Fvelix  ilia  anima,  quce  aliis  est  forma  sanctitatis :%  thrice  and  four  times 
liappy  that  man,  from  whose  example  other  men  may  learn  to  be  holy 
and  happy.  Now,  for  this  happiness,  not  only  were  many  among  the  first 
fathers  of  New-England,  with  the  history  of  whose  exemplary  lives  the 
iaithful  have  been  entertained,  considerable,  but  some  among  the  sons  of 
those  flUbers  also  have  bin  so  exemplary  for  their  holiness,  that  their  lives 
also  deserve  to  fill  the  pages  of  an  ecclesiastical  history.  One  of  those  is 
now  going  to  be  set  before  my  reader;  and  one  who,  whether  we  consider 
his  early  sanctity  or  his  fervent  ministry,  will  appear  so  much  of  a  John 
Baptist  unto  us,  that  I  choose  the  confession  of  Josephus  the  Jewish  his- 
torian (who,  if  he  were  admitted  into  the  discipline  of  Banus,  a  disciple  of 
John,  as  he  says  he  was,  he  might  well  make  such  a  confession)  concerning 
that  John,  to  express  the  character  of  this  worthy  man:  "he  was  an  ex- 
cellent man,  and  one  that  stirred  up  the  people  to  piety  and  virtue,  holi- 
ness and  purity."     This  was  Mr.  Samuel  Mather. 

§  2.  Mr.  Samuel  Matlier  was  born  May  13,  A.  D.  1626,  at  Much-Woot- 
ton  Lancashire.  But  was  the  question  of  Saul  concerning  David,  "Whose 
son  is  this  youth?" — about  the  meaning  of  which  question,  there  may  be 
some  wonder,  because  David  had  already  been  serviceable  at  the  court  of 
Saul  some  while  before;  and  therefore  some  take  the  meaning  of  the  ques- 
tion to  be,  "What  manner  of  man's  son  is  this?"  It  was  observed  that  some 
of  the  notablest  men  in  the  land  were  of  this  family,  and,  among  the  rest, 
Joab  was  of  it — Joab,  who  for  his  valour  was  made  general  of  the  field; 
Joab,  who  never  once  in  his  life  miss'd  of  the  victory ;  he  was  the  son  of 
Jesse's  daughter.  Now,  Saul  was  inquisitive,  "What  manner  of  man  this 
Jesse  was,"  that  all  his  children  prov'd  so  eminent.  If  my  reader,  thereto 
excited  by  the  figure,  which  this  person,  as  well  as  divers  of  his  brothers 
have  made  in  the  church  of  God,  shall  accordingly  inquire,  "Whose  son 
was  this  youth?"  it  must  be  answered,  that  his  father  was  the  famous  Mr. 
Richard  Mather,  whose  life  has  been  already  a  considerable  part  not  only  in 
our  own  church-history,  but  also  in  the  last  volume  of  Mr.  Clark's  collec- 
tions. Brought  up  and  brought  over  by  this  his  father,  our  Samuel  came 
to  New-England  in  the  year  1635,  delivered  with  the  rest  of  his  family 


•  FnillM. 

X  Happy  tho  soul,  which  is  a  pattern  of  bolineas  to  other*. 


t  In  this  rvllgion  Arm,  unR^nerving,  pure, 
Be  our  deiicondunlg,  wbllu  tho  worlds  endure. 


40 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


U 


¥ 


from  as  eminent  danger  of  death  as  ever  was  escaped  by  mortal  men,  in 
1  fierce  and  sore  hurricane  on  the  New-English  coast. 

§  3.  Let  the  silly  Romanist  please  himself  with  his  Romance  of  St.  Rum- 
aid,  who,  as  soon  as  he  drfew  his  first  breath,  cryed,  three  times,  "I  am  a 
Christian  1"  and  then,  making  a  plain  "confession  of  his  faith,"  desired  that 
he  might  be  baptized:'  it  is  most  certainly  true,  that  Samuel  Mather  did  not 
suffer  two  times  three  years  to  pass  him  after  hia  first  breath,  before  he  had, 
many  times,  manifested  himself  to  be  a  Christian,  under  the  regenerating 
impression  of  that  Spirit  into  whose  name  and  fixith  he  had  been  baptized. 
The  holy  Spirit  of  God  made  early  visits  unto  our  Samuel,  who  from  his 
childhood  was  devoted  unto  the  tabernacle.  He  was  in  hih  early  child- 
hood an  extraordinary  instance  of  discretion,  gravity,  seriousness,  prayer- 
tulness,  and  watchfulness,  which,  accompanied  with  a  certain  generosity 
of  temper,  and  an  usual  progress  in  learning,  wherein 

•        •        •        Eerum  prudtntia  vehz, 

Ante  pilot  venit  ;* 

render'd  him  the  delight  of  all  that  part  of  mankind  that  know  him;  and 
as  the  name  of  natSapioyspuv^  was  of  old  given  to  Macarius,  thus  this  bless- 
ed young  man  was  commonly  called  "the  young  old  man,"  by  those  that 
mentioned  him.  R.  Eliezer,  the  son  of  R.  Azariah,  when  made  president 
of  the  Jewish  Sanhedrin,  at  sixteen  years  of  age,  was  not  one  of  a  more 
composed  behaviour.  A  certain  Arabian  commentary  upon  the  Alchoran 
reports,  that  when  John  Baptist  was  a  child,  other  boys  asked  him  to 
play  with  them ;  which  he  refused,  saying,  "  I  was  not  sent  into  the  world 
for  sport."  Such  great  thoughts  inspired  our  Samuel  Mather,  while  he  was 
yet  a  child!  To  demonstrate  and  illustrate  this  part  of  his  character,  I 
shall  only  recite  an  extract  of  a  letter,  which  he  wrote  from  his  lodging  in 
Cambridge,  to  his  father  in  Dorchester,  when  he  was  no  more  than  twelve 
years  of  age : 


"• Though  [sjiid  he]  I  am  thus  well  in  my  body,  yet  I  question  whether  my  soul 

doth  prosper  as  my  body  doth ;  for  I  perceive,  yet  to  this  very  day,  little  growth  in  grace;  and 
this  makes  me  question,  whether  grace  be  in  my  lieart  or  no.  I  feel  also  daily  great  un> 
willingness  to  guod  <*  ties,  and  the  great  ruling  of  sin  in  my  heart;  and  that  Gad  is  angry 
with  me,  and  gives  me  no  answers  to  my  prayers,  but,  many  times,  he  even  throws  them 
down  08  dust  in  my  face;  and  he  does  not  grant  my  continual  requests  for  the  spiritual  bless- 
ing of  the  soflning  of  my  hard  heart.  And  in  all  this  I  could  yet  take  some  comfort,  but  that 
it  makes  me  to  wonder,  what  God's  secret  decree  concerning  me  may  be;  for  I  duubt  whether 
even  God  is  wont  to  deny  grace  and  mercy  to  his  chosen  (though  uncalled)  when  they  seek 
unto  him,  by  prayer,  for  it ;  and  therefore,  seeing  he  doth  thus  deny  it  to  me,  I  think  that 
the  reason  of  it  is  most  like  to  be,  because  I  belong  not  unto  the  'lection  of  grace.  I  desire 
that  you  would  let  me  have  your  prayers,  as  I  doubt  not  but  I  have  them ;  and  rest 

"Your  Son,  Samuel  Matheb." 


Disc-  iiment,  Bwill  aud  keen, 

OuUliet  the  dart. 


t  Young  old  man. 


OR,    THE    HlSTORTi    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


41 


en,  in 

Eum- 
[  am  a 
;d  tliat 
lid  not 
le  had, 
jrating 
.ptized. 
om  his 
r  child- 
prayer- 
lerosity 


im;  and 
lis  bles3- 
lose  that 
(resident 
[■  a  more 
Uchoran 

him  to 
world 

he  was 
racter,  I 
dging  in 
n  twelve 


er  my  soul 
grace;  and 

great  un- 
t)d  is  angry 
rows  them 
rittMl  bkss- 
irt,  but  that 

bt  whether 
they  seek 

think  that 
I  desire 

est 


Behold  the  language  of  one,  more  able  than  the  famous  Cornelius  Mub 
to  have  been  a  preacher  (as  they  say  he  was)  when  twelve  years  of  age  1  Now, 
albeit  such  "early  accomplishments"  use  to  be  threatned  with  Cicero's 
Non  potest  in  eo  succus  esse  diuturnus,  quod  nimis  celeriter  maturitatem  est 
asstcutiis:*  and  with  Quintilian's  Ingcniorum  prcecox  genius,  non  temer^  un- 
quam  pervenit  ad  frugem;\  and  with  Curtius's  NuUm  est  et  diuturnns  et 
pnticox  fructiis ;X  which  our  proverb  has  Englished,  "soon  ripe,  soon  rot- 
ten;" there  was  no  such  observation  to  be  made  of  our  Simuel,  who  still 
continually  grew  in  his  accomplishment;  and,  instead  of  losing  them,  like 
the  Hermogenes  mentioned  by  C.  Kodiginus,  he  kept  advancing  in  all  wis- 
dom and  goodness  'till  he  was  found  "ripe  for  eternal  glory." 

§  4.  In  the  catalogue  of  the  graduates  proceeding  from  Harvard-Colledge, 
our  Samuel  Mather  was  the  first  who  appears  as  a  Fellow  of  that  happy 
society ;  wherein  his  careful  instruction,  and  exact  government  of  the  scho- 
lars under  his  tuition,  caused  as  many  of  them  as  were  so,  to  mention  him 
afterwards  with  honour  as  long  as  they  lived ;  and  such  was  the  love  of  all 
the  scholars  to  him,  that  not  only  when  he  read  his  last  philosophy-lectures, 
in  the  colledge-hall,  they  heard  him  with  tears,  because  of  it's  being  his 
hist,  but  also,  when  he  went  away  from  the  colledge,  they  put  on  the  tokens 
o^  mourning  in  their  very  garments  for  it.  But  by  this  his  living  at  Cam- 
bridge, under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Shepard,  he  had  the  advantage  to  con- 
form himself,  in  his  younger  years,  more  than  a  little,  unto  the  sjnrit  and 
preaching  of  that  renowned  man ;  (of  whose  life  he  afterwards  published 
certain  memoirs  unto  the  world,)  of  which  thing  the  famous  Mr.  Cotton, 
speaking  to  this  our  young  Mather,  did  congratulate  his  happiness  there- 
in; adding,  that  in  like  manner  one  great  reason  why  there  came  so  many 
excellent  preachers  out  of  Cambridge,  in  England,  more  than  out  of  Oxford, 
in  some  former  days,  was  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Perkins  in  that  university. 
Our  Mather  being  not  only  by  notable  parts,  both  natural  and  acquired, 
and  by  an  eminently  gracious  disposition  of  soul,  but  also  by  a  certain 
florid  and  sparkling  liveliness  of  expression,  admirably  fitted  for  the  service 
of  the  gospel,  several  congregations  in  this  wilderness  applied  themselves 
unto  him  for  the  enjoyment  of  his  labours  among  them.  In  answer  to 
their  applications,  he  spent  some  time  with  the  church  of  Rowly,  as  an 
assistant  unto  old  Mr.  Ezekiel  Rogers;  where  the  zeal  of  the  people  to 
have  him  settled,  was  the  cause  of  his  not  settling  there  at  all ;  but  when 
the  temptations  arising  from  the  zeal  of  the  people  caused  him  to  choose  a 
removal  from  thence,  it  went  so  near  unto  the  hearts  of  some  good  men 
there,  that  it  contributed,  as  'twas  thought,  even  unto  shortning  of  their 
days  in  the  world.  Here,  although  in  his  rich  furniture  of  learning  from 
the  schools,  the  lamps  were  lighted,  before  he  did  venture  to  bring  his 

*  That  vital  power  of  his  cannot  be  lasting,  because  It  reached  maturity  too  soon, 
f  A  precociout  genius  honlly  ever  arrives  lit  a  ft-uitrul  maturity  of  talent. 
t  No  ft-uit  is  at  the  some  time  premature  and  lusting. 


t' 


l'^ 


i 


42 


MAQNALIA    CIIR18TI    AMKKICANA; 


inMiisc  unto  tho  altar,  yet  his  great  learning  did  not  make  his  preaching 
BO  ()\)scare  as  to  j.'ive  the  plain  country-people  occasion  for  the  complaint 
which  they  sometimes  made  of  another:  "This  man  may  be  a  great  scho- 
lar, but  ho  wants  beetle  and  wedges  to  hew  our  knotty  timber  withal." 
Afterwards,  n  church  I  sing  to  be  gathered  in  the  nortli  part  of  Boston,  they 
had  their  eyes  upon  him  to  be  their  pastor,  and  accordingly  he  entertained 
ft  viist  auditory  of  Christians  with  so  incomparable  a  sermon  upon  the  day 
when  that  people  publickly  embodied  themselves  into  their  ecclesiastical 
state,  that  old  Mr.  Cotton,  with  whom  he  then  sojourned,  said  upon  it, 
"Such  a  sermon  from  so  young  a  man  as  tliis,  is  a  matter  of  much  more  satis- 
fiiction  than  sucli  an  one  from  one  of  us  elder  men ;  for  this  young  man  is, 
SPKH  GUEGis."*     And  with  this  people  he  continued  the  winter  following; 
among  whom  he  was  long  after  succeeded  by  one  of  his  worthy  brethren. 
§  5.  Having  in  him  the  true  spirit  of  a  witness  for  our  Ijord  Jesus  Christ, 
he  did,  even  vviiile  he  was  a  young  man,  in  this  country  set  himself,  with  a 
prudent,  but  yet  fervent  zeal,  upon  all  occasions  to  bear  a  just  witness 
against  every  thing  which  he  judged  contrary  unto  the  interests  of  holi- 
ness.    But  there  was  hardly  any  one  thing  against  which  he  used  more 
of  thunderbolt,  than  that  "  unholy  spirit  of  Antinomianism :"  wherewith 
many  people  in  those  days  were  led  aside.     It  was  with  «  particular  arjony 
of  dissatisfaction, 'that  he  would  still  8{)eak  of  those  "  ungodly  men,  who 
turned  the  grace  of  God  into  wantonness."     lie  would  speak  of  them  in 
such  words  as  these  [reader,  they  are  of  his  own  words,  in  a  sermon  upon 
"hardness  of  heart:"]  "The  same  word  is  used  for  hlindnesH  and  hardness 
(Eph.  iv.  18,  and  Rom.  xi.  7,  8),  when  Ahashuerus  was  offended  with 
llaman,  his  flice  was  covered;  and  amongst  us  when  the  cloath  is  pulled 
over  the  face,  at  an  execution,  the  wretch  is  presently  to  be  turn'd  off. 
Thus,  when  the  eyes  of  the  soul  are  covered,  and  the  'God  of  this  world 
blinds  them,'  and  they  are  'given  over  to  believe  a  lye,'  this  is  the  begin- 
ning of  their  utter  hardness,  and  eternal  perdition.     There  arc  now  many 
principles  of  darkness,  whereby  men's  hearts  are  hardened  in  sin ;  whereof 
one  is,  'the  obligation  of  the  moral  law,  as  a  rule  of  life  unto  a  Christian:' 
a  conceit  that  came  out  of  hell,  and  is  directly  against  the  clearest  light  of 
Scri[)ture — Mat.  v.  17,  18,  19;  and  blasphemously  injurious  to  the  blood 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  who  dyed  for  this  end,  to  make  his  people 
'zealous  of  good  works,'  and  therefore  it  makes  him  to  dye  in  vain.     This 
principle  works  extream  hardness  of  heart;  for  when  a  man  hath  drunk 
in  this  poison,  he  may  sin  without  soitow — yea,  and  without  any  check  of 
conscience  for  it.     If  ho  be  not  bound  to  keep  to  the  rule,  why  should  he 
be  troubled  for  breaking  o{  it?   What  are  such  errors  but  as  Calvin  speaks, 
exundantis  in  iminduin  furor  is  Deijlarjella — 'the  scourges  of  the  overflowing 
fury  of  an  angry  God  against  this  wicked  world?'   Hence,  also,  there  comes 
to  be  such  extreme  blindness  and  blockishness,  and  blackness  of  hell,  upon 

*  The  hnp«  of  the  flock. 


Olt,    TIIK    HISTORY    OF    NEW-KNOLAND. 


48 


aching 

npluint 

it  scho- 

vithal." 

»n,  tliey 

irtained 

the  day        i 

siastical        f 

upon  it, 

)re  satis- 

;  man  is, 

llowing; 

)rethren. 

IS  Clirist, 

If,  with  a 

t  witness 

i  of  holi- 

sed  more 

herewith 

liar  cufony 

men,  who 

f  theui  in 

[non  upon 
hardness 

ded  with 

is  pulled 

urn'd  off. 

lis  world 

le  begin- 

low  many 
whereof 
iristian :' 
st  light  of 
the  blood 
lis  people 
lin.    This 
ath  drunk 
y check  of 
should  he 
in  speaks, 
verflowing 
lere  comes 
hell,  upon 


the  spirits  of  some,  as  to  deny  the  necessity  of  a  hrohnn  heart.,  and  sorrow 
for  sin,  in  these  times.  Ministers  must  preach  old  errors,  and  call  tlien»  by 
the  name  of  7ww  li;/hts.  "Why,  because  they  are  ffospd  timn,  as  if  it  were 
the  work  of  the  gospel  to  harden  mens  hearts,  and  make  them  stotikg 
or  stones,  or  like  the  stu  -dy  oaks  of  Bashan,  before  the  words  o{  the 
God  of  Israel." 

Nor  could  he  with  easier  terms,  at  any  time,  speak  of  the  licentious  dis- 
position, engendered  by  the  Antinomianism  broached  and  rampant,  at  that 
time,  among  many  professors  of  Christianity. 

§  rt.  But  he  that  "holds  the  stars  in  his  right  hand,"  intending  that  a 
star  of  this  magnitude,  should  move  in  an  orb,  where  his  influences  uiight 
bo  inorc  extended  than  they  could  have  been  by  any  opportunities  to  bo 
enjoyed  and  improved  in  an  American  wilderness,  he  inspired  our  Mather 
with  a  strong  desire  to  pass  over  into  England,  and  by  the  wisdom  of 
Heaven  there  fell  out  several  temptations  in  this  wilderness,  which  occa- 
sioned him  to  be  yet  more  desirous  of  such  a  removal.  To  England  then 
he  went,  in  the  year  1650,  where  the  right  honourable  Thomas  Andrews, 
J  isq.,  then  lord  mayor  of  the  city  of  London,  quickly  took  such  notice  of 
his  abilities,  as  to  make  choice  of  him  for  his  chaplain ;  and  by  the  advan- 
tage of  the  post,  where  he  was  now  placed  in  that  chaplainship,  he  came 
into  an  acquaintance  with  the  most  eminent  ministers  in  the  kingdom; 
who  much  honoured  and  valued  him,  and,  though  of  difl'erent  pcrswasions, 
loved,  Christum  habitantem  in  Mathero*  Here  his  inclination  to  do  good, 
produced  good  and  great  effects;  but  yet  one  that  had  like  to  I lave  proved 
Ijital  unto  himself:  for  being  a  man  of  excellent  accomplishments,  he  waa 
courted  so  often  to  preach  in  the  biggest  assemblies,  tha*,  by  overdoin*' 
therein,  he  had  like  to  have  undone  his  friends,  and  lost  his  life.  The 
famous  Mr.  Sydrach  Sympson,  observing  this  inconvenience,  did  with  a 
brotherly — yea,  with  a  fatherly  care,  obtain  of  him  a  promise,  that  he 
would  not  preach  abroad  ai  all,  except  when  ho  should  give  his  consent; 
and  accordingly,  when  any  public  sermons  were  asked  of  him,  he  would 
refer  those  that  asked  unto  Mr.  Sympson,  who,  with  a  wise  and  kind  con- 
sideration of  this  his  friend's  health,  would  give  his  consent  but  when  it 
should  be  convenient. 

§  7.  Mr.  Mather  was  after  this  invited  unto  a  settlement  in  several  places; 
and  in  answer  to  those  invitations,  he  did  preach  for  a  while  at  Graves- 
End,  and  after  that  at  the  cathedral  in  the  city  of  Exeter.  But  having 
from  his  childhood  a  natural  and  vehement  affection  to  a  college-life,  he 
retired  unto  Oxford,  where  he  became  a  chaplain  in  Magdalen-Collego; 
and  he  had  therewithal  an  opportunity,  sometimes  at  St.  Maries,  to  preach 
the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which,  for  the  sake  of  the  Lord 
Redeemer,  whom  he  loved  always  to  preach,  he  gladly  took.  And  having 
before  this,  proceeded  master  of  arts  in  the  only  Protestant  college  of 

*  Christ  dwelling  In  Mathur. 


!|! 


41 


MAGNALIA    CIIK18TI    AMEKIOANA; 


America,  he  wns  now  admitted  ad  eundem*  not  only  in  the  renowned 
university  of  Oxford,  but  in  that  of  Cambridge  also.  But  having  been 
some  time  resident  in  Oxford,  the  English  commissioners,  then  going  into 
Scotland,  were  willing  to  carry  with  them  some  English  ministers,  whose 
eminent  learning,  wisdom,  goodness  and  reputation,  might  be  serviceable 
unto  the  interests  of  truth  and  peace  in  that  nation.  Accordingly,  Mr. 
Mather,  was  one  of  the  persons  chosen  for  that  service;  and  there  he 
continued  at  Leigh,  preaching  the  gospel  of  God  our  Saviour,  for  two 
years  together. 

§  3.  In  the  year  1655,  he  returned  into  England;  and  the  Lord  Henry 
Cromwel,  then  going  over  lord-deputy  for  Ireland,  there  were  several  min- 
isters of  great  note  pitched  upon  to  go  over  with  him,  for  the  service  of 
the  Christian  religion  there,  whereof  was  Dr.  Harrison,  Dr.  Winter,  Mr. 
Charnoek  and  our  Mr.  Mather.  When  Mr.  Mather  came  to  Dublin,  he  was 
made  a  senior  fellow  of  Trinity -Colledge ;  and  from  that  university  he  had 
the  offer  of  a  baccalaureatus  in  theologi%'f  but  he  modestly  declined  it,  and 
seemed  inclinable  to  the  Jewish  rule,  about  the  rabbinate,  "love  the  work, 
but  hate  the  rabbinship,"  yet  he  that  had  already  proceeded  Master  of 
Arts  in  so  many  universities,  did  here  again  proceed  ad  eundem.ijf.  Of 
any  further  degrees  our  Mather  was  ready  to  say,  with  the  great  Melanc- 
thon,  who  would  not  accept  an  higher  title  than  that  of  Master:  Vides 
meum  expmplum;  nemo  me  perpellere  potuit,  ut  ilium  quamlibet  honorijicum 
tilulum  doctoris  mihi  decerni  sinerem.  Nee  ego  gradus  illos  parvifacio^  sed 
ideu,  quid  judico  esse  magna  onera,  et  necessaria  reipuhlicoi  verecunde  petendqs 
esse,  et  conferendos  sentio.%  But  now,  in  preaching  to  that  renowned  city, 
and  in  the  pastoral  charge  of  the  church  there,  he  was  joined  as  a  col- 
league with  Dr.  Winter;  and  here  preached  every  Lord's-day  morning  at 
St.  Nichol's  church;  besides  his  turn,  which  he  took  once  in  six  weeks, 
to  preach  before  the  lord-deputy  and  council.  A  preacher  he  now  was 
of  extraordinary  esteem  and  success;  and  as  the  whole  kingdom  took 
notice  of  him,  so  he  did  service  for  the  whole  kingdom,  in  the  eminent 
station  where  God  had  placed  him.  The  more  special  excellencies  for 
which  his  ministry  was  here  observed,  were — first,  a  most  evangelical  en- 
deavour to  make  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  the  scope  and  sum  of  all  that  he 
said.  Secondly,  a  most  angelical  majesty,  wherewith  his  messages  were 
still  uttered,  as  coming  from  the  throne  of  God;  and  thirdly,  such  a  clear- 
ness of  reason  and  method,  that  it  was  commonly  remark'd  Mr.  Charnock's 
invention,  Dr.  Harrison's  expression,  and  Mr.  Mather's  logick,  meeting 
together,  would  have  made  the  per/ectest  preacher  in  the  world.  And  if 
the  sloathful  man  in  Prov.  xix.  24,  who  "will  not  so  much  as  bring  his 
hand  unto  his  mouth,"  were  by  the  ancients  understood  concerning  the 

*  Tu  (he  tame  degree.  f  Bachelor's  degree  in  theology.  t  To  the  rame  degree. 

(  Yon  see  what  example*  I  have  set:  nuthing  hitherto  could  imluco  me  to  accept  of  the  honourable  title  of 
"  Doct4)r :"  not  ihiit  I  hold  such  honours  in  light  usteein,  but  boiwuae  1  cousidur  Ihvm  great  burdeni,  and  to  be  aspired 
to  and  conferred  only  us  nucuuary  to  the  Slate. 


<!«>; 


'M 


OR,    THE    inSTOUY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


45 


3nowned 
ing  been 
3ing  into 
rs,  whose 
rviceable 
ngly,  Mr. 
there  he 
,  for  two 

>rd  Henry 
veral  min- 
service  of 
''inter,  Mr. 
lin,  he  was 
3ity  he  had 
ned  it,  and 
e  the  work, 
Master  of 

idem.X    Ot' 
eat  Melanc- 
xster:   Vid^s 
honorijicum. 
irvifacio^  sed 
nde  petendQS 
owned  city, 
ed  as  a  col- 
morning  at 
1  six  weeks, 
he  now  was 
ngdom  took 
the  eminent 
ellencies  for 
angelical  en- 
all  that  he 
jssages  were 
such  a  clear- 
Charnock's 
ick,  meeting 
•Id.    And  if 
as  bring  his 
ncerning  the 

he  same  dcRree. 
honourable  litle  of 
I,  ondtobe8»pir<"l 


unholy  minister,  who  will  not  bring  voci  succ  vitaui  suam;*  our  Mr.  Mjither 
was  no  sloathful  preacher;  for  besides  his  being  a  preacher  who,  as  Mel- 
chior  Adam  describes  Jacobus  Andreae,  si  quando  opus  erat,  mera  sonahaf. 
tonitrm,\  he  was  also  a  preacher  •  ry  eminent  for  holiness,  and  he  taught 
the  people  at  other  times  besides  when  he  "ope  led  his  mouth." 

§  9.  A  certain  writer  who  does  continually  serve  the  "Romanizing 
faction  in  the  church  of  England"  with  all  manner  of  malice  and  slander 
against  the  best  men  in  the  world,  that  were  in  any  measure  free  from  the 
spirit  of  that  faction,  yet  mentioning  our  Samuel  Mather,  in  his  ^'Athena: 
Oxonicnses,^^  gives  this  account  of  him:  "Tho'  he  was  a  Congregational 
man,  and  in  his  principles  an  high  non-conformist,  yet  he  was  observed 
by  some  to  be  civil  to  those  of  the  episcopal  perswasion,  when  it  was  in 
his  power  to  do  them  a  displeasure.  And  when  the  lord-deputy  gave  a 
commission  to  him  and  others,  in  order  unto  the  displacing  of  episcopal 
ministers  in  the  province  of  Munster,  he  declined  it;  as  he  did  afterward.^ 
to  do  the  like  matter  in  Dublin;  alledging,  that  he  was  called  into  that 
country  'to  preach  the  gospel,  and  not  to  hinder  others  from  doing  it.'  He 
was  a  religious  man  in  the  way  he  profest,  [this  author  confesses]  and  was 
valued  by  some  who  differed  from  him  as  to  opinion  in  lesser  and  circum- 
stantial points  of  religion."  Thus  one  of  themselves,  even  a  bigot  of  their 
own,  has  reported,  and  his  report  is  true !  For  whic'.i  cause,  when  the  storm 
of  persecution  fell  upon  the  non-conformists  in  Ireland,  Mr.  Mather,  in  his 
address  to  the  lord-chancellor  for  h:s  liberty,  used  these,  among  many 
other  passages:  "I  can  truly  say,  I  desire  no  more,  not  so  much  favour 
for  myself  now,  as  I  have  showed  unto  others  formerly,  when  they  stood 
in  need  of  it.  But  I  will  not  say  how  much  cause  I  have  to  resent  it,  and 
to  take  it  a  little  unkindly,  that  I  have  met  with  so  much  molestation  from 
those  of  that  judgment,  whom  I  have  not  provoked  unto  it,  by  my  exam- 
ple, but  rather  have  obliged  by  sparing  their  consciences,  to  another  manner 
of  deportment.  For,  indeed,  I  have  always  thought  that  it  is  an  irksome 
work  to  punish  or  trouble  any  man,  so  it  is  an  evil  and  sinful  work,  to 
trouble  any  good  man  with  temporal  coercions  for  such  errors  in  religion 
as  are  consistent  with  the  foundation  of  faith  and  holiness.  It  is  no  good 
spirit,  in  any  form,  to  fight  with  carnal  weapons;  I  mean,  by  external 
violence,  to  impose  and  propagate  itself,  and  seek  by  such  means  the  sup- 
pressing of  contrary  ways,  which  by  argument  it  is  not  able  to  subdue." — 
But  let  the  merits  of  Mr,  Mather  have  bin  what  they  will,  he  could  not 
avoid  the  hardships,  which  the  historian  proceeds  to  relate  in  these  terms: 
"After  his  majesty's  restauration,  he  was  suspended  f':om  i^reaching,  'till 
his  majesty's  pleasure  should  be  known,  for  two  sermons,  which  were 
judged  seditious."  Thus  writes  the  veriest  Zosinius  that  ever  set  pen  to 
paper;  even  that  Zosimus  the  younger,  who  cannot  mention  any  well- 
wisher  to  the  ref'crmation  of  the  church  of  England,  without  giving  one 

*  II!8  Uru  iuto  confurmity  with  hU  iircachiiig,  f  Uttered  thundor,  when  (expediency  required  IL 


'J 


i-"1S 


:i  ■■J 


46 


MAGNALIA    OIIRISTI    AMKIUCANA; 


occasion  to  think  on  Dr.  Howel's  observation  upon  the  old  Zosimus:  "We 
know  it  to  be  the  practice,  in  all  reformations,  of  those  who  are  addicted 
unto  the  old  way,  to  render  infamous  such  as  have  bin  instruments  in 
the  alteration;  and,  by  a  prejudice  against  the  persons,  most  ridiculously 
to  insinuate  an  ill  opinion  of  the  thing  or  cause  itself." 

§  10.  One  principal  character  upon  the  spirit  of  Mr.  Mather,  and  one 
remarkable  in  the  studies  and  sufferings  of  his  /^,  will  be  given  to  my 
reader,  in  an  account  of  the  two  sermons  which  were  the  pretended  occa- 
sions of  his  being  silenced.  Know,  then,  that  the  Episcopal  party  in 
Ireland,  immediately  upon  the  king's  restauration,  hastning  to  restore 
their  spiritual  courts,  and  summon  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  to  appear 
before  them,  and  submit  unto  those  unscriptural  impositions,  which  many 
years  had  bin  laid  aside  ratione  belli  (as  they  expressed  it)  rabieque  hceretico- 
rum  et  schismaticorum*  and  answer  for  the  breach  of  canons,  which  (as  the 
others  answered)  "We  bless  God,  we  have  never  kept,  to  his  praise  we 
speak  it,  and  we  hope,  through  his  grace,  we  never  shall:"  it  was  thought 
necessary  on  this  occasion  that  a  publick  testimony  should  be  born  agains^t 
the  revival  of  those  dead  superstitions.  Accordingly  Mr.  Mather,  being 
the  fittest  person  on  many  accounts  to  be  put  upon  that  service,  he  did,  in 
the  capital  city  of  the  kingdom,  in  a  great  auditory,  preach  two  sermons 
upon  K.  llezekiah's  breaking  in  pieces  the  brazen  serpent,  and  calling  it 
Nehaustan,  and  thence  advance  this  assertion,  "That  it  is  a  thing  very 
pleasing  in  the  sight  of  God,  when  the  sin  of  idolatry,  and  all  the  monu- 
ments, all  the  remembrances  and  remainders  of  it  are  quite  destroyed  and 
rooted  out  from  among  his  people:"  wherein  his  note  upon  the  text  was 
indeed  but  the  very  same  with  what  his  adversaries,  who  are  usually  great 
admirers  of  every  thing  said  by  Grotius,  might  have  read  in  the  comment- 
ary of  that  admirably  learned  (though  frequently  Socinianizing,  and  at 
last  Eomanizing)  interpreter,  upon  the  very  same  text;  Egregium  documen- 
turn  regibus^  ut  quamvis  bene  instiluta,  scd  no7i  nccessaria,  ubi  iirl  75  iroXu, 
male  iisurpantiir,  e  conspcdu  tollant,  ne  ponant  offendicidum  ccem.f  In  the 
prosecution  of  this  assertion,  he  offered  many  arguments,  why  the  cere- 
monies of  the  Church  of  England,  which  were  but  the  old  leaven  of  human 
inventions  and  popish  corruptions  remaining  in  the  worship  of  a  church, 
whose  doctrine  he  yet  approv'd,  as  generally  owned  by  good  men,  should 
not  be  reassumed,  and  by  the  old  cruel  methods  of  pcenal  laws,  rein- 
forced. Against  the  ceremonies  in  general,  he  argued,  that  the  preface  to 
the  common-prayer-book,  expressly  declared  them  to  be  mystical  and 
significant,  and  so  they  differed  nothing  from  sacraments,  but  that  they 
wanted  a  divine  institution;  and,  said  he,  "The  promoters  of  them  do 
pretend  only  the  authority  of  the  church ;  but  if  the  second  commandment 

*  On  nccoiiiit  of  the  existing     >r  aiid  tho  rog(>  of  heretics  nnii  schismntics. 

t  A  most  excelent  ' ...        MVoritiKns,  t(i  roniuve  nil  uiinoccfisnry  impositions,  however  well  conlriTed  Ihoy 
may  1)«>|  wul  uvuld  placiug  the  ieiut  atuiubliiiQ-block  III  tho  wny  of  the  blliKl  mid  uniutulligeiit  ainong  tbeir'subje(:t:<. 


was  g 
fortn  ( 
ment.' 
pagan 
the  gi 
things 
the  su 
wherei 
garmei 
are  by 
niation 
added, 
undistr 
of  1571 
supersti 
argued 
said  agi 
which  ii 
of  old: 
liord,  as 
scratch  j 
who  WO] 
the  secoi 
service  ^ 
the  brot 
at  the 
in  it  non 
more  do 
apostles 
countena 
god,  and 
they  did 
it  was  a 
1549,  "i^ 
as  every 
grade  in 
"bowino- 
the  com  11 
where,  ai 
the  Lord 
Lord's  St 
not  be  las 
be  "comj 
with  steps 


OB,    THE    UI8T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


47 


was  given  to  the  church,  'Thou  shalt  not  make  any  graven  imago,  or 
form  of  worship  to  thyself;'  they  are  a  manifest  breach  of  that  cominand- 
ment."  He  added,  that,  as  they  were  the  monuments  of  the  old  papal  and 
pagan  idolatry,  and  men  did  therein,  but  symJmlize  with  idolaters,  thus,  by 
the  greater  weight  almost  perpetually  laid  upon  them,  than  upon  greater 
things,  they  were  still  made  further  idols.  Particularly,  he  argued  against 
the  surplice,  "That  it  was  a  continuation  of  the  superstitious  garments, 
wherein  the  false  worshippers  did  use  to  officiate;  That  the  Aarouical 
garments  being  typical  of  the  graces  attending  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they 
are  by  his  coming  antiquated ;  That  the  Scriptures  give  not  the  least  inti- 
mation of  any  garments,  whereby  ministers  are  to  be  distinguished."  Ho 
added,  "  That  among  the  first  reformers,  the  most  eminent  were  in  their 
undistressed  judgments,  against  the  vestment;  and  that  when  the  canons 
of  1571  forbad  the  'gray  amice,  or  any  other  garment  defiled  with  the  like 
superstition,'  the  eequity  of  that  canon  would  exclude  tJiis  also."  lie 
argued  against  the  sign  of  the  cross  in  haptism,  that  whatever  was  to  be 
said  against  oyl,  cream,  salt,  spittle,  therein  is  to  be  said  against  the  cross, 
which  indeed  never  had  bin  used,  in  the  worship  of  God,  as  oyl  had  been 
of  old:  that  there  is  as  much  cause  to  worship  the  spear  that  pierced  our 
Lord,  as  the  cross  which  hanged  him,  or  that  it  were  as  reasonable,  to 
scratch  a  cl  .'Id's  forehead  with  a  thorn,  to  shew  that  it  must  suffer  for  him 
who  wore  a  crown  of  thorns:  that  the  cross  thus  employed  is  a  breach  of 
the  second  commandment  in  the  very  letter  of  it,  being  an  image  in  the 
service  of  God  of  man^s  devising,  and  fetch'd,  as  Mr.  Parker  says,  "from 
the  brothel-bouse  of  God's  greatest  enemy."  He  argued  against  kneeling 
at  the  Lord's-Supper,  that  it  is  contrary  to  the  first  institution,  which  had 
in  it  none  but  a  table-gesture:  that  it  is  a  gross  hypocrisie  to  pretend  unto 
more  devotion,  holiness,  and  reverence,  in  the  act  of  receiving,  than  the 
apostles  did,  when  our  Lord  was  there  bodily  present  with  them;  that  it 
countenanced  the  error  of  the  papists,  who  kneel  before  their  breadon 
god,  and  profess,  that  "  they  would  be  sooner  torn  in  pieces  than  do  it,  if 
they  did  not  believe  that  Christ  is  there  bodily  present:"  and  that,  since 
it  was  a  rule  in  the  common -prayer-book,  set  forth  in  K.  Edward's  time, 
1549,  "  As  touching  kneeling  and  other  gestures,  they  may  be  used  or  lel^ 
as  every  man's  devotion  serveth,"  it  was  a  shameful  thing  to  be  so  retro- 
grade in  religion,  as  now  to  establish  that  gesture.  He  argued  'igainst 
"bowing  at  the  altar,  anrl  setting  the  coramunion-table  altarwise,"  that 
the  cominiinion-table  is  in  the  sacred  oracles  called  a  table  still,  and,  no 
where,  an  altar;  and  ii'  it  were  an  altar,  it  would  imply  a  sacrifice,  which 
the  Lord's  Supper  is  not:  yea,  it  would  be  greater  and  better  than  the 
Lord's  Supper  itself,  and  sanctifio  it;  that  if  it  were  an  altar,  yet  it  should 
not  be  fasteu'd  unto  the  wall,  dresser  fashion ;  but  so  stand,  as  that  it  might 
be  "compassed  about;"  that  the  placing  of  it  at  the  east-end o£  the  church, 
with  steps  going  up  to  it,  and  especially  the  setting  of  images,  or  other 


i 


48 


MAGNALIA    CnRI8TI    AMElilCANA; 


massing  appurtenances  over  it,  smells  rank  of  paganism:  and  that, 
whereas,  in  the  very  beginning  of  the  reformation,  this  abuse  was  oni'  of 
the  lirst  things  put  down,  it  were  a  most  Uomish  vergeiicy  now  to  conjure 
it  up  again.  He  argued  against  "bowing  at  the  name  of  Jesus,"  that  llie 
phrase  of  bowing  iv  7w  ovo.aa7i*  in  the  text,  wrested  unto  his  purpose,  is  but 
very  untowardly  translated,  "at  the  name  of  Jesus,"  instead  of  "in  the 
name;"  and  it  were  as  proper  to  speak  of  "baptizing  at  the  name  of  the 
Father,  Sou  and  Holy  Spirit,"  and  of  "believing  at  God  the  bather,  and 
at  Jesus  Christ  his  Son  our  Lord,  and  at  the  Holy  Ghost."  That  by  the 
"name  of  Jesus,"  is  not  meant  the  sound  of  the  syllables  in  the  ivord  Jksus, 
but  the  power,  majesty,  dominion  and  authority  of  the  person  of  the  Itord 
Jesus;  and  it  is  a  piece  of  cabal istical  magic,  to  make  an  incurvation  at  the 
sound  of  this  name,  without  paying  the  like  respect  unto  other  names  of 
the  blessed  God,  or  particularly  the  name  Cubist,  which  is  more  distin- 
guishing for  our  Lord,  than  that  of  Jesus;  or  why  not  at  the  sight  as  well 
as  the  soundf  That  the  apostle  speaks  of  such  a  name,  to  be  acknowledged 
with  bowing,  as  was  given  to  our  Lord  after  his  resurrection,  and  as  the 
effect  and  reward  of  his  humiliation,  which  the  name  Jesus  was  not;  it  ia 
the  name  of  Christ  exalted,  or  Christ  the  Lord;  and  by  "bowing  the 
knee,"  is  meant  the  universal  subjection  of  all  creatures  unto  his  Lordship, 
especially  at  the  day  of  judgment.  He  argued  against  the  stated  holydays, 
that  being  feasts  which  the  Jeroboam  of  Rome  had  devised  of  his  own 
heart,  yea,  some  of  them,  especially  the  December-festival,  an  imitation  of 
an  heathenish  original,  if  the  apostle  forbad  the  observation  of  the  Jewisli 
festivals,  because  they  were  a  "shadow  of  good  things  to  come,"  it  could 
not  but  be  amiss  in  us,  to  observe  the  popish  ones,  which.were  ethnic  also; 
that  it  was  a  deep  reflection  upon  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
our  lawgiver,  the  Lord  of  time,  and  of  the  sabbath,  to  add  unto  his  appoint- 
ments, and  it  is  an  infringement  of  our  Christian  liberty ;  that  an  occasional 
designation  of  time  for  lectures,  for  fostings,  for  thanksgivings,  which  are 
duties  required  by  God,  is  vastly  different  from  the  stating  of  times  for 
holy,  so  that  the  duties  are  then  to  be  done  for  the  sake  of  the  times.  He 
added,  the  wish  of  Lother,  then  sevenscore  years  ago,  in  his  book,  "J9e 
Bonis  Operibus ;f^  that  there  were  no  other  festival  days  among  Ciiristians, 
but  only  the  Lord's-day :"  and  the  speech  of  K.  James  to  a  national  assem- 
bly in  Scotland,  wherein,  "he  praised  God  that  he  was  king  in  the 
sincercst  church  in  the  world;  sincercr  than  the  Church  of  England,  for 
their  service  was  an  ill-said  mass  in  English;  sincercr  than  Geneva  itself, 
for  they  observed  Pasche  and  YooU — that  is  Easter  and  Christinas — and 
(said  the  king)  what  warrant  have  they  for  that?"  Against  "holiness  of 
places,"  he  argued,  that  they  were  the  standing  symbols  of  God's  presence, 
which  made  stated  holy  places  under  the  law,  and  those  places  were  holy 
because  of  their  typical  relation  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  there  was  a 

*  !n  the  name.  f  On  Goud  Workr. 


I 


•:t 


ftiPth 
and  t 

the  p( 
places 
respec 
are  iid 
of  the 
in  i)lac 
the  go 
.  were  j 
availjn 
prince 
added, 
catcchrt 
abuses  t 
as  tlioy 
polluted, 
and  cat] 
music  u 
of  their 
temple-v 
the  iusti 
good  thii 
Aquinas 
instrume 
durus  c't  t 
erally  int 
the  book 
hy  aod\ 
thereof^  a 
is  there  a 
of  it,  nor  j 
liturgies  u 
edged, 
than  the  o 
few  things 
heard  the 
ported,  th 
authority, 
curari/as  e 
harlots,"  Je 
of  our  wor; 

*  necaiiso  If 
t  Lest  it  shot 
I  Timt  it  milt 


it 


OK,    THE    III8TUKY    OF    NEW-KNULAND. 


49 


1 


le  was  u 


further  institution  of  Goil,  which  did  mftko  them  to  ho  parts  of  his  worship, 
and  ways  and  vminn  of  nicn'H  oonununion  with  himself,  and  to  sanctifle 
the  persons  and  actions  approaching  to  them;  which  cannot  bo  said  of  any 
places  under  the  New-Testament,  God  has  declared  himself  to  bo,  both  no 
respecter  of  pensotis,  and  no  respecter  of  places;  and  our  meeting-places 
are  no  more  sacred  than  the  ancient  synagogues:  that  some  excellent  men 
of  the  episcopal  way  itself,  have  been  above  the  conceit  of  "any  difference 
in  places;"  Dr.  Usher  more  particularly,  who  says,  "in  times  of  persecution, 
tiie  godly  did  often  meet  in  barns,  and  such  obscure  places,  which  indeed 
.were  public,  because  of  the  church  of  God  there;  the  house  or  place 
availing  nothing  to  nmko  it  public  or  private;  even,  as  wheresoever  the 
priiico  is,  there  is  the  court,  although  it  were  in  a  poor  cottage."  He 
added,  that  yet  the  churches  (as  they  were  nietonymically,  and  almost 
catcchresticuUy  called)  in  the  Knglish  nation,  were  not  for  the  sake  of  old 
abiisus  to  bo  demolished,  as  were  the  temples  of  the  Canaanites,  inasmuch 
as  they  were  built  for  the  worship  of  God;  and  those  places  are  no  longer 
polluted,  when  thoy  are  no  longer  so  abused,  lie  argued  against  organs 
and  cathedral  music,  that  there  was  a  warrant  of  Heaven  for  instrumental 
music  in  the  service  of  God  under  the  law,  when  also  this  was  not  a  part 
of  their  synagogue-worship,  which  was  moral,  but  of  their  ceremonial 
temple-worship,  whereas  there  is  no  such  warrant  under  the  gospel:  that 
the  instrumental  music  under  the  law,  was  intended  for  a  "shadow  of 
good  things  to  come,"  which  being  now  come,  it  was  abolished;  that  even 
Aquinas  himself,  as  late  as  four  hundred  years  ago,  pleaded  against  this 
instrumental  music,  as  being  used  among  the  Jews,  quia  populus  erat  inagis 
durus  et  carnalis:*  the  Church  of  Rome  itself,  it  seems,  had  not  then  gen- 
erally introduced  it,  as  ho  says,  »««•  videatur  judahare.f  Finally,  against 
the  book  of  common-prayer,  ho  argued,  that  it  is  a  setting  of  men's  posts 
by  God's,  to  introduce  into  the  public  worship  of  God,  as  a  standing  part 
thereof,  and  impose  by  force,  another  book,  besides  the  books  of  God ;  nor 
is  there  my  ])rec('pt  or  promise  in  the  book  of  God,  for  the  encouragement 
of  it,  nor  any  example  that  any  ordinary  church-officers  imposed  any  stinted 
liturgies  upon  the  church:  that  K.  Edward  VI. in  his  declaration  acknowl- 
edged, "it  seemeth  unto  you  a  new  service,  but  indeed  is  no  other  but 
than  the  old,  the  self-samo  words  in  English  that  were  in  Latin,  saving  a 
few  things  taken  out,  which  were  so  fond,  that  it  had  bin  a  shame  to  have 
heard  them  in  English :"  yea,  some  of  the  bishops  themselves  have  re- 
ported, that  Pope  Paul  IV.  did  offer  Q.  Elizabeth  to  ratifio  it  by  his 
authority,  ut  sacra  hic  omnia,  hoc  i2)so,  quo  nunc  mnt  apud  nos  modo,  pro- 
curarifas  esset:X  ""^^'>  inasmuch  as  the  Church  of  Rome  is  the  "mother  of 
harlots,"  let  any  Protestant  judge,  whether  it  be  fit  for  us  to  fetch  the  form 
of  our  worship  from  thenco,  and  indeed  a  great  part  of  the/onn  from  that 

•  necausti  they  were  n  more  ctilT-iiecked  an«l  carnnl-mlndvd  people, 

t  Lest  it  should  uppeur  to  bo  JiuluUIng, 

t  That  it  miKht  be  ciinoiilcal  to  follow  aU  Uio  ritual  obwrvancoi  in  the  exact  form  now  adopted  by  ua. 

Vol.  II.-4 


\i 


50 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


old  conjurer  Numa  Ponipilius:  that  for  ministers,  instead  of  using  their 
own  ministerial  gifts,  to  discharge  the  work  of  their  ministry,  by  the  pre- 
scriptions of  others,  is  as  bad  as  carrying  the  ark  upon  a  cart,  which  was 
to  have  bin  carried  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  Levites;  and  it  is  a  sin 
against  ths  spirit  of  prayer,  for  ministers  in  these  days  to  be  diverted  from 
ihe  primitive  way  of  praying,  which  was,  according  to  Tertullian's  account, 
sine  monitore,  quia  de  pcctore,*  in  opposition  to  the  proescri})!  forms  of 
prayer  amongst  the  pagans.  He  also  touched  upon  the  corruptions  in  the 
very  matter  of  the  common-prayer;  the  grievous  preference  therein  given 
unto  the  apocryjyhal  above  the  cnnonicai  writings ;  the  complementing  of 
the  Almighty  "to  give  us  those  things,  which  for  our  unworthiness  we 
dare  not  presume  to  ask ;"  the  nonsense  of  calling  the  lessons  out  of  the 
prophets,  epistks;  and  many  more  such  passages,  which  he  but  briefly 
touched,  though,  he  said,  "it  wouhl  fill  a  volume  to  reckon  them."  He 
concluded  these  discourses  with  an  admonition  to  the  bishops  and  episcopal 
party,  that  they  would  not  now  revive,  or,  at  least,  not  impose,  the  super- 
stitions of  the  former  times:  but  among  many  things  which  he  spake  in 
his  exhortation,  I  shall  only  transcribe  these  words:  "When  you  have 
stopt  our  mouths  from  preaching,  yet  we  shall  pray;  and  not  only  wc,  but 
all  the  souls  that  have  bin  converted,  or  comforted  and  edified  by  our 
ministry,  they  will  all  cry  to  the  Lord  against  you  for  want  of  bread, 
because  you  deprive  them  of  those  that  should  break  the  bread  of  life 
unto  them.  Now,  I  had  rather  be  environed  with  armies  of  armed  men, 
and  compassed  round  about  with  drawn  swords  and  instruments  of  death, 
than  that  the  least  praying  saint  should  bend  the  edge  of  his  prayers 
against  mc,  for  there  is  no  standing  bofi)rc  the  prayers  of  the  saints.  Yea, 
I  testifie  unto  you,  that  as  the  saints  will  pray,  so  the  Lord  himself  will 
Jight  against  you,  and  will  take  you  into  his  own  revenging  hand:  I 
speak  it  conditionally,  in  case  you  persecute,  and  I  wish  all  the  bishops  in 
Ireland  heard  me !  For  in  the  name,  and  in  the  love  of  Christ,  I  speak  it 
to  you,  and  I  beseech  you  so  to  take  it.  I  say,  if  once  you  fall  to  the  old 
trade  of  persecution,  the  Lord  Jesus  will  never  bear  it  at  your  hands,  but 
he  will  bring  upon  you  a  swift  destruction.  And  your  second  fidl  will  be 
worse  than  the  first:  for  Dagon,  the  first  time,  did  only  fall  before  the  ark 
of  God;  but  whoa  the  men  of  Ashdod  had  set  him  up  in  his  place  again 
the  second  time,  then  he  'brake  himself  to  pi^f^^s'  by  his  second  fall,  inso- 
much that  there  was  nothing  but  the  stump  of  Dagon  left.  Persecution 
is  a  very  ripening  sin ;  and  therefore  if  once  you  superadd  the  sin  of  per- 
secution, to  the  sin  of  superstition,  you  will  be  quickly  ripe  for  final  mine; 
and  in  the  day  when  God  shall  visit  you,  the  guilt  of  all  the  righteous 
blood  that  hath  bin  shed  upon  the  face  of  the  earth,  from  the  blood  of 
Abel  to  the  blood  of  Udal,  and  unto  this  day,  will  come  down  the  hill 
upon  your  heads,  even  upon  the  persecutors  of  this  generation.    The 

*  without  a  monitor,  because  rrom  the  heart. 


Lord 
'year 
all  th 
ways 
violen 
Mr. 
yet  le 
thougl 
word  1 
"sediti 
much  1 
all  the 
seditior 
ceremon 
his  owr 
say,  'I , 
if  this  1 
belongV 
hat  in  he 
nan  ulh. 
solem  fa 
Professio 
§11.  J 
had  bin  \ 
in  the  la 
tinued  a 
cash  ire,  \ 
at  the  b 
doubtless 
had  been 
of  the  re 
mother,  a 
both  side 
performar 
word  of  a 
"No,  by 
the  twenty 
which  was 
renowned 
wrath  and 
with  the  CO 

*  In  this  ma 
nor  any  power  ( 
lU  course  than  J 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


51 


^?l 


If  will 
md:   I 

1 

iop3  in 
peak  it 
the  old 
ds,  but 

J 

Lord  Jesus,  when  the  'day  of  vengeance  is  in  his  heart,'  and  when  the 
'year  of  his  redeemed  is  come,'  which  is  not  far  off,  he  will  then  require 
all  that  blood,  and  revenge  it  all  upon  your  heads,  if  you  justiEe  the 
ways  of  former  persecutors,  by  walking  in  the  same  steps  of  blood  and 
violence." 

Mr.  Mather  having  thus  faithfully  born  his  testimony,  his  persecutors 
yet  let  him  live  quietly  for  more  than  ?\VQ  months  after  it;  but  then  they 
thought  it  their  time  to  call  these  two  sermons  (though  there  were  not  one 
word  therein,  directly  or  indirectly  against  the  King  or  his  government) 
"seditious  preaching;"  and  thereupon  they  sikmed  him,  though  with  so 
much  noise,  that  both  English  and  French  Giizcts  took  notice  of  it:  but 
all  the  notice,  which  he  took  of  that  charge  himself,  was  to  say,  "If  it  bo 
sedition  to  disturb  the  Devil's  kingdom,  who  rules  by  his  Antichristian 
ceremonies,  in  the  kingdom  of  darkness,  as  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  doth  by 
his  own  ordinances,  in  his  Church,  which  is  the  Idm/dom  of  heaven,  I  may 
say,  'I  did  it  before  the  Lord,  who  hath  chosen  me  to  be  a  minister,  and 
if  this  be  to  be  vile,  I  will  yet  be  more  vile  than  thus.'  Indeed,  there 
belong'd  unto  him  the  character  once  given  of  Erasmus  Sarcerius:  "  Luce- 
bat  in  hoc  viro  commemorahlis  Qravitas  et  C^mstantia;  nonMinas,  non  Exilia, 
non  ullam  ullim  hominis  potentic/ntaut  vim  pertimescchat ;  pcene  dixeram, 
solem  facilim  de  Cursu  dimojeri  potuisse,  quam  Matherum  «  Veritatis 
Professione* 

§  11.  Mr.  Mather  being  so  silenced  by  those  "dwellers  on  the  earth,  who 
had  bin  thus  tormented"  by  him,  he  did,  with  the  consent  of  his  Church, 
in  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1660,  go  over  to  England;  where  he  con- 
tinued a  publick  preacher  in  great  reputation,  at  Burton- Wood,  in  Lan- 
cashire, until  the  general  dualh  upon  the  ministry  of  the  non-conformists, 
at  the  black  Bartholomew  day,  August  24,  1662 — the  act  of  which  day 
doubtless  made  the  Presbyterians  think  on  the  Bartholomew  day  whioh 
had  been  in  another  kingdom  ninety  years  before ;  after  which,  the  deputies 
of  the  reformed  religion  treated  with  the  French  King  and  the  Queen 
mother,  and  some  others  of  the  Council,  for  a  peace,  and  articles  were  on 
both  sides  agreed;  but  there  was  a  question  upon  the  security  for  the 
performance  of  those  articles;  whereupon  the  Queen  said,  "Is  not  the 
word  of  a  King  a  sufficient  security  ?"  but  one  of  the  deputies  answered, 
"No,  by  St.  Bartholomew,  madam,  it  is  notl"  Mr.  Mather  being  one  of 
the  twenty  hundred  ministers  expelled  from  all  public  places,  by  that  act 
which  was  compleated  by  the  "active  concurrence"  (as  that  excellent  and 
renowned  person,  Dr.  Bates,  has  truly  observed)  "of  the  old  clergy  from 
wrath  and  revenge,  and  the  young  gentry  from  their  servile  compliance 
with  the  court,  and  their  distast  of  serious  religion;"  his  Church  in  Dublin 

*  In  this  man  were  exiilbited  remnrkable  dignity  and  constancy.  He  feared  neither  threats,  nor  baniihroent, 
nor  any  power  of  man,  luir  uny  Torm  of  violence.  I  had  almoat  said,  that  it  would  be  easier  to  turn  the  sun  Oom 
ltd  course  than  Mather  Oom  the  open  pnifoDgion  of  truth. 


52 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


sent  unto  him  to  return  unto  his  charge  of  them ;  having  by  this  time 
opportunity  to  use  that  argument  with  him,  for  his  return,  "the  men  are 
dead  that  sought  thy  life."  Accordingly,  he  spent  all  the  rest  of  his  days 
with  his  church  in  Dublin;  but  he  preached  only  in  his  "own  hired 
house,"  which,  being  a  very  large  one,  was  well  fitted  for  that  purpose. 
And  there  was  this  remarkable  concerning  it,  that  although  no  man  living 
used  a  more  open  and  generous  freedom,  in  declaring  against  the  corrup- 
tions of  worship  reintroduced  into  the  nation,  yet  such  was  his  i(-  ^ning, 
his  wisdom,  his  known  piety,  and  the  true  loyalty  of  his  whole  carriage 
towards  the  government,  that  he  lived  without  much  further  molestation ; 
3'ea,  the  God  of  heaven  recompensed  the  integrity  of  this  his  faithful 
servant,  wherein  he  exposed  himself,  above  most  other  men,  for  the  truth^ 
by  granting  him  a  protection,  above  most  other  men,  from  the  adversaries 
of  it;  for  which  cause  he  did,  in  the  year  1668,  thus  write  unto  his  aged 
father  in  New-England:  "I  have  enjoy'd  a  wonderful  protecting  Provi- 
dence in  the  work  of  my  ministry.  I  pray  remember  me  daily  in  your 
prayers,  that  I  may  walk  worthy  of  this  goodness  of  God,  and  be  made 
useful  by  him  for  the  good  of  the  souls  of  his  people.  If  any  had  told 
me  in  April,  1660,  that  I  should  have  exercised  the  liberty  of  my  ministry 
and  conscience,  either  in  England  or  Ireland,  and  that  without  conforming 
to  the  corruptions  of  the  times,  and  this  for  seven  or  eight  years  together, 
I  should  not  have  believed  it;  I  should  have  thought  it  next  to  an  impos- 
sibility :  but  with  God  all  things  are  possible." 

§  12.  Although  Mr.  Mather  was  full  of  zeal  against  "corruptions  in  the 
worship  of  God,"  and  in  that  just  zeal  he  also  wrote  a  treatise  containing 
reasons  against  stinted  liturgies^  and  the  English  one  in  particular,  and 
answers  to  the  lamentable  concessions  which  a  revererd  person  (whose 
name,  for  honor's  sake  he  yet  spared)  had  made,  in  his  disputations,  for 
them ;  nevertheless,  like  the  Apostle  John,  whom  he  had  long  before  imi- 
tated, when  he  was  a  young  disciple,  upon  other  accounts,  he  was  full  of 
love  towards  the  persons  of  good  men,  that  were  too  much  led  away  with 
those  corruptions. — Hence  he  carried  it  with  all  possible  respect  unto  godly 
and  worthy  men  of  that  icay  which  he  so  much  disliked — the  Episcopal; 
however,  while  they  excluded  the  Scripture  from  being  the  rule  of  Church- 
administrations,  and  made  unscriptural  Rites,  with  promiscuous  admissions 
to  the  Lord's  table,  and  the  denial  of  Church-power  unto  the  proper 
pastors  of  the  Churches,  to  be  the  terms  of  communion,  he  thought  it 
impoesible  for  non-conformists  to  coalesce  in  the  same  Ecclesiastical  com- 
munion with  them.  Albeit  he  had  the  union  of  charity  and  affection  witli 
all  pious  conformists,  of  whom  his  words  were,  "There  is  Christian  love 
and  esteem  due  to  such,  as  personally  considered,  and  we  should  be  willing 
and  ready  to  receive  them  in  the  Lord:"  yet  for  the  union  of  an  Ecclesi- 
astical combination,  with  men  that  were  of  such  principles,  and  b}--  such 
principles  became  the  autliors  of  a  schism,  he  said,  "Unto  their  assembly 


.?i 


myg 
with 
JSTeve 
rofon 
partie 
and  I 
the  gc 
a  mosi 
ment  ( 
wenta! 
were  i 
preach 
worshi 
were  a; 
were  aj 
are  boi 
dispenc 
rant  an 
and  f}K' 
the  C: 
artic]>. 
to  be  m( 
patienth 
confessic 
easily  w 

were  not 
unto  the] 
by  the  s( 
coming  i 
wade  un 
of  Churc 
that  thej 
other,  as 
should  ki 
be  occasic 
other's  co 
In  this  tir, 
•ipprehenj 
to  remove 
generous 
the  excel  I. 
iiis  study-i 
§  18.  ^1 

•  A  dlflbroi 


OK,    THE    IIISTOEY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


53 


me 
are 
ays 
ired 

036. 

ring 

rup- 

ling, 

:iage 

tion ; 

thful 

TUthv 

3arie3 

aged 
?rovi- 

your 
made 
i  told 
Lnistry 
)rming 
gether, 
impos- 

j  in  the 
taining 
iT,  and 
(whose 
[oris,  for 
>re  imi" 
full  of 
Uy  with 
p  godly 
iscopal; 
ihurch- 
lisaions 
proper 
»ught  it 
Jjal  corn- 
lion  with 
tan  love 
I  willing 
I  Ecclcsi- 
by  such 
sembly 


my  glory,  be  not  thou  united;"  and  he  added,  "the  best  way  for  union 
with  them  is  to  labour  to  reduce  them  from  the  error  of  their  way." 
Nevertheless,  Mr.  Mather,  beholding  that  they  who  appeared  studious  of 
refbrmation  in  the  nations  were  unhappily  subdivided  into  three  forms,  or 
parties,  commonly  known  by  the  name  of  Presbyterians,  Independents, 
and  Antipoedo  Baptists,  he  set  himself  to  endeavour  an  union  among  all 
the  good  men  of  these  three  perswasions.    To  this  purpose  he  did  compose 
a  most  judicious  Irenicum  (afterwards  printed)  wherein  he  stated  the  agree- 
ment of  these  parties:  he  found,  that  they  were  agreed  in  all  the  funda- 
mental points  of  the  Christian  faith,  and  rules  of  a  Christian  life;  that  they 
were  agreed  in  the  mp.in  acts  of  natural  worship,  namely,  prayer  and 
preaching,  and  hearing  of  the  word;  and  in  the  special  time  for  publick 
worship,  namely,  the  Lord's  days;  that  as  to  matters  of  institution,  they 
were  agreed  in  declaring  for  the  Scriptures,  as  the  direction  of  all;  they 
were  agreed  that  the  Lord  hath  appointed  a  ministry  in  the  Church,  who 
are  bound  by  office  to  publish  the  Gospel,  and  in  his  name  therewith  to 
dispence  Sacraments,  and  the  disciplines  of  the  Gospel,  and  that  all  igno- 
rant and  ungodly  persons  are  to  be  debarred  from  the  Holy  mysteries; 
and  fi»'."!lv,  that  the  humane  inventions  used  and  urged  in  the  service  of 
the  CI       '    >f  England,  are  unlawful.     He  proceeded  then  to  consider  the 
articl.         '.'Jference  which  were  betwixt  them;  and  he  found  those  articles 
to  be  mostly  so  meerly  circumstantial,  that  if  the  several  sides  would  but 
patiently  understand  one  another,  or  act  according  to  the  concessions  and 
confessions  which  are  made  in  their  most  allowed  writings,  they  might 
easily  walk  together,  wherein  they  were  of  one  mind,  and  wherein  they 
were  not  so,  they  might  willingly  bear  with  one  another,  until  God  reveal 
unto  them. — Only  such  as  unchurch  all  others  besides  themselves,  he  found 
by  the  severity  of  their  own  disuniting  principle,  rendered  uncapable  of 
coming  into  this  union :  But  unto  all  the  societies  of  these  Christians,  that 
made  union  and  communion  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  foundation 
of  Church  communion,  he  did,  with  a  most  Evangelical  spirit,  offer,  first, 
that  they  should  mutually  give  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  unto  each 
other,  as  true  Churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.    Secondly,  That  they 
should  kindly  advise  and  assist  each  other  in  their  affairs,  as  there  should 
be  occasion  for  it:  Thirdly,  That  they  should  admit  the  members  of  each 
other's  congregations  unto  occasional  communion  at  the  table  of  the  Lord. 
In  this  smiling  scheme  of  his,  as  there  was  a  due  tenderness  towards  various 
apprehensions,  without  scepticism  in  religion,  so  there  was  a  blessed  essay 
to  remove  the  greatest  stumbling-blocks  of  Christianity.     Indeed,  such  a 
generous  largeness  of  soul  there  was  in  our  Mather,  that  he  could,  with 
the  excellent-spirited  Mr.  Burroughs,  have  written  it  as  the  motto  upon 
his  study-door,  Opinionum  varietas,  et  opinantium  unitas,  nonfunt  'Atfujara.* 
§  13.  While  Mr.  Mather  was  fulfilling  his  ministry  in  Dublin,  as  one 

*  A  dlflbrouco  of  opinioM  Is  nut  iiicompstiblo  with  the  perfect  unity  of  those  who  cherlih  luch  opinloni. 


64 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


who  might  justly  h<sve  claimed  the  name  of  the  Spanish  Bishop,  Fructuo- 
sus,  there  were  many  salleys  to  the  doing  of  good,  which  he  added  unto 
the  weekly  and  constant  services  of  his  ministry;  whereof  one  was  this: 
A  certain  Eoman  Catholick  having  published  a  short  but  subtil  discoiuse 
entitled  "  Of  the  one,  only,  Catholic  and  Roman  faith"  whereby  the  faith  of 
Some  uncatechised  Protestants  was  not  a  little  endangered,  Mr,  Mutlier 
was  desired  by  persons  of  quality  to  give  the  world  an  answer  to  this  (lis- 
courpo.  And  in  answer  to  their  desire,  he  composed  and  emitted  a  most 
elaborate,  pertinent,  and  judicious,  though  brief  treatise,  entitled,  "A 
Defence  of  the  Protestant,  Christian  Religion  against  Popery,  wherein  the  man- 
ifold Apostasies,  Heresies,  and  Schisms  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  also  the 
Weakness  of  their  Preterisions  from  the  Scriptures  and  the  Fathers  are  hriejiy 
laid  open."  But  there  was  another  thing  which  gave  the  studies  of  this 
learned  and  holy  man  a  consid<:rable  exercise.  There  was  one  Mr.  Valen- 
tine Greatreats,  who  felt  a  vehement  impression,  or  suggestion  upon  his 
mind,  of  this  import:  ["I  have  given  thee  the  gift  of  curing  the  evil!"]  in 
compliance  with  which  impulse,  he  stroked  a  neighbour  grievously  aflflicted 
with  the  King's  evil,  and  a  cure  succeeded.  For  about  a  twelve-month 
he  pretended  unto  the  cure  of  no  other  distemper;  but,  then,  the  ague 
being  rife  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  e-ame  sort  of  impulse  told  him  ["I 
have  given  thee  the  gift  of  curing  the  ague!"]  After  which,  when  he  laid 
his  hand  on  people  in  their  fits,  the  ague  would  leave  them.  About  half 
a  year  after  this,  the  impulse  became  yet  more  general,  and  said  ["I  have 
given  thee  the  gift  of  healing,"]  and  then  our  stroker  attempted  the  relief 
of  all  diseases  indifferently:  but  frequently  with  such  violent  rubbing,  as 
from  any  one  would  have  had  a  tendency  to  disperse  pains  arising  from 
flatulencies.  All  this  while,  he  doubted  whether  there  were  any  thing 
more  in  the  cause  of  the  cure  that  followed  this  friction,  than  the  strong 
fancy  of  the  feeble  people  that  addressed  him ;  wherefore,  to  convince  his 
incredulity,  as  he  lay  in  his  bed,  he  had  one  hand  struck  dead,  and  the 
usual  impulse  then  bid  him  to  make  a  trial  of  his  virtue  upon  himself; 
which  he  did  with  his  other  hand,  and  immediately  it  returned  unto  its 
former  liveliness:  this  happened  for  two  or  three  mornings  together.  But 
after  this  there  were  thousands  of  persons  who  flockt  from  all  parts  of 
Ireland  unto  this  gentleman,  for  the  cure  of  their  various  maladies ;  among 
whom  there  were  some  noble,  some  learned,  and  some  very  pious  persons, 
and  even  ministers  of  the  gospel ;  and  although  it  was  observed  that  a  cure 
seldom  succeeded  without  reiterating  touches;  that  the  patients  often 
relapsed;  that  sometimes  he  utterly  fail'd  of  doing  any  thing  at  all,  espe- 
cially when  there  was  a  decay  of  nature;  and  that  there  were  many 
distempers  that  were  not  at  all  obedient  unto  the  hand  of  this  famous 
practitioner;  nevertheless,  his  touches  had  thousands  of  wonderful  effects. 
There  were  some  philosophical  heads,  who  refer'd  all  this  virtue  in  the  hand 
of  our  new  sort  of  Chyrurgion,  unto  a  particular  complexion  in  him,  or  ;i 


Auth( 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


65 


his 


sort  of  sanative  or  balsamic  ferment,  which  was  in  the  spirits  of  the  man ; 
and  who  conceived  tiie  impulse  upon  him  to  be  but  a  result  of  his  temper, 
and  like  dreams,  that  are  usually  according  to  our  constitution ;  or  perhaps 
there  might  be  something  of  a  genius,  they  thought,  also  in  the  case.  But 
Mr.  Mather  appreliended  the  "hand  of  Joab  in  all  this;"  and  a  plot  of 
Satan,  that  MupioTsj^viTTjf ,  Generis  humani  hostis,*  lying  at  the  bottom  of  all. 
Mr.  Greatreats  had  confessed  unto  him  that,  before  these  things,  he  had 
bin  a  student  in  Cornelius  Agrippa,  and  had  essay'd  the  cure  of  distempers, 
by  his  Abrakat  Ahra;^  and  Mr.  Mather  now  feared  that  the  devil,  with 
whom  he  had  bin  so  far  familiar,  did  not  only  now  impose  upon  the  man 
himself,  but  also  design  upon  multitudes  of  other  people.  Wherefore,  to 
rectifie  the  thoughts  of  people  about  the  danger  of  unaccountable  impulses, 
which  had  precipitated  Greatreats  into  his  present  way  of  cures;  and  about 
the  nature  and  intent  of  real  miracles,  whereof  'twas  evident  there  were 
none  in  the  cures  by  Greatreats  pretended  unto;  and  moreover,  to  prevent 
the  superstitious  neglect  of  God,  and  of  means,  which  people  were  apt, 
on  this  occasion,  profanely,  to  run  into ;  and  finally,  to  prevent  the  hazards 
which  might  arise  unto  our  sacred  religion  by  our  popular  apotheising  of 
a  blade  who  made  scepticism  in  religion  one  part  of  his  character;  Mr. 
Mather  drew  up  a  discourse  relating  thereunto.  This  discourse,  being 
shown  to  some  of  th(J  King's  privy-council  in  Ireland,  was  approved  and 
applauded,  as  most  worthy  to  be  printed;  but  the  primate's  Chaplain  at 
last  obstructed  it,  because,  forsooth,  the  Geneva  notes  and  Dr.  Ames  were 
quoted  in  it,  and  it  was  not  convenient  that  there  should  be  any  book 
f)rintcd  wherein  any  quotations  were  made  from  such  dangerous  fanaticks. 
However,  God  blessed  this  manuscript  for  the  setling  of  many  unstable 
minds,  and  the  stopping  of  mischiefs  that  were  threatened. 

§  14.  It  is  reported  in  the  life  of  Mr.  Kothwel,  that  being  advised  by  a 
clergy-man,  more  great  than  wise,  to  forbear  medling  with  the  types,  as 
themes  not  convenient  for  him  to  study  upon,  he  made  that  very  prohibi- 
tion but  as  an  invitation  to  expect  something  of  an  extraordinary  concern- 
•...ont  in  them;  and  accordingly,  falling  upon  the  study  of  the  types,  he 
found  no  part  of  his  ministry  more  advantagiously  employed  for  himself 
or  others.  Our  Mr.  Mather,  on  the  other  hand,  was  earnestly  desired  by 
the  non-conformist  ministers  in  the  city  of  Dublin  to  preach  upon  the  types 
of  evangelical  mysteries,  in  the  dispensations  of  the  Old  Testament;  in 
compliance  with  which,  he  had  not  proceeded  very  far,  before  he  saw  cause 
to  write  unto  one  of  his  brothers,  "the  types  and  shadows  of  the  Old 
Testament,  if  but  a  little  understood,  how  full  are  they  of  gospel-light  and 
glory !  Having  gone  through  diverse  of  them,  I  must  acknowledge,  with 
thankfulness  to  the  praise  of  the  freeness  of  the  grace  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  that  I  have  seen  more  of  him  than  I  saw  before."  With  much 
labour  and  judgment,  at  length,  he  finished  his  undertaking,  and  in  a 

•  Author  of  a  thousand  wiles— enemy  of  the  human  race.  f  Maglcol  word. 


d9 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


course  of  sermons,  from  March,  1660,  to  February,  1668,  on  first  the  "per- 
sonal  types,  and  then  the  real  ones,  whether  first,  the  more  occasional  types, 
and  then  the  more  perpetual  ones.  And  his  church,  after  his  death,  calling 
another  of  his  worthy  brothers — namely,  Mr.  Nathanael  Mather — to  suc- 
ceed him,  that  brother  of  his,  in  imitation  of  what  Ludovicus  Capellus  did 
for  his  brother,  and  what  Mr.  Dyke,  Mr.  Culverwel,  and  others  have  done 
for  tlieirs,  in  publishing  the  profitable  works  of  the  deceased,  published 
this  course  of  sermons  unto  the  world;  with  some  judicious  discourses 
against  modern  superstitions  intermixed.  Here,  the  waxen  combs  of  the  # 
ancient  and  typical  cells  being  melted  down,  is  (as  one  expresses  it)  "rolled 
up  into  shining  tapers,  to  illuminate  the  students  of  those  mysteries  in 
finding  out  the  honey  that  couches  in  the  carcase  of  the  slain  lion  of  the 
tribe  of  Judah."  All  the  talents  which  Cato  spent  in  erecting  a  tomb  of 
Thracian  marble  for  his  dead  brother  Caepio,  turned  not  unto  so  much 
account  as  the  care  used  by  Mr.  Nathanael  Mather  thus  to  bring  into  the 
light  the  meditations  of  his  excellent  brother  Samuel;  upon  a  subject 
wherein  but  few  had  ever  waded  before  him.  And  if  there  be  a  truth  in 
that  opinion  of  some  divines,  "that  the  glory  and  gladness  of  the  saints 
in  heaven  receives  additions,  as  the  good  effects  of  what  they  formerly  did 
on  earth  are  there  increasing;  his  action  herein  was  yet  more  worthy  the 
relation  of  a  brother.  But  Mr.  Mather  did  not  so  converse  with  one  more 
obscure  part  of  the  sacred  Scripture,  as  to  leave  another  uncultivated  with 
his  industrious  and  inquisitive  studies  thereupon:  the  difficulties  in  the 
prophetical  part  of  the  New-Testament,  as  well  as  in  the  figurative  part  of 
the  Old,  were  happily  assail'd  by  his  learned  contemplations.  When  he  had 
made  a  considerable  progress  herein,  he  wrote  unto  his  youngest  brother, 
who  was  then  a  minister  in  New-England,  and  since  President  of  the  Col- 
ledge  there — "I  must  needs  tell  you  how  much  I  do  rejoice  that  it  hath 
pleased  God  to  stir  up  your  spirit  to  search  into  the  prophetical  parts  of 
the  Scripture;  of  which  I  have  often  thought,  and  still  do,  that  it  is  great 
pity  they  are  so  little  minded  and  seen  into  by  many,  both  ministers  and 
others,  who  do  deprive  themselves  of  much  satisfaction,  which  they  might 
receive  thereby.  It  is  not  good  to  despise  any  part  of  the  mind  and  coun- 
sel of  God,  revealed  in  his  word ;  there  are  unknown  treasures  and  plea- 
sures there  stored  up,  more  precious  than  gold  and  silver;  and  shall  we 
not,  in  the  strength  of  his  spirit,  search  for  them?"  And  as  the  brother 
to  whom  he  thus  wrote  gave  in  sundry  treatises,  in  diverse  languages, 
unto  the  church  of  God,  several  happy  fruits  of  his  enquiries  into  the 
inspired  prophecies,  which  "blessed  are  they  that  read  and  hear,"  so  our 
Mr.  Mather  himself  arrived  unto  such  attainments,  herein,  that  he  had  no 
cause  to  make  the  confession  (tho'  such  was  his  modesty  that  he  was  ready 
enough  to  do  it)  of  some  eminent  persons,  nulliis  sum  in  propheticis.* 
When  'tis  said,  "Blessed  are  they  that  keep  the  things  written  in  this 

*  I  am  not  profound  In  the  interpretation  of  prophecy. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


5T 


propbecy,"  a  mathematician  will  tell  ua  that  what  we  ronder  keep,  ia  rather 
to  be  render'd  observe,  or  watch,  or  mind;  for  hpstv,  is  used  by  the  Greeks 
us  a  term  of  art,  expressing  the  astronomical  observation  of  eclipses,  plan- 
etary aspects,  and  other  coelestial  phcenomena.  Mr.  Mather  accordingly 
counted  it  his  blessedness  to  take  an  observation  of  what  fulfillment  the 
divine  books  of  prophecy  already  had  received,  and  thence  make  compu' 
tation  of  the  times  that  were  yet  before  us,  and  of  the  tJiings  to  be  done  in 
those  times.  But  of  all  his  apocalyptical  explications,  or  expectations,  I 
shall  here  take  the.  liberty  to  insert  no  more  than  this  one,  which  may 
deserve  perhaps  a  little  thinking  on:  "That  whenever  God  seta  up  in  any 
of  the  ten  kingdoms,  which  made  the  ten  horns  of  the  Papal  empire,  such 
an  establishment,  sovereign  and  independent,  wherein  antichrist  shall  have 
neither  an  E^atfi'a,  nor  a  ^ovajiif,  neither  power  of  laws,  nor  force  of  arms, 
to  defend  him  and  his  corruptions;  doubtless,  then,  the  witnesses  of  our 
Lord  are  no  more  trodden  down,  to  prophecy  in  sackcloth,  any  longer. 
Then  therefore  expires  the  1260  years,  and  since  that  such  a  kingdom 
well  may  be  called  the  Lord^s,  then  will  the  seventh  trumpet  begin  to 
sound.  Which,  that  it  ia  near,  even  at  the  door,  I  may  say,  through 
grace  I  doubt  not." 

§  16.  While  Mr.  Mather  was  thus  employ'd,  it  pleas'd  the  God  of  heaven, 
to  "take  away  from  him  the  desire  of  his  eyes."  He  had  in  the  year  1656 
married  a  most  accomplished  gentlewoman,  the  sister  of  Sir  John  Stevens, 
by  whom  he  had  four  or  five  children,  whereof  there  lived  but  one,  which 
w,is  a  daughter.  But  in  the  year  1668  this  gentlewoman  fell  into  a  sick- 
ness, that  lasted  five  or  six  weeks;  all  which  time  she  continued  full  of 
divine  peace  and  joy,  and  uttered  many  extraordinary  expressions  of  grace 
wherewith  her  pious  friends  were  extreamly  satisfied.  When  she  drew  near 
her  end,  her  husband,  seeing  her  in  much  pain,  said,  "you  are  going  where 
there  will  be  no  more  pain,  sighing  or  sorrow."  Whereto  she  answered, 
"Ah,  my  dear,  and  where  there  will  be  no  more  sin!"  And  her  sister 
saying  to  her,  "  Tou  are  going  to  heaven,"  she  answered,  "I  am  there 
already  I"  So  she  went  away,  having  those  for  her  last  words,  "Como, 
Lord,  come.  Lord  Jesus  I"  Not  very  long  after  this  did  Mr.  Mather  fall 
ill  himself,  of  an  impostume  in  his  liver:  but  as  in  the  time  of  his  health 
and  strength,  he  had  maintained  an  "even  walk  with  God,"  without  such 
raptures  of  soul  as  many  Christians  have  bin  carried  forth  unto,  so  now 
in  the  time  of  his  illness,  he  enjoyed  a  certain  tranquillity  of  soul,  without 
any  approaches  toward  rapturous  extasie.  He  never  was  a  man  of  words 
but  of  a  silent  and  a  thinking  temper,  a  little  tinged  with  melancholly ;  and 
now  he  lay  sick,  he  did  not  speak  much  to  those  that  were  about  him; 
yet  what  he  did  speak  was  full  of  weight  and  worth,  nor  will  his  friends 
ever  forget  with  what  solemnity  ho  then  told  them,  "that'  he  had  preached 
unto  them  the  truths  of  the  great  God,  and  that  he  now  charged  them  to 

•  To  wal«h.  t  A  sovereignty  foundtd  in  low.  %  The  ioverelgnty  of  phyaical  force. 


J'l 


Mr 


58 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


adhere  unto  those  truths,  in  the  firm  and  full  faith  whereof  he  was  now 
entering  into  glory :  ar  d  that  he  did  particularly  exhort  them  to  wash 
every  day  in  the  precious  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  by  faith 
apply  his  perfect  and  spotless  righteousness  unto  their  own  souls."  It  has 
indeed  bin  commonly  observed,  that  children  "  who  honour  their  father 
and  their  mother,"  according  to  the  first  commandment  in  the  second  table 
of  the  law,  which  has  a  peculiar  promise  annexed  unto  it,  have  the  recom- 
pense of  a  long  life  upon  earth.  And  I  take  notice  that,  in  the  command- 
ment, what  we  translate,  "that  thy  days  may  be  long,"  is  to  be  read,  "that 
they  may  prolong  thy  days;"  that  is,  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  they  shall 
prolong  thy  days,  by  blessing  of  thee,  in  the  name  of  God,  if  thou  carry 
it  well  unto  them.  But  when  the  Sovereign  Providence  of  heaven  makes 
exceptions  unto  this  general  rale,  we  may  believe  that  what  is  not  fulfilled 
in  the  letter,  is  fulfilled  in  the  bettir:  and  some,  that  "live  long  in  a  littlo 
time,"  also  have  their  dai/s  prolonged  in  the  enjoyment  of  life  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  our  life  throughout  eternal  ages.  Thus,  our  Mr.  Mather 
had  bin  as  dutiful  a  Joseph  as  perhaps  ever  any  parents  had;  and  by  his 
yearly  and  costly  presents  to  his  aged  father,  after  he  came  to  be  a  master, 
of  possessions  in  Ireland,  he  continued  the  expressions  of  his  dutifulness 
unto  the  last;  nevertheless,  he  now  died,  October  29, 1671,  when  he  wanted 
about  six  months  of  being  six  and  forty  yeara  old :  and  yet,  as  they  who 
have  gone  to  prove  Adam  a  longer-lived  person  than  Methuselah,  use  to 
urge  that  Adam  was  tp  be  supposed  fifty  or  sixty  years  old,  being  in  the 
"perfect  stature  of  man"  at  his  first  creation,  -so,  if  it  be  consider'd  how 
much  of  a  man  our  Mather  was  while  he  was  yet  a  child,  and  if  it  be  further 
considered  how  much  work  he  did  for  the  Lord  Jesus-Christ  after  he  came 
to  the  "perfect  stature  of  man,"  he  must  be  reckoned,  "an  old  man  full 
of  grace,  though  not  full  of  days;"  and  that  epitaph  which  was  once  the 
great  Jewel's,  may  be  written  on  his  grave,  in  the  church  of  St.  Nicholas, 
in  the  city  of  Dublin,  where  his  ashes  lie  covered. 

DH  vixit,  licet  turn  diii  fuit.* 

BUT   NOW 

Gone  where  ths  wicked  cease  from  troubling,  and  where  the  weary  are  at  rest. 
*  iSe  lived  a  long  life,  and  yet  did  not  live  long. 


OB,    THE   HIBTOBY    OF    NEW-ENQLAK-^, 


59 


\j    XX     ibui     it       it      *Ji    Jill         tL     X     1  • 

THE  LIFE  OF  MB.  SAMUEL  DANFORTH.      ' 

§  1.  Most  Christian  and  candid  is  the  speech  of  a  certain  author,  who 
yet  writes  himself,  "  A  beneficed  minister,  and  regular  son  of  the  Church  of 
England,"  when  he  says,  "I  never  thought  them  good  painters,  who  draw 
the  pictures  of  the  dissenting  brethren  with  dirt  and  soot,  but  I,  knijwing 
them  to  be  unlike  those  pictures,  have  with  just  offence  beheld  their  inju- 
ries, and  would  have  been  pleased  to  have  seen  them  described  by  some 
impartial  and  ingenious  master,  as  fit  to  adorn  the  palaces  of  Princes." 
Reader,  I  am  going  to  draw  the  picture  of  another  minister,  who  was  a 
non-conformist  unto  Emendables,  in  the  Church  of  England;  wherein  tho' 
I  am  not  ingenious,  yet  I  will  be  impartial,  and  therefore,  instead  of  the 
dirt  and  soot,  which  the  persecuting  bigots  for  a  few  ceremonies  would 
employ  upon  the  memory  of  such  men,  I  will,  with  an  honest  and  modest 
report  of  his  character,  cause  him  to  be  remembered  next  unto  the  first 
fellow  of  that  CoUedge,  whereof  he  was  the  next. 

§  2.  This  was  Mr.  Samuel  Danforth,  son  to  Mr.  N.  Danforth ;  a  gentleman 
of  such  estate  and  repute  in  the  world,  that  it  cost  him  a  considerable  sum 
to  escape  the  knighthood,  which  K.  Charles  I.  imposed  on  all  of  so  much 
per  annum;  and  of  such  figure  and  esteem  in  the  Church,  that  he  pro- 
cured that  famous  lecture  at  l^ramlingham  in  Suffolk,  where  he  had  a 
fine  mannour;  which  lecture  was  kept  by  Mr.  Burroughs,  and  many  other 
noted  ministers  in  their  turns;  to  whom,  and  especially  to  Mr.  Shepard, 
he  prov'd  a  Gaius,  and  then  especially  when  the  Laudian  fury  scorched 
them.  This  person  had  three  sons,  whereof  the  second  was  our  Samuel, 
born  in  September,  in  the  year  1626,  and  by  the  desire  of  his  mother,  who 
died  three  years  after  his  birth,  earnestly  dedicated  unto  the  "schools  of 
the  prophets."  His  father  brought  him  to  New-England  in  the  year  1634, 
and  at  his  death,  about  four  years  after  his  arrival  here,  he  committed  this 
hopeful  son  of  many  cares  and  prayers,  unto  the  paternal  oversight  of 
Mr.  Shepard,  who  proved  a  kind  patron  unto  him.  His  early  piety 
answered  the  pious  education  bestowed  upon  him;  and  there  was  one 
instance  of  it  somewhat  singularly  circumstanced :  when  he  was  reciting 
to  his  tutor,  out  of  the  heathen  poets,  he  still  made  some  ingenious  addi- 
tion and  correction  upon  those  passagoe  which  ascribed  those  things  unto 
the/ifoe  gods  of  the  gentiles,  that  could  not  without  blasphemy  be  ascribed 
unto  any  one  but  the  "Holy  One  of  Israel:"  his  tutor  gave  him  a  sharp 
reprehension  for  this,  as  for  a  meer  impertinency ;  but  this  conscientious 
child  reply 'd,  "Sir,  I  can't  in  conscience  recite  the  blasphemies  of  these 
wretches,  without  washing  r.iy  mouth  upon  itl"    Nevertheless,  a  fresh 


if)'  ■ 

'■:¥ 


Hi^ 


m 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


occasion  occurring,  his  tutor  gave  him  another  sharp  reprehension  for  his 
doing  once  again  as  he  had  formerly  done;  but  the  tutor,  to  the  amaze- 
ment of  them  all,  was  terribly  and  suddenly  seized  with  a  violent  convul- 
sion-Jit; out  of  which  when  he  at  lost  recovered,  he  acknowledg'd  it  as  an 
hand  of  God  upon  him,  for  his  harshness  to  his  pupil,  whose  conscientious- 
ness he  now  applauded. 

§  3.  Ilis  learning,  with  his  virtue,  ere  long  brought  him  into  the  station 
of  u  tutor ;  being  made  the  second  fellow  of  Harvard-CoUedgc,  that  appears 
in  the  catalogue  of  our  graduates.  The  diary  which,  even  in  those  early 
times,  he  began  to  keep  of  passages  belonging  to  his  interior  state,  give 
great  proof  of  his  proficiency  in  godliness,  under  the  various  ordinances 
and  providences  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  the  watchfulness,  tenderness 
and  conscientiousness  of  aged  Christianity  accompained  him,  while  he  was 
yet  but  young  in  years.  His  manner  was  to  rise  before  the  sun,  for  the 
exercises  which  Isaac  attended  in  the  evening;  and  in  the  evening  like- 
wise he  withdrew,  not  only  from  the  conversation  then  usually  maintained, 
which  he  thought  hurtful  to  his  mind  by  its  infectious  levity,  but  from 
supper  it  self  also,  for  the  like  exercises  of  devotion.  Although  he  was 
preserved  free  from  every  thing  scamlalotiSy  or  immoral,  yet  he  seem'd,  as 
TertuUian  speaks,  Nulli  rei  natus  nisi  pcenitentice ;*  and  the  sin  of  wn/ruiV- 
fulness  gave  as  much  perplexity  to  him,  as  more  scandalous  and  immoral 
practices  do  to  other  men ;  for  which  comprehensive  sin,  keeping  a  secret 
tast,  once  before  the  Lord,  the  Holy  Spirit  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  so 
powerfully  and  rapturously  comforted  him,  with  those  words,  "he  that 
abideth  in  me,  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringcth  forth  much  fruit;  without 
me  ye  can  do  nothing;"  that  the  remembrance  thereof  was  all  his  days 
afterwards  comfortable  unto  him. 

§  4.  Mr.  Welds  returning  for  England,  the  church  at  Roxbury  invited 
Mr.  Danforth  to  become  a  Colleague  to  Mr.  Eliot,  whose  evangelical  em- 
ployments abroad  among  the  Indians  made  a  Colleague  at  home  to  be 
necessary  for  him.  The  pastoral  charge  of  that  church  he  undertook  in 
the  year  1650,  and  no  temptations  arising,  either  from  the  incompetency  of 
the  salary  allow 'd  him  to  support  an  hospitable  family,  or  from  the  provo- 
cation  which  unworthy  men  in  the  neighbourhood  sometimes  tried  him 
withal,  could  perswade  him  to  accept  of  motions,  which  were  made  unto 
him,  to  remove  unto  more  comfortable  settlements;  but  keeping  his  eye 
upon  the  great  man's  motto  prudens  qui  patiens,\  he  continued  in  his 
Roxbury  station,  for  three  years  more  than  tfirice  seven  together.  All  this 
time,  as  he  studied  me,  by  endeavours  to  do  good,  not  only  in  that  partic- 
ular town,  but  with  influences  more  general  and  extensive,  so  he  did  en- 
deavour to  signalize  himself  by  studying  of  peace,  with  a  moderating  and 
interposing  sort  of  temper,  in  rising  differences;  being  of  the  opinion,  that 
usually  they  have  little  peace  of  conscience,  who  do  not  make  much  con- 


f 


*  Fruitful  in  nothing  but  penitence. 


t  He  iB  wise  who  ii  patient. 


OB.   THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


ei 


Bcieiice  of  peace."  And  when  he  then  came  to  dye,  spending  one  whole 
ulecplesa  night  in  a  survey  of  his  past  life,  he  said,  "he  could  find  no 
remarkable  miscarriage  (through  the  grace  of  Christ)  in  all  this  time  to 
charge  himself  withal,  but  that  with  Hezekiah  he  had  served  the  Lord 
with  a  perfect  heart  all  his  days." 

§  5.  The  sermons  with  which  he  fed  his  flock  were  elaborate  and  sub- 
stantial ;  he  was  a  notable  text-man,  and  one  who  had  more  than  forty  or 
fifty  scriptures  distinctly  quoted  in  one  discourse;  but  he  much  recom- 
mended himself  by  keeping  close  to  his  main  text,  and  avoiding  of  all 
remote  excurtions  and  vagaries;  and  there  was  much  notice  taken  of  it, 
that  though  he  were  a  very  judicious  preacher,  yet  he  was  therewithal  so 
affectionate,  "that  he  rr.rely,  if  ever,  ended  a  sermon  without  weeping."  On 
the  Lord's  days  in  the  forenoons,  he  expounded  the  books  of  the  Old 
Testament;  in  the  afternoons,  he  discoursed  on  the  body  of  divinity,  and 
many  occasional  subjects,  and  some  chapters  in  the  Epistle  to  the  Romans, 
until  the  year  1661 ;  and  then  he  began  to  handle  the  "  harmony  of  the 
four  Evangelists,"  proceeding  therein  to  those  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  in  Luke  xiv.  14,  "Thou  shalt  be  recompenced  at  the  resurrectiou 
of  the  just:"  On  which,  having  preached  his  last  sermon,  it  proved  indeed 
his  last;  and  from  thence  he  had  no  more  to  do,  but  now  "waits  all  the 
days  of  his  appointed  time,  until  his  change  come,"  at  that  resurrection, 
when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  call,  and  he  shall  answer  that  call,  and 
the  Lord  shall  have  a  "  desire  to  the  work  of  his  hands."  He  also  preach'd 
a  monthly  lecture,  and  on  many  private  occasions,  at  meetings  of  Chris- 
tians, in  the  families  of  the  faithful.  But  instead  of  ever  venturing  upon 
any  extemporaneom  performances,  it  was  his  manner  to  write  his  sermons 
twice  over;  and  it  was  in  a  fair  long  hand  that  he  wrote  them.  His  utter- 
ance was  free,  clear,  and  giving  much  in  a  little  time;  his  memory  very 
tenacious,  and  never  known  to  fail  him,  though  he  allow'd  it  no  assistances. 
And  unto  all  the  other  commendable  things  observed  in  the  discharge  of 
his  ministry,  he  added  that  of  a  most  pastoral  watchfulness  over  his  flock. 
Hence  he  not  only  visited  the  sick  as  a  messenger  from  heaven  to  them, 
"one  among  a  thousand,"  but  when  he  met  persons  recovered  from  sick- 
ness, he  would,  at  this  rate  accost  them:  "Well,  -you  have  been  in  God's 
school ;  but  what  have  you  learnt?  what  good  have  you  got?"  And  not- 
able were  the  effects  of  these  his  applications.  Hence  also  he  took  much 
care  that  none  should  keep  an  "house  of  public  entertainment"  in  his  town, 
but  such  as  would  keep  good  orders  and  manners  in  their  houses;  and  the 
tavern  being  in  view  of  his  own  study-window,  when  he  saw  any  town- 
dwellers  tippling  there,  he  would  go  over  and  chide  them  away.  Hence 
likewise  he  would  animadvert  upon  miscarriages  that  came  in  his  way, 
with  all  watchful  and  zealous  faithfulness,  and  one  instance  of  his  doing  so 
had  something  peculiar  in  it.  A  "day  of  humiliation"  was  to  be  attended, 
and  a  man  of  another  town,  by  unseasonable  driving  a  cart  throui'h  the 


n 


01  MAONALIA    CBRI8TI    AMERICANA; 

Street,  caused  this  good  man  to  come  out  and  reprove  him  for  the  affront 
he  thereby  put  upon  the  devotions  of  the  people  in  the  neighbourhood : 
the  man  made  him  an  obstinate  and  malapert  answer,  but  when  ho  came 
home,  he  found  one  of  his  children  suddenly  dead;  upon  this  he  could 
have  no  rest  in  his  mind,  until  he  came  to  this  "reprover  in  the  gate," 
with  humble  and  many  tokens  of  repentance. 

§  6.  After  his  "contraction,"  according  to  the  old  usage  of  New-England, 
unto  the  virtuous  daughter  of  Mr.  Wilson  (whereat  Mr.  Cotton  preached 
the  sermon)  he  was  married  unto  that  gentlewoman  in  the  year  1651. 
Of  twelve  children  by  her,  there  are  four  now  at  this  day  surviving; 
whereof  two  are  now  worthy  ministers  of  the  gospel.  When  his  wile 
was  under  discouragements  at  any  time,  through  domestick  straits,  he 
would  reply,  "Ben't  you  discouraged;  if  you  undergo  more  difficulties 
than  other  gentlewomen,  still  we  have  the  Lord's  part,  and  at  last  you 
shall  have  an  ample  recompence,  a  prophet's  reconipence!"  As  his  end 
approached,  he  had  strong  apprehensions  of  its  approach ;  and  the  very 
night  before  he  fell  sick,  he  told  his  wife  he  "had  been  much  concerned  how 
she  with  her  children  would  subsist,  if  he  should  be  removed ;  but  now  he 
had  got  over  it,  and  firmly  believed  in  the  covenant  of  God  for  them,  that 
they  should  be,  by  the  Divine  Providence,  as  well  provided  for  as  they 
could  be  if  he  were  alive:"  which  has  been  since  accomplished  unto  admira- 
tion! Immediately  after  this,  he  fell  sick  of  a  putred  fever,  occasioned 
by  »  damp,  cold,  nocturnal  air,  on  a  journey ;  and  in  the  space  of  six 
days  passed  from  natural  health  to  eternal  peace,  November  19,  1674. 
Of  his  dying  prayers  for  his  consort,  one  of  the  most  lively  was,  that  her 
daughter  (now  the  wife  of  Edward  Bromfield,  Esq.)  might  be  made  a  rich 
blessing  and  comfort  unto  her;  and  this  also  hath  not  been  without  its 
observable  accomplishment!  But  if  we  now  enquire  after  an  epitaph,  to  be 
inscribed  on  the  tomb  where  his  ashes  now  lye,  with  those  of  our  govern- 
our  Dudley,  for  whose  honourable  family  he  always  had  a  great  friendship, 
I  know  not  whether  one  might  not  be  taken  out  of  the  words  of  his  ven- 
erable old  CoUegue  Mr.  Eliot,  who  would  say,  "My  Brother  Danforth 
made  the  most  glorious  end. that  ever  I  saw!"  or  from  a  poem  of  Mr, 
Weld's  upon  him,  which  had  a  clause  to  this  purpose: 


Mighty  in  Scriplurb,  aearcbing  out  the  sense, 
All  the  hard  things  of  it,  uufolditig  thence : 
He  liv^d  each  truth ;  his  faith,  love,  tenderness, 
None  con  to  th'  Itfe,  as  did  Au  Itfe  express : 


Our  minds  with  gospel  his  rich  lectures  fed ; 
Luiie,  and  his  life,  at  once  are  fluished : 
Our  new-built  Church  now  suflurs  too  by  this, 
Larger  its  windouia,  but  its  lifhti  are  less. 


>§  7.  The  least  pupils  in  astronomy  cannot  now,  without  some  diversion, 
reflect  upon  the  astronomy  of  the  ancients,  when  we  read  them  declaiming 
against  the  sphoerical  figure  of  the  heavens:  the  many  passages  to  this 
purpose  in  Justin  Martyr,  and  Ambrose,  and  Theodoret,  and  Theophylact, 
and  the  great  Austin  .himself,  I  will  not  recite,  least,  reader,  we  should, 
before  we  are  aware,  play  too  much  with  the  beards  of  the  Fathers:  nor 


I 


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and  h 
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selves 
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the  vc 
formci 
uel  Di 
astron 
on  thii 
;       rics  wl 
notice 
1664. 
to  disc( 
of  that 
twenty 
times  a 
remote 
the  mo 
descent, 
top-sail 
crossed 
the  Eqi 
Aries; 
famous 
therefor 
tion  of 
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"largene 
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portentou 
kind  by 
part,  I  ai 
tionis  in  r 
made  Jab 


OR,    THK    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


M 


would  we  lay  aside  our  value  for  good  old  Chrysostom'a  theology,  l)»vau«6 
we  find  him  in  a  confident  nnd  a  triumphing  manner  upbraiding  the  world 
with  such  nn  opinion  tw,  ni  'iitfi»  4i  ff^aipoirJ^  upavov  liivat  a  wo^aivofiivoi :  "  Whore 
are  those  men  that  imagine  that  the  heavens  have  a  splunrical  form?" — 
since  the  Scripture  saith,  "Ood  stretched  forth  the  heavens  as  a  curtain, 
and  he  spread  them  as  a  totit  to  dwell  in,"  which  are  not  sphoorical.  We 
will  not  call  them/oo/a  for  these  harangues;  but  leave  it  unto  one  of  them* 
selves,  even  Jorom,  to  piusa  his  censure  upon  them,  est  in  Eixlesia  stnltilo- 
qiiium,  si  qm's  Ctelum  piitd  forniris  nunio  cnrvaliim,  Bsoin^  quern  non  intelligit^ 
sermone  (lecfptus:  '"Tia  foolish  sjwaking  in  the  Church,  if  any,  through 
misapprehension  of  the  words  of  Isniuh,  shall  affirm  that  the  heavona  are 
not  round."  The  divines  of  the  latter  ages  are  (though,  to  our  surprize, 
the  voluminous  Tostatus  was  not!)  better  nstronomr  s  than  those  of  the 
former;  nnd  among  the  divines,  that  have  been  a^'tronomers,  our  Tir.  Sam- 
uel Danforth  comes  in  with  a  claim  of  some  consideration.  Several  of  his 
aatronomical  composures  have  seen  the  light  of  the  sun-  but  on'"  especially 
on  this  occasion.  Among  the  "four  hundred  and  odd  comets,"  the  hisf  '• 
ries  whereof  have  been  preserved  in  the  records  of  learned  men,  a  sp;  'i>\i 
notice  was  taken  of  that  which  alnnimed  the  whole  world  in  the  year 
1664.  Now,  although  our  Danforth  had  not  the  advantages  >:  TIevclius, 
to  discover  how  many  odd  clots,  compact  and  lucid,  there  wer  in  lue  head 
of  that  blazing-star,  with  one  thicker  than  the  rest,  until  it  was  grown  to 
twenty  four  minutes  diameter,  nor  to  determine  that  it  was  at  least  siv 
times  as  big  as  the  earth,  and  that  its  parallax  rendered  it  at  length  as 
remote  from  the  earth  as  Mars  himself,  nevertheless,  ho  diligently  observed 
the  motions  of  it,  from  its  first  appearance  in  Corvus,  whence  it  made  a 
descent,  crossing  the  tropick  of  Capricorn,  till  it  arrived  unto  the  main 
top-sail  of  the  ship,  and  then  it  returned  through  Canis  Major,  and  again 
crossed  the  tropick  of  Capricorn,  pjissing  through  Lepus,  Eridamus,  and 
the  Equinoctial,  and  entered  into  the  mouth  of  the  Whale,  and  so  into 
Aries;  where  it  retired,  not  leaving  any  philosopher  able  to  fulfil  the 
famous  prophecy  of  Seneca,  in  predicting  the  n-:-,  •^,;/pearance  of  it.  He 
therefore  published  a  little  treatise,  entitled,  "An  Astronomical  Descrip- 
tion of  the  late  Cofnet,  with  a  brief  Theological  Description  thereof,"  in 
which  treatise  he  not  only  proves,  that  a  couiet  can  be  no  other  than  a 
"ccelestial  luminary  moving  in  the  starry  hoavens,"  whereof  especially  the 
"largeness  of*  the  circle"  in  which  it  moves  is  a  mathematical  and  irrefrag- 
able demonstration,  but  also  ho  improves  the  opinion  of  a  comet's  being 
porteniom,  endeavouring,  as  it  became  a  devout  preacher,  to  awaken  man- 
kind by  this  portent,  out  of  a  sinful  security.  Now,  though  for  my  own 
part,  I  am  sometimes  ready  to  say,  with  a  learned  man,  tasdet  me  divina- 
tionis  in  re  tam  incerta;*  yet  when  I  consider,  how  many  learned  men  have 
made  laborious  collections  of  remarkable  and  calamitous  events,  to  render 

*  I  am  UnU  of  tlmwing  porlento  flrom  so  viiicurtnln  a  thing. 


€4 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMEBICANA; 


comets  ominous,  I  cnnnot  reproach  the  essays  of  pious  men,  to  perswado 
us,  "that  when  the  hand  of  Heaven  is  thus  writing  mens  tekkl,  it  is  not 
amiss  for  us  mortals  to  make  serious  reflections  thereupon."  But  besides 
this,  there  are  two  other  discourses  of  this  worthy  man  printed  among  us. 
One  is,  "The  Cry  of  Sodom,  enquired  into,  or,  a  testimony  against  the  sins 
of  uncleanness,"  which,  with  much  wonder  and  sorrow,  he  saw  too  many 
of  the  rising  generation  in  the  country  carried  away  withal.  Another  is, 
"A  Recognition  of  New-England's  Errand  into  the  Wilderness,"  or  a  ser- 
mon preached  unto  the  general  assembly  of  the  colony,  at  their  anni- 
versary election;  the  design  of  which  was  to  remind  them  of  what  he 
summarily  thus  expresses:  "You  have  solemnly  expressed,  before  God, 
angels  and  men,  that  the  cause  of  leaving  your  country,  kindred,  and 
father's  houses,  and  transporting  yourselves,  with  your  wives,  little  ones, 
and  substance  over  the  vast  ocean,  into  this  waste  and  howling  wilderness, 
was  your  liberty  to  walk  in  the  faith  of  the  gospel  with  all  good  con- 
science, according  to  the  order  of  the  gospel,  and  your  enjoyment  of  the 
pure  worship  of  God,  according  to  his  institution,  without  humane  mix- 
tures and  impositions." 

EPITAPIIIUM. 

Non  diibium  est,  gain  ed  iverit,  gud  Btellffi  eunt, 
Dankortuus,  gui  stellis  temprr  sc  associavit.* 

In  December  1659,  the  (until  then  unknown)  malady  of  "bladders  in 
the  windpipe,"  invaded  and  removed  many  children;  by  opening  of  one 
of  them,  the  malad}'  and  remedy  (too  late  for  very  many)  were  discovered. 
Among  those  many  tliat  thereby  expired,  were  the  three  children  of  the 
Reverend  Mr.  S.  D.,  the  eldest  of  whom  (being  upward  of  five  years  and 
a  half;  so  gracious  and  intelligent  were  her  expressions  and  behaviour, 
both  living  and  dying,  and  so  evident  her  faith  in  Christ)  was  a  luculent 
commentary  on  that  marvellous  prophecy,  that  the  child  should  dye  an 
hundred  years  old.  How  the  sorrowful  father  entertained  this  solemn 
providence  may  be  partly  gathered  from  what  he  expressed  unto  such  as 
came  to  attend  his  branches  unto  their  graves;  of  which  may  be  said,  as 
was  said  of  Job,  "  in  all  this  he  sinned  not,"  He  saw  meet  to  pen  down 
the  minutes  of  what  he  spake,  and  they  are  faithfully  taken  out  of  his 
own  manuscript: 

"My  Friends:  If  any  that  see  my  grief  should  say  unto  me,  as  the  Dnnites  unto  Micah, 
'What  uileth  thi-e?'  I  thank  God  I  cannot  answer  us  lie  did,  'They  have  taken  away  my  gods.' 
My  heart  was  indeed  somewhat  set  npon  my  cliihlren,  especially  the  eldest;  but  they  were 
none  of  my  gods,  none  of  my  portion ;  my  portion  is  whole  and  untoucht  unto  tliis  day.  To 
undcrstiind  myself,  and  to  commuiiieute  unto  my  hearers,  the  spiritual  meaning  and  compass 
of  the  law  and  rule,  and  the  nature  of  gospel  obedience,  hath  been  my  design  and  work,  upon 
which  I  have  employ'd  much  reading  and  study,  and  what  faith,  hope,  love,  patience,  &.C.,  the 
glorious  wisdom,  power  and  mercy  of  God  do  oblige  us  to  render.    I  have  endeavoured  to 


Bet  foi 
litiom 
ill  my 
in  that 
th'it  (b 
and  tei 
out  of 
it  pleas 
ill  us  ni 
ns  unto 
luith  do 
t.'icsc  pi 
I  now  e 
bumoan 
ver.  20! 
what  W( 
We  kno 
sti'oaks, 
tliat  nom 
nieans  b( 
tlio'  whai 
th  it  it  is 
men,  do  y 
you  desin 
born  it;  1 
the  Pathei 
— without 
mother,  ar 
removed, 
remembrai 
yet  I  bles 
continua 
Lord,  nor ; 
despise  the 
God  had  ai 
into  the  he 
himself  by 
and  awakei 
name  be  ei 
from  sinnin 
branches  ha 
bies  and  in 
even  dye  w; 
good  word 


(lis  name  Is  wi-ddtMl  to  the  elars ;  uid  cv^n  | 


Itl8  hdinc  uiid  tlieirs  ure  one  In  >ondvr  lieavun. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


65 


Ret  forth  before  you,  whiit  if  God  will  now  try  whether  they  were  meer  notions  and  specu- 

litiotis  thiit  I  spike, or  wiiether  I  believed  as  I  spake, and  whether  there  be  any  divitie  spark 

in  my  heart?    I  remember  him  that  said  to  Abraham,  'Hereby  I  know  that  thou  feurcst  me, 

ill  tliiit  thou  hiist  not  with-held  from  me  thy  son,  thine  only  son.'    It  is  the  pleasure  of  God 

th  it  (besides  all  that  may  be  gain'd  by  reading,  and  studying,  and  preai>hing)  I  should  learn 

and  touch  obedience  by  the  things  that  I  suflfer.    The  holy  fire  is  not  to  be  fetched  for  you, 

out  of  such  u  flint  as  I  am,  witiiout  smiting.    Not  long  before  these  stroaks  lighted  upon  us, 

it  pleased  God  marvellously  to  quicken  our  hearts  (both  mine  and  my  wife's)  and  to  stir  up 

ill  us  most  earnest  desires  after  himself:  and  now  he  hath  taken  our  children,  will  ho  accept 

us  unto  freer  and  fuller  communion  with  himself,  blessed  be  his  holy  name!  I  trust  the  Lord 

hnth  done  what  he  hnth  done  in  wisdom,  and  faithfulness,  and  dear  love;  and  that  in  taking 

tlicsc  pleasant  things  from  me,  he  cxerciseth  and  expresseth  as  tender  affection  unto  me,  as 

I  now  express  towards  them  in  mourning  for  the  loss  of  them.    I  desire,  with  Ephraim,  'to 

bu-moan  myself,'  &c.  Jer.  xxxi.  18,  19.    O  that  I  might  hear  the  Lord  answering  mo  as  he  did 

ver.  20!    It  is  meet  to  be  said  to  God,  'We  have  born  chastisement,  we  will  not  offend; 

uhiit  we  see  not,  teach  thou  us;  and  if  we  have  done  iniquity,  we  will  do  so  no  more.' 

We  know,  and  God  much  more  knows  enough  in  us,  and  by  us  to  justifie  his  repeated 

Hti-oaks,  tho'  we  cannot  tax  ourselves  with  any  known  way  of  disobedience.    My  desire  is, 

tliat  none  miy  be  overmuch  dismayed  at  what  liath  befallen  us;  and  let  no  man  by  any 

means  be  offended.    Who  may  say  to  the  Lord,  'What  dostthqu?'    I  can  say  from  my  heart, 

tlui'  what  is  come  upjn  us  is  very  dreadful  and  amazing,  yet  I  consent  unto  the  will  of  God 

til  it  it  is  good.    Doth  not  the  goldsmith  cast  his  metil  into  the  furnace?  And  you  husband- 

men,  do  you  not  cause  the  flail  to  puss  over  your  grain,  not  that  you  hate  your  wheat,  but  that 

you  desire  pure  bread?    Had  our  children  replyed  when  we  corrected  them,  we  could  not  have 

born  it;  but,  poor  hearts,  they  did  us  reverence;  how  much  rather  should  wo  be  subject  to 

the  Father  of  spirits,  and  live  ?    You  know  that,  nine  years  since,  I  was  in  a  desolate  condition 

— without  father,  without  mother,  without  wife,  without  children :  but  what  a  father,  and 

mother,  and  wife  have  been  bestow'd  upon  me,  and  are  still  continued,  tho'  my  children  are 

removed.    And,  above  all,  although  I  cannot  deny  but  that  it  pierceth  my  very  heart  to  call  to 

remembrance  the  voice  of  my  dear  children,  calling  Tather,  father!'  a  voice  now  not  heard: 

yet  I  bless  God  it  doth  far  more  abundantly  refresh  and  rejoyce  me  to  hear  the  Lord 

continually  calling  unto  me,  'My  son,  my  son!  my  son,  despise  not  the  chastening  of  the 

Lord,  nor  faint  thou  when  thou  art  corrected  of  him.'    And  blessed  be  God,  that  doth  not 

despise  the  afHictioa  of  the  aflllcted,  nor  hide  his  face  from  him.    'Twas  the  consideration  that 

God  had  sanctify'd  and  glorlfy'd  himself,  by  striking  an  holy  awe  and  dread  of  his  majesty 

into  the  hearts  of  his  people,  that  made  Aaron  hold  his  peace :  and  if  the  Lord  will  glorify 

himself  by  my  family,  by  these  awful  stroaks  upon  me,  quickning  parents  unto  their  duty, 

and  awakening  their  children  to  seek  afler  the  Lord,  I  shall  desire  to  be  content,  though  my 

name  be  cut  off:  and  I  beseech  you  be  earnest  wtth.  the  Lord  for  us,  that  he  would  keep  us 

from  sinning  against  him;  and  that  he  would  teach  us  to  sanctifio  his  name,  and  tho'  our  dear 

branches  have  forsaken  us,  yet  that  he  that  hath  promised  to  be  with  his  children  in  six  trou- 

blcs  and  in  seven,  would  not  forsake  us.    My  heart  truly  would  be  consum'd,  and  would 

even  dye  within  me,  but  that  the  good  will  of  him  that  dwelt  in  the  burning  bush,  and  hia 

good  word  of  promise,  are  my  trust  and  slay." 

Vol.  IL-  5 


M 


H^  MAQNALIA   GHBIBTI   AMEBIOANA; 

CnAFTEHIv. 

ECCIESIASTES;* 

THE   LIFE  OP  THE  RETEREND  AND  EXCELLENT  JONATHAN  MITCHEl: 
A  Pastor  of  the  Church  and  a  Glory  of  the  Colkdge,in  Cambridge,  New-England. 

WRITTEN  BY   COTTON  MATHEH. 


Simul  et  jueunda  et  Idonea 
dicere  vit<e, 
Leetorem  delectando  aitnul  atque  monendo.f 


THE   SECOND   EDITION. 

THE  EPISTLE  DEDICATORY. 

Tn  tho  Cliurch  at  Cambridge  in  New-England,  and  to  the  Students  of  the  Colledge  there. 

RictHT  Worshipful,  Reverend  and  Dearly  Beloved:  There  liave 
been  few  churches  in  the  world  so  "hfted  up  to  Heaven,"  in  respect  of  a 
succession  of  super-eminent  ministers  of  the  gospel,  as  the  church  in  Cam- 
bridge has  been.  Hooker,  Shepard,  Mitchel,  Oakes,  (all  of  them  yours) 
were  great  lights.  You  know  that  if  light  has  been  brought  into  a  room, 
when  it  is  removed,  the  place  becomes  darker  than  if  never  any  such 
Dr. Tickney'sEpBtie, prefixed  hght  had  bccu  thcrc.  A  Icamed  pen  in  an  "epistle 
to  M/.  Cotton  on  Eociesiutc.  dcdicatory"  to  thc  inhabitants  of  Boston  in  Lincoln- 
shire, puts  them  in  mind  what  an  happy  people  they  once  were,  while 
ander  the  teaching  of  Mr.  Cotton,  who  was  from  them  removed  to  plant 
churches  for  Christ  in  the  American  Desart:  And  prays  them  to  consider, 
*'That  as  empires  and  kingdoms,  so  particular  churches  have  had  their 
periods.  Bethel  has  prov'd  a  Beth-haven:  in  after  times,  we  find  young 
profane  mockers  in  Bethel,  and  scornful  neuters  in  Penuel,  go  to  Shiloh; 
think  of  the  sometimes  glorious  churches  in  Asia,  says  he.  And  he  adds, 
that  he  had  on  purpose  visited  some  places,  where  God  had  before  planted 
his  church,  and  a  faithful  ministry,  to  see  if  he  could  discern  any  foot- 
steps and  remembrances  of  such  a  mercy,  and  'lo,  they  were  all  overgrown 
with  thorns,  and  nettles  had  over-covered  the  face  thereof,  and  the  stone- 
wall thereof  is  broken  down.'  And  as  he  further  well  observes,  when  tho 
Lord  has  been  provoked  to  remove  the  candlestick,  he  is  very  hardly 
induced  to  restore  it  again.  The  Ark  never  returned  to  the  same  place 
from  whence  it  was  in  a  way  of  judgment  removed,  and  the  'glory  of  the 
Lord,'  which,  after  its  gradual  removes,  was  at  last,  quite  gone  from  the 


*  The  Preacher. 


t  His  urn,  in  virtue  gruat,  with  genius  brlglil. 
Yields  twofold  fruit,  instruction  and  delight. 


way,  I . 


living 
of  Mr. 
(iiccortliJ 
pruflencl 
denied 
this  or  t| 
to  be  sof 
circumsta 
been  disJ 
cburchesi 


11' 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


67 


EL: 


•e  have 

3Ct  of  a 

in  Cam- 

1  yours) 

a  room, 
y  such 

"epistle 
lincoln- 

|e,  while 
to  plant 
lonsider, 
ad  their 
young 
Shiloh; 
he  adds, 
planted 
any  foot- 
rergrown 
the  stone- 
Kvhenthe 
hy  hardly 
jime  place 
Lry  of  the 
from  the 

Itlus  brlBl>t. 
It  a»d  (lelltfht* 


■  m 


m 


^4 


first  temple,  was  not  restored  in  the  second^  till  Christ's  first  coming,  nor 
will  it  be  in  this  their  rejection,  till  his  second^  Mercy  forbid  that  such 
tilings  as  these  should  be  verified  in  New-England,  or  in  Cambridgel 
Tliat  this  may  not  be  your  case,  it  concerns  you  not  wantonly  to  play  or 
fight  by  the  light  yet  remaining,  but  t-o  make  the  best  improvement  of 
your  present  advantages,  giving  all  due  encouragement  to  that  worthy 
person  who  is  now  over  you  in  the  Lord. 

Concerning  your  famous  pastor,  Mitchel,  I  confess  I  had  the  happiness 
of  a  special  intimacy  with  him,  in  his  hfe  time,  nor  do  I  know  any  one 
death  (that  of  natural  relations  excepted)  that  ever  has  been  so  grievous 
and  afflictive  to  my  spirit,  as  was  his.  By  reason  of  his  eminent  parts 
and  piety,  he  had  an  happy  influence  on  all  these  churches.  Many  of 
them  fare  the  better  at  this  day,  because  the  preachers  whom  they  are 
now  instructed  by,  whilst  students  at  the  coUedge,  lived  under  his  min- 
istry. The  colledge,  Cambridge,  New-England,  may  glory  that  ever  such 
an  one  had  his  education  there!  As  for  the  description  of  his  life,  by  my 
Son  emitted  herewith,  I  have  nothing  to  say  concerning  the  writer,  or 
this  endeavour  of  his,  because  of  my  relation  to  him;  only,  that  it  is 
what  he  could  collect^  whether  by  information  from  those  that  knew  that 
excellent  man,  or  from  his  private  manuscripts,  which  he  had  the  perusal 
of  it.  It  is  not  without  the  Providence  of  Christ,  that  it  should  be  com- 
mitted to  the  PRESS,  at  such  a  time,  when  there  are  agitations  about  some 
disciplinary  questions  amongst  yourselves.  What  the  judgment  of  that 
man  of  God  was,  you  have  in  the  subsequent  relation  of  his  life  presented 
to  your  view. 

The  original  manuscript,  written  by  Mr.  Mitchel's  own  hand,  I  have 
by  me.  Whether  he  committed  his  thoughts  to  writing,  with  any  design 
of  publication,  or  for  the  satisfaction  of  some  persons  in  a  more  private 
way,  I  know  not;  but  it  is  now  evident,  that  when  his  spirit  was  inclined 
thereunto.  Heaven  designed  his  meditations  should  be  brought  into  pub- 
lick  view.  Whilst  he  was  living,  you  that  were  of  his  flock  had  (and, 
considering  his  great  worth  and  wisdom,  it  would  have  been  a  reproach 
to  you  if  you  had  not  had)  an  high  esteem  of  his  judgment.  "Being  dead 
he  yet  speaketh  to  you,"  out  of  his  grave.  Those  of  you  that  retain  a 
living  remembrance  of  him,  in  your  hearts,  will  easily  discern  something 
of  Mr.  Mitchel's  spirit  in  the  way  of  his  arguing,  "tie  does  therein 
(according  to  his  wonted  manner)  express  himself  with  great  caution  and 
prudence,  avoiding  extreams,  in  the  controverted  subject.  It  cannot  be 
denied  but  that  there  has  been  an  error  in  some  churches,  who  have  ihade 
this  or  that  mode  to  be  a  '■'^  divine  institution,^^  which  Christ  has  not  made 
to  be  so:  and  that  there  has  been  an  unjustifiable  severity  in  imposing 
circumstantials  not  instituted,  whereby  some  truly  gracious  souls  have 
been  discouraged  from  offering  themselves  to  joyn  in  fellowship  with  such 
churches.    Thus  it  has  been,  when  an  oral  declaration  of  faith  and  repent- 


f.v\ 


fg  MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 

ance  has  been  enjoyned  on  all  communicants,  and  that  before  the  whole 
congregation ;  when  as  many  an  humble  pious  soul  has  not  been  gifted 
with  such  confidence.  So  likewise  has  it  been,  when  the  exact  account 
of  the  time  and  manner  of  conversion  has  been  required:  whenas  there 
have  been  multitudes  of  true  believe  s  (such  especially  as  have  been 
advantaged  with  a  religious  elucation)  that  the  seed  of  grace  has  sp-ung 
Mr.  Baxter  of  infnnt  Bap-  Up  in  their  Fouls  "they  kuow  uot  liow,"  Mark  iv.  27.    Mr. 


titm,  p.  129, 133. 


Baxter  relal  is,  i'lat  lie  was  once  ct  a 


meeting  of 


many 


Christians,  as  eminent  for  /oliuess  as  most  in  the  land,  of  whom  divers 
were  mir'sters  of  great  fame;  and  it  was  desired  that  every  one  should 
give  an  account  of  the  time  and  manner  of  his  conversion,  and  there  was 
but  one  of  them  all,  that  could  do  it.  And  (says  he)  "  I  averr,  from  my 
heart,  that  I  neither  know  the  day  nor  the  year  when  I  began  to  be  sin- 
cere." For  churches,  then,  to  expec^  an  account  of  that  from  all  that  they 
receive  into  their  fellowship,  is  unscriptural  and  unreasonable.  Neverthe- 
less, it  concerns  them  to  beware  of  the  other  extream  of  laxness  in  admis- 
sion unto  the  Lord's  holy  table.  You  know  that  your  pastor  Mitchel 
had  a  latitude  in  his  judgment  as  to  the  subject  of  baptism,  (as  also  Dr. 
Ames,  Mr.  Cotton,  and  others  of  the  congregational  perswasion,  had)  but  as 
to  admissions  to  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  I  know  no  man  that 
was  more  conscientiously  careful  to  keep  unqualified  persons  from  partaking 
therein  than  was  he.  As  for  this  or  that  moda  in  examining  of  persons 
that  offer  themselves  to  be  communicants  in  our  churches,  whether  it  shall 
be  by  a  more  continued  relation  of  the  work  of  grace  in  their  hearts,  or 
by  questions  and  answers,  (as  was  practised  in  the  church  at  Hartford  in 
Mr.  Hooker's  time,  and  which  may  possibly  be  as  edifying  a  way  as  the 
former,)  or  whether  the  persons  designing  to  partake  in  the  Lord's  Sapper, 
shall  declare  their  experiences  orally  or  in  writing,  are  prudentials,  which 
our  Lord  has  left  unto  churches  to  determine  as  they  shall  find  most 
expedient  for  their  own  edification.  Nevertheless,  the  substance  of  the 
thing  (viz:  "either  a  relation,  as  'tis  called,  or  an  equivalent")  ought  to  be 
insisted  on.  Churches  are  bound  in  duty  to  enquire,  not  only  into  the 
knowledge  and  orthodoxy^  but  into  the  spiritual  estate  of  those  whom  they 
receive  into  full  communion  in  all  the  ordinances  of  Christ.  Some  have 
thought  that  such  qualifications  are  not  to  be  expected  from  children  born 
in  the  church,  as  from  strangers;  but  they  never  had  that  opinion  out  of 
the  Scripture,  which  says  expressly  concerning  them  that  would  eat  the 
passover,  that,  "there  is  one  law  to  him  that  is  home-born,  and  to  the 
stranger" — Exod.  xii.  49;  Numb.  ix.  14.  Wherefore  in  the  platform  of 
ctpt.  iz  discipline  it  is  said,  "the  like  trial  is  to  be  required  of  such  members 
•  ''■  of  the  church  as  were  born  in  the  same,  or  received  their  member- 
ship, and  were  baptized  in  their  infancy  or  minority,  by  virtue  of  the  cov- 
enant of  their  parents,  when  being  grown  up  to  years  of  discretion,  th(>y 
shall  desire  to  be  made  partakers  of  the  Lord's  table,  unto  which,  because 


says, 
1  Cor 
finds  ll 
that  b[ 
Bled 
currei 
as  to  til 
to  parj 
"worj 
princij 
unto. 
trut/t. 


lIlLil' 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


69 


arts,  or 
ford  in 
as  the 
Supper, 
which 
,  most 
of  the 
ht  to  be 
into  the 
)m  they 
ne  have 
ren  born 
out  of 
eat  the 
d  to  the 
form  of 
members 
member- 
'  the  cov- 
ion,  thi^V 
,  becaarie 


holy  things  are  not  to  be  given  to  the  unworthy,  therefore  it  is  requisite 
tiiat  those  as  well  as  others  should  come  to  their  trial  and  examination, 
and  manifest  their  faith  and  repentance  by  an  open  profession  thereof, 
before  they  are  received  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  otherwise  not  to  be 
admitted  thereunto;"  these  are  the  words  in  the  "platform  of  discipline," 
agreed  unto  by  the  elders  and  messengers  of  the  churches  in  the  synod 
at  Cambridge;  in  which  synod  were  Mr.  Cotton,  Mr.  Eogers,  Mr.  Norton, 
learned  and  aged  divines,  besides  many  others  of  great  eminency.  It  is 
not  the  opinion  of  men,  but  the  Scripture  which  must  decide  the  contro- 
versie.  Nevertheless,  the  judgment  of  those  eminent  divines  who  had 
deeply  searched  into  these  matters  is  not  to  be  slighted.  Nor  is  the  pri- 
vate sentiment  of  this  or  that  person  to  be  laid  in  the  balance  with  the 
judgment  of  a  synod,  consisting  of  persons  of  far  greater  authority  than 
any  younger  ones  pretended  to  be  of  a  contrary  opinion.  Nor  is  there 
weight  in  that  allegation,  that  when  a  man  declares  his  own  experiences,  he 
"testifies  concerning  himself,"  and  therefore  his  testimony  is  of  no  validity. 
By  the  same  reason  it  may  be  said  churches  are  not  to  examine  those  that 
essay  to  joyn  themselves  to  them,  about  the  soundness  of  their  faith.  For 
they  may  (as  Arius  did)  profess  that  they  believe  articles  of  faith,  which 
God  knows  they  do  not  believe,  nor  is  there  any  thing  but  their  own  tes- 
timony to  prove  that  they  do  believe  as  they  profess.  But,  above  all, 
their  notion  is  to  be  rejected,  as  a  church-corrupting  principle,  who  assert 
that  the  sacrament  is  a  converting  ordinance.  Papists,  Erastians,  and 
some  others,  whom  I  forbear  to  mention,  have  so  taught ;  but  their  hete- 
rodoxy has  been  abundantly  refuted,  not  only  by  congregational  writers, 
such  as  Mr.  John  Beverly  against  Timpson,  but  by  worthy  authors  of  the 
Presbyterian  perswasion,  particularly  by  Mr.  Gelapsy  in  his  ''Aaron's  Bod;'^ 
Dr.  Drake  in  his  answer  to  Mr.  Ilumphrys,  and  Mr.  Vines,  in  his  treatise 
of  the  Lord's-Supper.  If  the  sacrament  were  appointed  to  be  a  converting 
ordinance,  then  the  most  scandalous  persons  in  the  world — yea,  heathen, 
people — ought  to  have  it  administered  unto  them;  for  we  may  not  with- 
hold from  them  the  means  appointed  for  their  conversion.  The  Scripture 
says,  "Let  a  man  examine  himself,  and  so  let  him  eat  of  that  bread," 
1  Cor.  xi.  28,  which  clearly  intimates  that  if,  upon  examination,  he 
finds  himself  in  a  state  of  sm  and  unregeneracy,  he  ought  not  to  "eat  of 
that  bread." 

Blessed  Mr.  Mitchel  would  frequently  assert  that,  if  it  should  pass  for 
current  doctrine  in  New-T^ngland,  that  all  persons  "orthodox  in  judgment," 
as  to  the  matters  oi faith,  and  "  not  scandalous  in  life,"  ouj^^ht  to  be  admitted 
to  partake  of  the  Lo'.  d's-Supper,  without  any  examination  concerning  the 
"work  of  grace  in  their  hearts,"  it  would  be  a  real  a^jostacy  from  former 
principles,  and  a  degeneracy  from  the  reformation  w!iich  we  had  attained 
unto.  I  am  willinj^  upon  this  occasion  to  bear  my  testimony  to  the  present 
trutlif  and  to  leave  it  upon  record  unto  posterity;  not  knowing  how  soon 


70 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


the  Lord  Jesus  may  by  one  providence  or  other  (of  which  I  have  had 
several  warnings)  remove  me  from  my  present  station  among  these  churches. 
The  arguments  which  have  induced  me  to  believe  and  testifie,  as  now  I  do, 
are  such  as  these: 

1.  Time  was  when  churches  in  New-England  believed  there  wpm  clear 
Scripture  proof  for  the  practice;  we  plead  for.  Particularly  tbat  scripture, 
Psal.  iv.  10,  "I  have  not  hidden  thy  righteousness  from  the  great  ;ongre 
gation;"  and  that,  Psal.  Ixvi.  10,  ''Come  and  hear,  all  ye  tliat  ioar  God, 
and  will  declare  what  he  has  done  for  my  soul."  And  that  scrijr.are,  ' 
Pet.  iii.  15,  "Be  ready  always  to  give  an  answo/  to  ev(3ry  man,  that  asks 
you  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  yon,"  docs  l?y  just  co/isequen.oe  intimate 
as  much  as  we  assert.  Some  have  been  bold  t;;  .say,  that  since  the  apostle 
in  the  place  alledged,  speaks  of  believers  apologizing  for  their  hope  beforc- 
persecutors,  it  is  an  abuse  of  Scripture  from  theu'^.e  to  inCjr  that  any  thing 
of  thiit  nature  ought  to  bo  done  for  the  satisfaction  of  churoL<).s.  But 
renowned  Mr.  Hooker,  in  u  manuscript  which  I  have  seiM,  answering  the 
objections  of  soiae  who  disliked  t^.e  practice  of  these  churcliea,  in  examin- 
ing and  inquirmg  into  tlsc  spiritu:;!  estate  of  their  communicants,  especially 
their  rcquirir^^  an  asicovrnt  from  the  children  of  the  church,)  argues  judi- 
ciously thrvt  if  Chri:;tiaiiS  are  I'ound  to  give  an  account  of  the  grounds  of 
their  hope  to  persecutors,  much  more  to  churches  that  slinll  desire  it.  So 
Mr.  Shephard,  the  faithful  and  famous  pastor  of  the  church  in  Cambridge, 
in  his  answer  to  Mr,  Ball.  And  to  the  same  purpose,  in  the  platform  of 
discipline,  it  is  inferred  that  men  must  declare  and  shew  their  repentance, 
and  faith,  and  effectual  calling,  because  these  are  the  reason  of  a  well- 
grounded  hope.  Now,  for  any  man  to  charge  these  worthies  of  the  Lord, 
and  the  platform  of  discipline,  with  abusing  Scripture  wlien  they  made 
such  an  inference,  is  a  very  unbecoming  presumption.  It  was  formerly 
thought  that  Scripture  examoles  are  not  wanting  to  warrant  the  practice 
of  our  churches  in  this  matter,  since  John  required  those  whom  he  admit- 
ted to  his  baptism,  to  make  a  confession  of  their  sins.  And  the  apostles 
expected  a  declaration  of  their  repentance  from  such  as  they  admitted  into 
the  primitive  church — Acts  ii.  38.  And  Philip  examined  the  eunuch 
concerning  the  sincerity  of  his  faith — Acts  viii.  37. 

2.  "That  principle  which  tends  to  bring  persons  not  dulj-  qualified  to 
partake  in  holy  things,  must  needs  be  displeasing  to  the  holy  Lord  Jesus 
Christ." — He  would  have  his  servants  to  "distinguish  betwixt  the  precious 
and  the  vile" — Jer.  xv.  19.  And  to  turn  away  from  such  as  have  only 
"the  form,  and  not  the  power  of  godliness"  in  them — 2  Tim.  iii.  5:  they 
that  have  only  a  doctrinal  knowledge,  and  an  external  conversion  free 
from  .scandal,  without  regeneration,  have  no  more  than  a  form  of  godliness. 
If  Christians  should  not  make  such  persons  their  familiars,  certainly  Ihev 
ought  not  to  admit  them  to  their  sacred  communion.  It  is  a  very  solemn 
word,  which  the  Lord  has  spoken,  saying,  "You  have  brought  into  my 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF    NEW-SNOLAND. 


n 


n 


ed  to 
Jesus 
recious 
only 
they 
on  frec 
dliness. 
ly  they 
solemn 
nto  my 


sanctuary  uncircumcised  in  heart,  to  be  in  my  sanctuary  to  pollute  it; 
even  in  ray  house,  when  you  offer  the  bread  and  the  blood.  No  stranger 
uncircumcised  in  heart,  shall  enter  into  my  sanctury." — ^Ezek.  xliv.  7,  9. 
That  man  does  but  defile  the  sanctuary  of  the  Lord,  that  has  not  the  "  water 
of  separation  [the  blood  of  Christ  through  faith]  sprinkled  upon  him  " — 
Numb.  xix.  20.  But  this  principle  or  position,  that  persons  are  to  be 
admitted  to  the  table  of  the  Lord  without  enquiring  into  their  reqenkra- 
TION,  tends  to  bring  the  "uncircumcised  in  heart"  into  the  sanctuary. 
If  churches  should  neglect  all  examinations  concerning  the  ortfiodoxy  of 
those  they  receive  into  their  communion,  would  not  that  have  a  natural 
tendency  to  bring  heterodox,  and  it  may  be  heretical  persons  into  their 
communion?  By  a  parity  of  reason,  the  omitting  all  enquiries,  as  to  the 
spiritual  experience  of  them  that  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  has  a  tend- 
ency to  fill  the  sanctuary  with  those  who  never  had  any  experimental 
knowledge  of  the  things  of  God. 

3.  "Tiie  church  ought  to  know,  as  far  as  men  can  judge,  that  the  per- 
sons whom  they  admit  to  the  Lord's  Table  are  fit,  and  have  a  right  to  be 
there." — Now,  none  are  meet  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  excepting 
such  as  have  experienced  a  "saving  work  of  grace."  They  must  be  such 
as  can  and  will  examine  themselves — 1  Cor.  xi.  28.  And  therefore  must 
have  the  matter  of  self-examination,  which  is  faith,  repentance,  and  love, 
and  other  graces.  Thus  it  was  in  the  primitive  apostolical  church — Acta 
ii.  47:  "The  Lord  add«  d  to  the  church  daily  such  as  should  be  saved." 
Churches  are  to  receive  such  as  the  "Lord  has  received" — Rom.  xiv.  1,  2, 
3.  Such  as  are  "united  to  Christ"—!  Cor.  xii.  27;  i  '^''less.  i.  1:  "Living 
stones  "  must  be  in  that  building — 1  Pet.  ii.  5 — Mude  ready  by  a  work  of 
divine  grace  on  and  in  them,  before  they  are  laid  there;  of  which  the 
"prepared  materials"  in  Solomon's  temple  were  a  type — 1  Kings  vi.  7. 
They  ought  to  be  saints  and  "faithful  in  Christ  Jesus" — Eph.  i.  1.  How 
shall  the  churches  know  that  the  persons  who  offer  themselves  to  their 
communion  are  such,  unless  they  pass  under  their  trial — Rev.  ii.  2.  If  a 
man  claim  rigid  to  a  privilege,  and  yet  showeth  no  sufficient  reason^  ho 
ought  to  be  debarred  until  he  can  some  way  or  other  prove  his  claim. 
It  is  true,  the  judgment  of  churches  is  fallible:  grace  being  a  secret  thing, 
hid  in  his  heart:  only  Christ  seeth  it:  churches  cannot  always  discern  the 
tares  from  the  wheat.  Nevertheless,  they  may  not  willingly  receive  in 
hypocrites.  Ballarmine  himself  is  fain  to  confess  as  much  as  that  comes 
to.  When  such  were  found  in  churches  in  the  apostolical  times,  it  is  said, 
that  they  "crept  in  privily  and  unawares" — Gal.  ii.  4;  Jude  v.  4;  which 
intimates  unto  us  that  they  did  not  wilUrxjli/  admit  such  into  their  fellow- 
ship. When  the  enemy  sowed  tares  in  the  field,  a  culpable  sleeping  in 
those  that  should  have  been  more  watchful  was  the  cause  of  it — Math. 
xiii.  25.  They  who  object  that  we  are  bound  in  charity  to  believe  that 
tile  persons  who  offer  themselves  to  our  communion  are  regenerate,  with- 


w 
m 


72 


AGNALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


out  ever  making  any  enquiry  into  their  spiritual  estate,  may  with  as  good 
reason  affirm  that  we  are  bound  in  charity  to  believe  that  they  are  "sound 
in  the  faith,"  without  examining  them  about  the  matter.  A  rational  charity, 
grounded  upon  evidence,  and  not  a  blind  charity,  is  the  rule  according  to 
w  hich  churches  are  to  proceed. 

4.  "  That  practice,  which  Christ  has  owned  with  his  special  blessing  and 
presence,  ought  not  to  be  decryed  as  an  human  invention,  but  rather  owned 
as  a  divine  institution." — ^Was  not  the  Lord's  blessing  Aaron's  rod  an  eftect- 
ual  demonstration  that  his  ministry  had  a  divine  approbation?  Is  not  Paul's 
calling  to  the  ministry,  and  Peter's  also,  proved  from  this  argument,  tliat 
God  owned  and  blessed  them  both? — 1  Cor.  ix.  1,  2;  Gal.  ii.  7,  8,  9.  That 
Christ  has  owned  his  churches,  in  their  enquirks  into  the  spiritual  estate 
of  such  as  they  admit  into  their  communion  with  his  special  gracious 
presence,  is  most  certain.  Have  not  somd  been  converted  by  hearing 
others  give  an  account  of  their  conversion  ?  How  many  have  been  com- 
forted, and  how  many  edified  thereby  I  which  proveth  that  this  practice 
is  lawful  and  laudable,  and  that  to  stigmatize  it  so,  as  some  have  done,  is 
not  pleasing  to  the  Lord. 

5.  "To  use  all  lawful  means  to  keep  church  communion  pure,  it  is  a 
duty  incumbent  upon  all  churches,  and  most  eminently  on  churches  in 
New-England." — It  is  known  to  all  the  world,  that  church  reformation, 
and  purity  as  to  all  administrations  therein,  was  the  thing  designed  by  our 
fathers,  when  they  followed  the  Lord  into  this  wilderness:  and  therefore 
degeneracy  in  that  respect  would  be  a  greater  evil  in  us  than  in  any  people. 
We  shall  not  act  like  "  wise  children,"  if  we  seek  to  "  pull  down  with  our 
hand"  that  house  (or  any  pillar-pTmc\])\e  whereon  it  is  founded)  which 
our  wise  fathers  have  built.  The  "debasing  the  matter  of  particular 
churches"  must  needs  corrupt  them.  A  learned  and  renowned  author 
o««ii.  Tiiei)i.  till,  has  evinced,"  that  the  letting  go  this  principle,  t^at  particular 

6.  Cup.  &  churches  ought  to  consist  of  regenerate  persons,  brought  in  the 
great  apostacy  of  the  Christian  church."  The  way  to  prevent  the  like 
apostacy  in  these  churches,  is  to  require  an  account  of  those  that  offer 
themselves  to  communion  therein,  concerning  the  work  of  God  on  their 
souls,  as  well  as  concerning  their  knowledge  and  belief.  If  once  this 
practice  and  principle  of  truth  be  deserted,  "  a  world  of  unqualified  per- 
sons" will  soon  fill,  and  pester  and  corrupt  the  house  of  God,  and  cause 
him  to  "go  far  off  from  his  sanctuary."  Wo  may  then  justly  fear,  that 
these  "</o/(&«  candlesticks"  will  be  no  longer  so,  but  become  dross  and  tin, 
and  reprobate  silver,  until  "the  Lord  has  rejected  them."  Let  us  dread 
to  havfe  an  hand  in  causing  it  to  be  so!  It  is  a  solemn  passage  which  Mr. 
Cotton  (whom  Dr.  Goodwin  calls  "the  apostle  of  this  age")  has  in  his 
judicious  treatise  of  The  Holiness  of  Church  Members"  p.  60:  "Methinks 
[says  he]  the  servants  of  God  should  tremble  to  erect  such  a  state  of  the 
visible  church,  in  hypocrisie  and  formal  profession,  as  whose  very  found- 


But 
and 
dred 
writet 
whet 
and  w 
churcl 
(as  ki 
It  is 
rigiditi 
would 
they  d 
not  or 
to  a  se 
satpius 
fid^i  n 
and  ag 
indeed 

•Suit 

tThe; 

flXttI  (ID  th 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


73 


ation  th'reateneth  dissolution  and  desolation."  True  it  is,  that  we  may 
not  " do  evil,"  that  "good  may  come  of  it."  We  may  not  use  any  "  unlaw- 
ful practice  "  to  prevent  impurity,  as  to  the  matter  of  our  churches.  But 
no  man  can  say  that  the  practice  we  plead  for  is  sinful.  If,  then,  the  use 
of  it  may  (by  the  blessing  of  Christ)  be  a  means  to  keep  our  churches  and 
communion  pure,  why  should  it  be  laid  aside?  Mr.  Mitcuel,  in  a  manu- 
script  of  his,  which  I  have  seen,  has  these  weighty  words:  "The  over- 
enlarging  of  full  communion  or  admission  of  persons  thereunto,  upon 
slight  qualifications,  without  insisting  upon  the  practical  and  spiritual  part 
of  religion,  will  not  only  lose  the  power  of  godliness,  but  in  a  little  time 
bring  in  profaneness,  and  mine  the  churches  these  two  ways:  1,  Election 
of  ministers  will  soon  be  carried  by  a  formal,  looser  sort;  2,  The  exercise 
of  discipline  will  by  this  means  be  rendered  impossible.  Discipline  fall- 
ing, profaneness  riseth  like  a  flood;  for  the  major  part,  wanting  zeal  against 
sin,  will  foster  licentiousness.  It  is  not  setting  down  good  rules  and  direc- 
tions that  will  salve  it:  for  the  specification  of  government  is  from  men, 
not  from  laws.  Let  never  so  good  a  form  of  government  be  agreed  upon, 
it  will  soon  degenerate,  if  the  instruments  (or  men)  that  manage  it  be  not 
good." — Blessed  Mitchel!  these  are  thy  words;  this  was  thy  spirit! 

6.  "In  the  primitive  and  purest  times  of  the  church,  there  was  great 
strictness  used  in  examining  such  as  were  admitted  to  sacrament,  concern- 
ing the  sincerity  of  their  repentance  towards  God,  and  their  faith  in  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." — There  are  who  pretend  that  this  is  a  new  practice^ 
begun  by  a  few  separatists  in  Amsterdam,  not  an  hundred  years  since. 
But  such  peruons  discover  their  ignorance,  and  that  they  are  unacquainted 
and  unstudied  in  ecclesiastical  story.    Justin  Martyr  (who  lived  an  hun- 
dred and  fifty  years  after  Christ),  in  his  second  apology  for  the  Christians, 
writeth,  that  they  did  "examine  such  as  were  admitted  to  their  communion, 
whether  they  were  able  to  conform  themselves  in  all  things  to  the  word 
and  will  of  God."    If  we  would  know  what  things  were  practised  by  the 
churches  in  the  primitive  times,  the  writings  of  Tertullian  and  Cyprian 
(as  learned  Usher  has  truly  observed)  give  us  the  clearest  discovery  thereof. 
It  is  evident  from  them  that,  in  those  days,  there  was  rather  too  much 
rigidity  than  too  much  laxness  in  their  admission  to  sacraments.     They 
would  keep  men,  who  were  catechumens  and  competenles*  a  long  time,  before 
they  did  receive  them  into  full  communion  in  the  church.     They  required 
not  only  a  profession  of  faith,  and  a  confession  of  sins,  but  a  submission 
to  a  severe  scrutiny  concerning  their  sincerity/ therein:  Piant  scrutinia,ut 
sa^izis  explorentur,  an  post  renwiciationem  Satance  sacra  verba  datce 
Juki  radicitus  corde  defxerint.f     They  were  to  be  examined  again 
and  again,  to  find  out  whether  the  words  of  the  faith  they  professed,  were 
indeed  fixed  in  their  hearts.    Cyprian,  in  his  third  epistle,  says,  Mihi  lal>or 

*  Suitable  candidates. 

+  Tliey  require  renewed  scrutiny,  to  ascertain  whether,  atter  renonnclng  Satan,  their  hearto  are  fundamenlally 
flxtxl  (ID  the  sacred  truths  of  the  faith  they  profess. 


Alcuinus. 


7-t 


MAONALIA    0HBI8TI    AMERI0AI7A; 


II 


I  ii  if 


W  !f 


■I'  I 


eat  persiiadere  fratribtts  ut  recipiendia  consentiant:  vix  plebi  perauadeo]  lit  talea 
patiantur  admitti,  quia  nee  cum  vera  licenitentia  veneranl*  Tlmt  thoy  could 
not  easily  persuade  tiie  hreOiren  in  churches  to  consent  to  the  admission 
of  such  persons  to  their  'ommunion,  of  whose  sincere  repantanco  there 
was  any  doubt.  Origi;ii  declares  as  much  as  that  amounts  to.  When,  in 
after  ages,  churches  degenerated,  Chrysoatom  complains  that,  by  admitting 
ungodly  men  into  the  church,  they  had  "filled  the  temple  with  beasts," 
and  he  professed  that  he  would  sooner  choose  to  have  his  right  hand  cut 
oft",  than  administer  tlie  sacrament  to  a  known  wicked  man.  It  is  well 
known  that  the  Waldenses,  amongst  whom  religion  was  preserved  during 
the  reign  of  popery,  were  strict  in  this  matter.  And  so  were  the  Bohemian 
brethren:  Commenius  testifies  concerning  them,  that  they  used  a  "diligent 
Ratm  oiidptm.  I  iirum.  cxplofation  "  conccming  the  faith  and  repentance  of  their 

boacti t p.  4*, 4c.  communicants,  lest  haply  it  should  be  only  superficiary 
and  fallacious.  There  was  an  exainen  conscientiarumX  used  amongst  them. 
It  must  be  acknowledged  that,  in  the  Protestant  Reformation,  there  has 
been  a  great  neglect  and  defect  as  to  what  concerns  the  discipline  and  gov- 
ernment of  Christ  in  his  church.  As  the  apostacy  was  gradual,  so  has  the 
Reformation  been.  And  there  was  (as  Dr.  Owen  well  observes)  a  wise 
Pr. Owen, " or f»«  jva<«r» qA 0  providcncc  iu  Ordering  it  to  be  so:  "For  had  the  first 

Gotpti  Church;'  p.  13.  reformers  set  themselves  to  remove  out  of  the  church 
all  such  as  were  unmeet  for  its  communion,  and  to  have  reduced  things  to 
their  primitive  institution,  by  reason  of  the  paucity  of  the  number  of  such 
church  members,  the  endeavour  for  a  general  reformation  of  doctrine  and 
worship  would  have  been  obstructed.  Ilciice  it  comes  to  pass  that  the 
reformation  of  the  church,  as  unto  the  matter  of  it,  was  not  attempted, 
until  Calvin  sot  up  his  discipline  in  Geneva,  which  has  filled  the  world 
with  clamours  against  him  to  this  day.  In  most  other  places  the  matter 
or  members  of  churches  were,  as  to  their  lives  and  conversation,  as  bad 
as  the  pajjists.  Nevertheless,  eminent  divines  of  the  Keformation,  in  this 
and  the  last  century,  have  approved  ■  '  that  whieli  we  are  pleading  for. 
Beza  laments  the  remissness  of  Protestant  churches  in  not  taking 
more  care  about  the  qualihcatioiis  of  their  members;  concluding 
that  there  will  never  bo  such  a  reformation  as  ought  to  be  endeavoured 
afler.  Nisi  a  conversione  cordium  viitium  instaurdlioiiis  sumalur:^  except 
men  with  converted  hearts  be  laid  in  the  fontalalion.  Bucer  finds  fault  with 
BuoT scrivt  Amui:,\\  Euglish  cluirehcs  for  admitting  children  who  had  been  bap- 

cop.  17, p  4K!, 4W.  tij^ej  y,)to  tj^e  Lord's  Supjier,  upon  too  low  terms.  He  says, 
there  should  be  "manifest  signs  of  regeneration  in  them  first:  that  they 
should  appear  to  be  such  as  had  upon  their  hearts  a  sense  of  the  word 

•  It  ia  a  grcnt  task  for  mp  to  induce  tli«  brt'tliren  tii  conwiit  to  tho  lulinission  rf  members:  the  Krcnl  mnsa  of 
the  flock  I  cull  Hcarcoly  pemuaJe  at  ail  to  jK-rmit  the  udniieKiDii  of  siime,  on  the  ground  that  they  do  nut  offer  Biitiis 
of  true  repenttinco. 

t  Treatise  on  the  nisciplino  of  the  noheniiiin  Churches.  %  Test  of  conscience. 

S  Unlew  tlie  fuundaliou  of  tlie  Keforinution  bo  huart-foll  conversion.       [  Bucer  on  the  Englisb  Churches. 


\' 


OB,    THE    HI8T0RT    OF    MEW-ENOLAND. 


To 


and 

the 

)tecl, 

vorld 

natter 

bad 
n  this 

for. 
aking 
luling 
(Hired 
excci>t 
t  with 
n  bap- 
c  says, 
it  they 

word 

at  mn?s  c.l' 
,  offor  »i«ii9 

irclies. 


7  \ 


I 


of  God,  and  tliat  they  did  use  secret  prayer,"  &o.  But  how  should  such 
things  be  known  concerning  them  without  enquiry  into  their  spiritual 
statel  Chamier  commends  the  strictness  used  in  the  primitive  ckumiriiam 
times,  in  examining  those  that  desired  to  joyn  to  the  church,  ••^•'»> 
fje,  qunntwn  fieri  j)oterit,  lateant  SimoneSy\  that  so  Simon  Magus  may  not 
creep  into  the  church,  if  it  were  possible  to  prevent  it.  Luther  did  at 
last  sorrowfully  bewail  it,  that  he  began  his  reformation  with  such  pro- 
miscuous admissions  to  the  tahle  of  the  Lord,  heartily  wishing,  that  ho  had 
taught  and  practised  such  a  church  discipline,  as  that  which  was  professed 
by  the  Bohemian  brethren.  Chemnitius  wisheth  that  the  strictness  used 
among  the  ancients  in  the  probation  of  communicants  were  restored  and 
revived  in  the  churches  of  the  Eeformation.  His  godly  desire  and  hope 
that  in  time  it  will  be  so,  is  approved  of  by  Gerhard,  in  his  Common 
Place,  de  tSacra  Coena.\ 

Some  of  those  that  are  called  Presbyterian  fully  concur  with  us  as  to 
the  substance  of  what  we  plead  for.  When  Mr.  Norton,  in  his  answer  unto 
Apollonius,  does  assert  that  four  things  are  to  be  required  of  those  that 
desire  admission  into  church  fellf)wship: — 1,  A  confession  of  faith;  2,  A 
declaration  of  their  experience  concerning  a  work  of  faith;  3,  A  blame- 
less conversation ;  4,  Professed  subjection  to  the  gospel,  and  the  order  of 
it — that  learned  and  worthy  professor  of  divinity  in  the  university  of 
Leyden,  Dr.  Hornbeck,  declares  his  concurrence  with  him  Hond^k kvuioli  oj 
therein,  and  tlat  in  these  particulars,  those  of  the  congrega-  ^"»».Sp-a» 
tional  way  agree  with  some  other  reformed  churches.  To  my  certain 
knowledge,  eminent  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  perswasion,  in  London, 
examine  their  communicants  (before  they  admit  them  to  partake  with  them 
at  the  Lord's  Table)  concerning  their  faith  and  repentance.  Ami  so  (not- 
withstanding what  is  pleaded  for  by  the  godly  learned  Mr.  Rutherford)  sonio 
do  in  Scotland,  as  divers  worthy  ministers  of  that  nation  have  assured  me. 

The  difference,  as  to  this  niattt^r,  between  a  Presbyterian  and  u  Congre- 
gational man  (who  are  nevertheless  "united  brethren")  is  this:  There  is 
no  Congregational  man  but  he  "reports  to  the  church"  something  of  what 
the  person  desiring  communion  with  them  has  related  to  him;  which  the 
Presbyterian  does  not,  only  declares  his  own  satisfaction,  and  giveth  the 
brethren  a  liberty  to  object  against  the  conversation  (jf  the  admitltiidi.l 
I  know  Presbyterians  who  are  stricter  in  their  examinations  and  admissions 
than  some  Congregational  men.  It  appears,  therefore,  that  such  en(j>iiries 
into  the  spiritual  estate  of  them  who  are  to  be  admitted  unto  full  eoni- 
irmnion,  in  all  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  is  no  lingular  or  7wvel  practice: 
nothing  but  what  is  confirmed  by  "reverend  antiquity,"  and  has  been 
ingenuously  asserted  by  the  great  reformers,  both  of  tlie  former  and  this 
present  age.     Wiiether  the  brdh.en,  as  well  as  the  elders,  should  not  be 

*  Chamier  on  Huptinin. 

t  Thiit  no  Simon  iMumi«  ^hiill  b/  nuy  possibility  bn  found  linking  within  the  fuW  of  the  cliiircti. 

J  On  the  Lord's  Siijuwr.  g  Hornbeck's  Letter  to  Duriim,  |  CHudidHlpi. 


76 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


concerned  as  jitdjes^  concerning  the  qualifications  of  those  w  '  i  tI,oy 
receive  into  their  communion,  is  another  question,  which  I  ahull  not  liero 
enlarge  upon.  It  is  certain  that,  in  the  primitive  ages  of  the  church,  they 
had  that  liberty;  otherwise  Cyprian  would  never  have  said,  Vix jilM per- 
attadeo  ut  tales  patiantar  udmilti,*  &c.  And  elsewhere  confessed  his  obliga- 
tions and  resolutions,  Nihil  sine  consensu  pltbis,  privata  scntentiUf  yerere.f 

It  is  also  certain  that  this  is  an  avowed  principle  of  all  who  are  esteemed 
congrogational.  In  the  declaration  of  the  faith  and  order  owned  ai^d  prac- 
tised in  Congregational  churches  in  England,  agreed  and  consented  unto  by 
their  elders  and  messengers,  in  their  meeting  at  the  Savoy,  October  12, 
1(568,  they  declare,  "that  the  members  of  particular  churches  are  saints 
by  calling,  visibly  manifesting  their  obedience  to  the  call  of  Christ,  who 
being  further  known  to  each  other  by  their  confession  of  faith  wrought  in 
them  by  the  power  of  God,  declared  by  themselves,  or  otherwse  manifested, 
consent  to  walk  together  according  to  the  appointment  of  Christ."  I  have 
known  many  in  England  of  that  way;  but  never  any  that  did  not  con- 
cern the  brethren,  as  well  as  themselves,  to  be  judjes  of  the  fitness  of  those 
who  have  desired  to  be  received  into  their  communion.  It  is  evident  that 
the  church  (and  not  the  officers  only)  have  power  given  them  by  Christ 
to  judge  who  are  meet  to  ho  put  out  of  their  communion — Mat.  xviii.  17; 
1  Cor.  v.  12.  Then  they  must  needs  have  the  like  power  as  to  those  that 
are  to  be  taken  into  their  communion.  Ejusdeni  est  potestatis  constituere  et 
destituere^  is  a  known  received  axiom.  If  the  whole  church  has  power  to 
judge  of  the  repentance  of  one  that  is  to  be  re-admitted,  then  of  the  repent- 
ance of  one  that  is  to  have  his  first  admission.  But  the  Apostle  speaks  to 
the  church,  and  not  to  the  officers  only  to  restore  the  penitent  C<jrinthian 
to  their  communion — 2  Cor.  ii.  8.  Again,  If  the  "whole  multitude  of 
disciples"  have  power  to  judge  whether  persons  are  qualified  with  that 
wisdom  and  grace  as  to  be  meet  for  oflice-relation  in  the  church,  then  they 
have  power  to  judge  concerning  the  knowledge  and  grace  of  communi- 
cants. The  argument  is  a  mojori  ad  mimis.%  They  that  are  meet  judges 
in  a  greater  matter,  much  more  in  that  which  is  less.  But  the  former  is 
clear  from  the  Scripture — Acts  vi.  2,  3,  4.  For  further  satisfaction  in  this 
point,  Mr.  Norton  and  Mr.  Shepard  may  be  consulted,  with  that  man  of 
vast  reading  and  learning,  Mr.  Iloh.irt  Parker. 

These  things  I  have  supposed  to  be  proper  for  me  to  write  to  you,  tlie 
Church  of  Christ  in  Cambridge;  not  as  doubting  of  your  stedfastness  in 
the  truth  to  this  day  professed  and  practised  by  you,  but  as  desiring  that 
those  who  shall  succeed  you,  may  c<jntinue  to  walk  therein;  and  that  so  I 
might  testifie  the  peculiar  respect  that  I  do  (and  ought  to)  bear  unto  you, 
on  the  account  of  the  undeserved  love  which  all  of  you  have  manifested 
towards  me.    Five  years  are  not  expired  since  you  were  pleased  unani- 

•  [Translated  on  p.  74.] 

t  To  miikt)  no  u(l<lltioii  to  the  church  on  iiny  one's  priviitc  Jndijment.  without  the  common  consent  of  (he  flock. 

t  The  power  to  admit  und  the  power  tu  expel  revlde  In  the  name  pemoii.       g  Kioni  the  grenter  to  tliu  load. 


your  W< 
churchei 
They  ca 
two  or 
are  the 
lege  whi 
rupted, 
city  of  ( 
if  the  C( 
there,  hi 
you  wise 
to  many 
you.     It 
And  the 


11  III 


OK,    TllK    IIISTOKV    OF    N  EW-E  N"  O  L  A  N  D. 


TT 


moiisly  to  iiivitci  mo  to  nocopt  of  the  |ift8tornl  oflRco  over  you.  But  the 
miwillingiiess  of  the  dour  jHioplc,  ninong  whom  I  have  been  labouring  in 
tlio  Gospel  for  the  spaoo  of  thirty-six  yearH,  that  I  should  leave  them,  in 
consideration  of  some  other  obstacles,  kept  mo  ftrom  complying  with  that 
your  loving  motion.  Nevertheless,  I  cannot  but  whilst  I  live  have  a  dear 
alfection  for  you,  and  know  not  how  to  express  it  more  than  by  endeav- 
ouring what  in  me  lies,  that  you  and  your  children  after  you  may  be 
conlirmcd  in  those  ways  of  the  Lord  which  your  fathers,  and  your  selves 
too,  have  exj)erienced  so  much  of  His  presence  in.  And  I  have  also  con- 
sidered that  you  are  singularly  circumstanced,  in  that  there  are  residing 
with  you  the  "sons  of  the  j>rophets,"  whose  establishment  "in  tlie  present 
truth,"  I.  am,  more  than  any  man  in  tiio  world,  under  an  obligation  to 
j)romove,  and  I  certainly  know  (net  altogether  without  an  awful  sense 
of  it)  that  the  Son  of  Gud  will  e'er  long  enquire  of  mo  whether  I  did  in 
this  matter  discharge  my  duty,  according  to  his  expectation,  to  whom 
I  must  bo  accountable  concerning  the  improvement  of  whatever  talents  or 
op}>ortunitics  to  servo  His  interests  He  has  or  shall  trust  me  with  whilst  I 
am  in  this  world. 

A  few  words  let  mo  further  speak  to  you,  who  belong  to  that  nursery 
for  religion  and  learning,  which  has  for  a  long  time  been  the  glory^  not  of 
Cambridge  only,  but  of  New  Kngland.  Sixteen  years  will  this  summer  bo 
lapsed  since  God,  by  his  j)rovidence,  devolved  the  Presidentship  of  that 
society  into  my  hands  to  manage  it  (so  far  as  my  insufficiencies  for  such  a 
service  will  permit)  for  tho  ends  which  He  (and  our  fathers,  as  his  instru- 
ments) did  at  first  erect  a  Colledge  in  New-England  upon;  which  was 
chiefly,  that  so  scholars  might  there  be  educated  for  the  service  of  Christ 
and  His  churches,  in  tho  "work  of  the  ministry,"  and  that  they  might  be 
seasoned  in  their  tender  years  with  such  principles  as  brought  their  blessed 
progenitors  into  this  wilderness.  What  my  solicitudes  for  this  have  been 
in  both  Englands,  is  known  to  Him  who  said  to  the  churches,  "I  know 
your  works."  There  is  no  one  thing  of  greater  concernment  to  these 
churches,  in  present  and  after  times,  than  the  prosperity  of  that  society. 
They  cannot  subsist  without  a  Colledge.  There  are  at  this  day  not  above 
two  or  three  of  our  churches  but  what  are  supplyed  from  thence.  Nor 
are  the  churches  like  to  continue  "pure  golden  candle-sticks,"  if  the  Col- 
lege which  should  supply  them  prove  apostate.  If  the  fountain  be  cor- 
rupted, how  should  tho  streams  be  pure,  which  sliould  "make  glad  the 
city  of  God?"  How  should  "plants  of  renown"  spring  up  from  thence, 
if  the  Colledge  it  self  become  a  degenerate  plant?"  You  that  are  tutors 
there,  have  a  great  advantage  put  into  your  hands  (and  I  pray  God  give 
you  wisdom  to  know  it!)  to  prevent  it.  The  Lord  hath  made  yon  fathers 
to  many  pupils.  You  will  not  deny  but  that  He  has  made  me  a  father  to 
you.  It  was  my  recommendation  that  brought  you  into  that  station. 
And  therelbre,  as  my  joy  will  bo  greater  to  see  you  acquit  your  selves 


<  ,1 

if. 


78 


MAONALIA   OHBISTI    AMERICANA: 


I 

¥1 


worthily,  so  my  earnest  solicitudes  for  it  must  needs  be  the  more,  en  tl'nt 
account.  There  are  many  (I  believe  you  wish  you  could  say  so  of  all  of 
them)  who  were  once  under  your  tuition,  that  do  worthily  in  Ephratah,  and 
are  like  to  be  famous  in  Bethlehem,  for  which  you  ought  to  (and  I  doubt 
not  but  you  do)  humbly  bless  the  Lord ;  that  you  (and  they  who  shall 
succeed  you)  may  be  yet  greater  blessings,  let  me  commend  unto  you  the 
example  of  this  blessed  man,  whose  life  is  here  described.  When  Jerom 
had  considered  the  life  of  Hilarion,  he  resolved  "Hilarion  shall  be  the 
champion,  whom  I  will  follow!"  Say  each  of  you,  "Mitchel  (once  a 
tutor  in  Harvard-Colledge)  shall  be  the  example,  whom  I  will  imitate  1" 
You  will  see,  in  the  story  of  his  life,  that  he  did  not  only  instruct  hia 
pupils  in  the  knowledge  of  the  tongues  and  arts,  but  that  he  would  some- 
times discourse  them  about  the  spiritual  estate  of  their  immortal  souls. 
Such  private  personal  instructions,  are  many  times  more  effectual  to  con- 
version than  publick  sermons.  Some  very  worthy  persons,  who  were 
once  his  scholars,  have  a  living  remembrance  of  his  words  to  this  day. 
Others  of  them  are  now  with  him  in  glory,  blessing  God  to  eternity,  whose 
providence  disposed  them  under  such  a  tutor.  Famous  Dr.  Preston  chose 
rather  to  live  in  Cambridge,  than  in  any  place  of  England,  because,  by 
reason  of  the  University  there,  he  had  an  opportunity,  Non  moch  dolare 
Lapides,  scd  Artichitectos — to  "prepare  builders  for  the  house  of  God." 
The  Angels  in  heaven  would  not  think  it  beneath  them  to  be  employed 
in  so  groat  a  work  and  service  for  the  churches  of  Christ,  as  that  which 
infinite  g...ce  has  called  you  unto.  If  you  follow  those  that  have  gone 
before  you  (Mitchel  in  particular)  as  they  have  followed  Christ,  your 
names  will  be  precious  and  honourable  like  theirs,  and  you  shall  live  after 
you  are  dead,  as  they  now  do. 

And  for  you  that  are  the  students  in  the  Colledge:  I  have  often  (as  you 
know)  in  my  discourses  among  you,  exhorted  you  above  all  things  to 
study  Christ,  and  to  be  mindful  of  "the  one  thing  necessary."  Gifts  with- 
out grace  will  be  of  no  avail  unto  you  at  last.  You  may  excel  in  knowl- 
edge, and  yet  be  of  all  in  the  world  the  most  miserable,  and  most  like  to 
the  devils,  as  a  converted  Indian  once  said  concerning  some  scholars. 
You  know  that  many  philosophers  who  were  heathen  excelled  in  that 
which  is  called,  humane  learning.  And  so  have  some  Popish  authors 
(Jesuits  especially)  done,  whose  books  have  been  very  edifying  to  others. 
I  must  confess  that,  as  to  that  small  measure  of  knowledge  which  I  have 
attained  unto,  I  have,  (for  some  part  of  it)  been  beholden  to  the  Divine 
Providence  for  the  works  of  Ricciolus,  Galtruchius,  and  others  of  that  fra- 
ternity, who  were  very  learned  mm,  though  enemies  of  the  true  Protestant 
religion.  Knowledge,  then,  without  Christ  and  holiness,  will  never  bring 
you  to  heaven.  One  has  written  a  book,  "cfe  Salute  Aristolusf^*  and 
another,  "6?e  Animabus  Paganoram,"-\  endeavouring  to  prove  that  the  phii- 

*  Artitolut  on  Sulvation.  f  Concerning  the  souls  of  the  Heathen, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


79 


gone 

your 

!  after 


osophere  who  "knew  not  the  only  true  God,"  nor  Jesus  Christ,  have 
eternal  life.  Let  such  and  all  other  Pelagian  and  Arminian  principles  be 
f:ir  from  you.  But  do  not  think  it  is  enough,  if  you  be  orthodox  in  the 
fundamental  points  of  religion.  It  was  not  (I  can  assure  you)  on  any  such 
account  that  vour  fathers  followed  Christ  into  this  wilderness,  '*  when  it 
was  a  land  not  sown."  If  you  degenerate  from  the  "order  of  the  gospel," 
(as  well  as  from  the  "faith  of  the  gospel")  you  will  justly  merit  the  name 
of  apostates  and  of  degenerate  plants.  And  such  degeneracy  in  the  children 
of  New-England,  and  most  of  all  in  yoUy  will  be  worse  than  in  any  children 
in  the  world.  If  any  of  you  shall  prove  such,  remember  that  you  were 
told  that  you  take  an  unhappy  time  to  degenerate  in.  He  whose  "fan  is  ia 
his  hand,  will  thoroughly  purge  his  floor."  The  day  is  near  when  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  make  his  churches  more  pure  and  reformed  than  in 
the  former  ages :  and  will  you  at  such  a  time  corrupt  your  selves  with 
loose  and  large  principles  in  matters  relating  to  the  house  of  God,  "  whose 
house  holiness  becomes  for  ever!"  How  if  some  of  you  should  live  to  see 
that  scripture  verified,  where  the  Lord  says,  "  The  Levites  that  are  gone 
fiir  from  me,  when  Israel  went  astray,  they  shall  not  come  near  unto  me, 
to  do  the  office  of  a  priest  unto  me ;  but  the  sons  of  Zadok  that  kept  the 
charge  of  my  sanctuary,  they  shall  enter  into  my  sanctuary  and  they  shall 
come  near  to  my  table  to  minister  unto  me!" — Ezek.  xliv.  10. 15.  Let  me 
recommend  unto  you  the  weighty  words  of  my  most  dear  and  worthv 
friend  and  predecessor,  Mr.  Oakes,  once  your  learned  president,  which  he 
delivered  (and  afterwards  printed)  on  a  very  solemn  occasion.  He  speuk- 
eth  to  you  thus: 

"Consider  [suith  he]  what  will  be  the  enJof  receding  or  making  i„ his Eiect,o„ s«rmo„ oa  Deut. 
a  defection  from  the  way  of  church  government  estjiblished  amongst  "^  ^    p-  ">  ^^ 

us.  I  profess,  I  look  upon  the  discovery  and  settlement  of  the  Congregational  way,  as  the 
boon,  the  gratuity,  the  largess  of  divine  bounty,  which  the  Lord  graciously  bestowi-d  on  His 
people,  that  followed  Him  into  this  wilderness;  and  a  great  part  of  the  blessing  on  the  huad 
of  Joseph,  and  of  them  who  were  separate  from  their  brethren.  These  good  people  that 
came  over,  shewed  more  love,  zeal,  and  affectionate  di^sire  of  communion  with  God  in  jmre 
worsliip  and  ordinances,  and  did  more  in  order  to  it  than  others,  and  the  Lord  did  more  for 
them  than  for  any  people  in  the  world,  in  shewing  them  the  pallern  of  His  house,  and  the 
true  scriptural-way  of  church  government  and  administrations.  God  was  certainly  in  a  more 
than  ordinary  way  of  favor  present  with  his  servants  in  laying  of  our  foundations,  and  in 
settling  the  way  of  church  order  according  to  the  will  and  appointment  of  Christ.  Consider, 
what  will  be  the  sad  issue  of  revolting  from  the  way  fixed  upon,  to  one  cxtream  or  to 
another,  whether  it  be  to  Presbytcrianism  or  Brownisra;  as  for  the  Presbyterians,  it  must 
be  acknowledged  that  there  are  among  them  as  pious,  learned,  sober,  orihodox  men,  as  the 
world  affords;  and  that  there  is  as  much  of  the  'power  of  Godliness'  among  that  party,  and 
of  the  spirit  of  the  good  old  Puritans,  as  among  any  people  in  the  world.  And,  for  their 
way  of  church-government,  it  must  be  confessed  that  in  tlie  day  of  it,  it  was  a  very  consid- 
erable step  to  reformation.  The  reformation  in  K.  Edward's  days  was  then  a  blessed  work. 
And  Uie  reformation  of  Geneva  and  Scotland  was  then  a  larger  step,  and  in  many  respects 
purer  than  the  other.  And  for  my  part  I  fully  believe  that  the  Congregational  way  far 
exceeds  but!),  and  is  the  highest  step  that  has  been  taken  towards  reformation,  and  for  the 


M 


80 


MAGNALIA    CURISTI    AMERICANA. 


«iib8tiin:'e  of  it,  it  is  the  very  same  way  that  was  established  and  practised  in  the  'primitive 
tinu-8,' aei'ording  to  the  institution  of  Jesus  Christ.  I  must  needs  say  that  I  should  look 
upon  it  as  a  sad  degeneracy,  if  we  should  leave  the  good  old  way,  so  far  as  to  turn  councils 
and  synods  into  clauses  and  provincial  assemblies,  and  there  should  be  such  a  laxness  in 
admission  of  members  to  communion,  as  is  pleaded  for,  and  practised  by  many  Presbyterians, 
and  elders  should  manage  all  themselves  in  an  autocratical  way,  to  the  ibversion  of  th« 
liberty  and  privilege  of  the  brethren." 

Thus  Mr.  Oakes.  As  for  that  excellently  learned  and  holy  man,  Mr. 
Charles  Chauncey,  who  for  many  3'^ears  presided  over  Harvard-Col  ledge, 
none  of  you  who  now  belong  to  that  society  can  remember  him.  But  you 
have  heard  what  his  dyivg  charge  to  his  sons  (who  through  grace  tread  in 
their  father's  steps)  was  in  his  last  will  and  testament,  which  you  may  see 
published  with  his  life  in  due  Lime.  He  that  is  now  your  president — A 
longe  sequitur  vestigia,  semper  adorans;*  yet  is  willing  not  to  evert  or  under- 
mine the  foundation,  which  his  blessed  predecessors  have  laid,  but  to  build 
thereon.  I  remember  Buchanan  (who  was  tutor  to  K.  James  I.)  in  the 
preface  to  Itis  Baptistes,  which  he  dedicates  to  that  K.,  says,  that  the  reason 
why  he  dici  so  was,  "That  in  case  he  should,  through  the  influence  of  evil 
counsellors,  om  any  other  cause,  be  guilty  of  male-administration  in 

his  governm.  it,  after  ages  should  know  that  the  blame  ought  to  be 
imputed  not  to  his  tutor,  but  to  himself"  So  let  me  say,  if  you,  the 
students  in  Harvard-Colledge,  or  any  of  you,  shall  deviate  and  degenerate 
from  the  holy  priucijjlcs  and  practices  of  your  fathers,  the  world  shall  know, 
and  posterity  shall  know,  that  the  reason  of  it  is  not  for  want  of  being 
otherwise  instructed  by  your  present,  as  well  as  by  former  presidents. 

Increase  Matuer. 

May  7, 1697. 


mm 


ECCLESIA8TF.3;   OR,  THE    LIFE    OF   MR.  JONATHAIV   MITCHEL. 

Sanctorum  Vitas  Legere  ft  von  Vivere,  frustra  est; 
Sanctorum  Vitas  Degiie,  non  Legite.t 

§  1.  It  is  reported  concerning  the  ancient  Phrygians,  that  when  a  priest 
expired  among  them,  they  honored  him  with  a  pillar  ten  fathom  high, 
whereon  they  placed  his  dead  body,  as  if  he  were  to  continue,  after  his 
death,  from  thence  instructing  of  the  people.  Nor  can  a  minister  of  the 
gospel  have  any  more  honorable  funeral  than  tliat,  by  which  his  instruction 
of  the  people  may  be  most  continued  unto  the  people,  after  his  expiration. 
But  I  may,  without  any  danger  of  mistake,  venture  to  affirm,  that  there 
cannot  easily  be  found  a  minister  of  tlie  gospel  in  our  days,  more  worthy 
to  have  the  story  of  his  life  employed  for  the  instruction  of  mankind  after 
his  decease,  than  our  excellent  Mitchel.     And  therefore  I  shall  now 

•  Fo'.lowm  hlH  footsloppi,  nKhiiiiK))  fiir  bcliiml  him.  wilh  iinruiliiiK  reverwice. 

t  Good  lives  to  read  mid  not  lu  live— despise ;    |    To  lead  and  not  to  roud  them— that  were  wIjo. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


81 


0 

ik 
Is 
ill 

htt 


see 

-A 

ler- 

ailil 

tVie 

isou 

evil 

n  in 

)  be 

,  the 

erate 

i:n)NV, 


L. 


I  priest 
higli, 
icr  his 
lof  the 
[uction 
(ration, 
there 
ivorthy 
Id  afttT 
111  now 


ifi'a 


endeavour  to  set  him  on  as  high  a  pillar,  as  the  best  history  that  I  can 
give  of  his  exemplary  life  can  erect  for  that  worthy  man;  for  whom  stat- 
ues of  Corinthian  brass  were  but  inadequate  acknowledgements. 

§  2.  If  it  were  counted  an  honor  to  the  town  of  Halifax  in  Yorkshire 
that  the  famous  John  de  &icro  Bosco,*  author  of  the  well  known  treatise 
"Z^e  >S/jAocra,"f  was  born  there;  this  town  was  no  less  honored  by  its  being 
the  place  of  birth  to  our  no  less  worthily  famous  JONATHAN  MiTCHEL, 
the  author  of  a  better  treatise  of  heaven,  who,  being  descended  (as  a 
printed  account  long  since  has  told  us)  of  pious  and  wealthy  parents,  here 
drew  his  first  breath,  in  the  year  1624.  The  precise  day  of  his  birth  is 
lost,  nor  is  it  worth  while  for  us  to  enquire,  by  an  astrological  calculation, 
what  aspect  the  stars  had  upon  his  birth,  since  the  event  has  proved,  that 
God  the  Father  was  in  the  horoscope,  Christ  in  the  mid-heaven,  the  Spirit 
in  the  sixth  house,  repentance,  faith  and  love  in  the  eighth:  and  in  the 
twelfth,  an  eternal  happiness,  where  no  Saturn  can  dart  any  malignant 
rays.  Here,  while  the  "father  of  his  flesh"  was  endeavouring  to  make 
him  learned  by  a  proper  education,  the  "Father  of  spirits"  used  the  methods 
of  grace  to  make  him  serious;  especially  by  a  sore  feavour,  which  had 
like  to  have  made  the  tenth  year  of  his  life  the  last,  but  then  settled  in  his 
arm,  with  such  troublesome  effects,  that  his  arm  grew,  and  kept  a  little 
bent,  and  he  could  never  stretch  it  out  right  until  his  dying  day.  And 
upon  this  accident  he  afterwards  wrote  this  reflection:  "Thus  the  Lord 
sought  to  make  me  serious  (Oh!  when  will  it  once  be!)  by  steeping  my 
first  entrance  into  years  of  understanding,  and  into  the  changes  of  life,  and 
my  first  motions  to  New-England,  in  eminent  and  special  sorrows."  Now, 
h\^  first  motions  to  New-England,  mentioned  in  this  reflection,  invite  us  to 
hasten  unto  that  part  of  our  history  which  is  to  r.;]: ?te,  that  iiis  parents 
were  some  of  those  exemplary  Christians  which,  by  the  unconscionable 
impositions  and  persecutions  of  the  English  hierarchy  upon  the  consciences 
of  people,  as  remarkable  for  true  Christianity  as  any  in  the  realm  were 
driven  out  of  it  in  the  year  1635.  The  si  ip  which  brought  over  Mr. 
Kichard  Mather,  and  many  more  of  those  Puritans,  which  had  found  the 
church  of  England,  then  governed  by  such  an  "assembly  of  treacherous 
men,"  (a  faction  to  whom  that  name,  "the  church  of  England,"  never  truly 
belonged)  that  they  were  put  upon  wishing,  with  the  persecuted  prophet, 
"Oh!  that  I  had  in  the  wilderness  a  lodging-place  of  way-faring  men!" 
was  further  enriched  by  having  on  board  our  Jonathan,  then  a  child  of 
about  eleven  years  of  age;  whose  parents  with  much  difficult}  and  reso- 
lution carried  him  unto  Bristol  to  take  shipping  there,  while  he  was  not 
yet  recovered  of  his  illness.  On  the  coast  of  New-England,  they  were 
delivered  from  a  most  eminent  and  amazing  hazard  of  perishing,  in  a 
most  horrible  tempest;  upon  which  deliverance  Mr.  Mather  preached  a 
lermon  from  that  scripture,  John  v.  14:  "Sin  no  more,  least  a  worse  thing 

*  Of  noly-Woml.  f  Concerning  the  Heavens. 

Vol.  II.— 6 


m 


\-  -'^7^ 


82 


MA6NALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


come  unto  thee;"  whereby  further  impressions  of  seriousness  were  made 
upon  the  soul  of  this  young  disciple. 

§  3.  The  godly  father  of  our  Jonathan  found  that  America  as  well  as 
Europe,  New-England  as  well  as  old  England,  was  a  part  of  old  Adam's 
world;  well  stocked  every  where  with  the  thorns  of  worldly  vanities  and 
vexations;  and  that  a  wilderness  was  a  place  where  temptation  was  to  be 
met  withal.  All  his  family,  and  the  Jonathan  of  the  family  with  the  rest, 
were  visited  with  sickness  the  winter  after  their  first  arrival  at  Charlestown, 
and  the  scarcity  then  afflicting  the  countrey  added  unto  the  afflictions  of 
their  sickness.  Eemoving  to  the  town  of  Concord,  his  greater  matters  con- 
tinually became  smaller  there,  his  beginnings  were  there  consumed  by  fire, 
and  some  other  losses  befel  him  in  the  latter  end  of  that  winter.  The  next 
summer  he  removed  unto  Say-brook,  and  the  next  spring  unto  Weathers- 
field  upon  Connecticut  river,  by  which  he  lost  yet  more  of  his  possessions 
and  plunged  himself  into  other  troubles.  Towards  the  close  of  that  year 
he  had  a  son-in-law  slain  by  the  Pequot  Indians;  and  the  rest  of  the  winter 
they  lived  in  much  fear  of  their  lives  from  those  barbarians,  and  many  of 
his  cattel  were  destroyed,  and  his  estate  unto  the  value  of  some  hundreds 
of  pounds  was  damnified.  A  shallop,  which  he  sent  unto  the  river's 
mouth,,  was  taken,  and  burned  by  the  Pequots,  and  three  men  in  the 
vessel  slain^  in  all  of  whom  he  was  nearly  concerned:  So  that  indeed  the 
Pequot  scourge  fell  more  on  this  family  than  on  any  other  in  the  land. 
Afterward  there  arose  unhappy  differences  in  the  place  where  he  lived, 
wherein  he  was  an  antagonist  against  some  of  the  principal  persons  in  the 
place,  and  hereby  he  that  had  hitherto  "lived  in  precious  esteem  with  good 
men,  wherever  he  came"  (as  a  record  I  have  seen  testifies  concerning  him) 
now  suffered  much  in  his  esteem  among  many  such  men,  as  'tis  usual  in 
such  contentions,  and  he  met  with  many  other  injuries;  for  which  causes 
he  transferred  himself,  with  his  interests,  unto  Staihford  in  the  colony  of 
New-Haven.  Here  his  house,  barn,  and  goods  were  again  consumed  by 
fire;  and  much  internal  distress  of  mind  accompanied  these  humbling  dis- 
pensations. At  last,  that  most  horrible  of  diseases,  the  stone,  arrested  him, 
and  he  underwent  unspeakable  dolours  from  it,  until  the,  year  1645,  when 
he  went  unto  hio  rest  about  the  fifty-fifth  year  of  his  age. 

§  4.  Although  the  good  Spirit  of  God  gave  our  Jonathan  to  improve 
much  in  his  holy  dispositions  while  he  was  yet  a  youth,  by  the  calamities 
which  thus  befel  his  father — and  particularly  upon  occasion  of  a  sad  thing 
befalling  a  servant  of  his  father's,  who,  instead  of  going  to  the  lecture  at 
Hartford,  as  he  had  been  allowed  and  advised,  would  needs  go  fell  a  tre 
for  himself,  but  a  broken  bough  of  the  tree  struck  him  dead,  so  that  he 
never  spoke  or  stirred  more — our  Jonathan,  who  was  then  about  fifteen 
years  old,  in  one  of  his  old  papers  does  relate,  "this  amazing  stroke  did 
much  stirr  my  heart,  and  1  spent  some  time  in  endeavouring  the  work  of 
repentance  according  to  Mr.  Scudder's  directions  in  his  Daily  WalkP 


and  lij 
IJypoA 
remarl 


•  Even  n-i 
f  Reniiiiiy 


OE,    THE    niSTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


88 


If 


improve 
ilamities 
ad  thing 
icture  at 
;11  a  tre 

that  he 
xt  fifteen 
roke  did 

work  of 
Walk:'' 


nevertheless,  he  had  this  'lisad vantage,  that  he  was  thereby  diverted  from 
studu  and  karning,  for  the  firs*  seven  years  after  his  coming  into  the  coun- 
try. Had  it  not  been  for  the  disadvantage  of  this  intermission,  we  had  seen 
some  lively  emulation  of  Bellarmiue'a  open  lectures  of  divinity,  at  sixteen 
years  of  age,  or  Torquato  Quasso's  receiving  his  degrees  in  philosophy  and 
divinity  at  seventeen,  or  Grotias's  publishing  of  commentaries  at  the  like 
seventeen.  For  he  was,  as  the  historian  observes,  all  that  will  prove  con- 
siderable, must  be,  Puer,  qu'.  Seminaria  Virtutum  Generosiore  concretus,  all- 
quid  Inclytum  designasset^-'  But  after  so  long  an  intermission,  as  until 
September  in  the  year  1642,  and  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age,  upon  the 
earnest  advice  of  some  that  observed  his  great  capacity,  and  especially  of 
Mr.  Mather,  with  whom  h-j  came  into  New-England,  he  resumed  his 
designs  for  study  and  learning:  wherein  he  made  so  vigorous  a  progress, 
that  in  the  year  1616  he  was,  upon  a  strict  examination,  admitted  into 
Harvard  Colledge.  Nor  was  it  very  long  before  Mr.  Mather,  who  was  the 
adviser  of  this  matter,  had  the  consolation  of  seeing  the  excellent  labours 
of  this  person  in  the  pulpit  worthy  of  his  own  constant  journeys  to  his 
monthly  lectures;  yea,  and  the  most  considerable  fathers  of  the  country, 
with  himself,  treating  this  person  as  not  "coming  behind  the  very  chiefest 
of  them  all,"  and  tasting  his  communications,  not  as  "unripe  grapes,"  or 
"wine  just  out  of  the  press." 

§  .5.  But  before  we  can  fairly  arrive  to  that  part  of  our  story,  it  will  be 
&■&  profitable,  as  necessary  for  us  to  observe  the  steps  whereby  Grod  made  him 
GREAT.  The  faculties  of  mind,  with  which  the  "God  that  forms  the  spirit 
of  man"  enriched  him,  were  very  notable.  He  had  a  dear  head,  a  copious 
fancy,  a  solid /Mo^men;!,  a  tenacious  memory,  and  a  certain  discretion,  without 
any  childish  laschete  or  levity  in  his  behaviour,  which  commanded  respect 
from  all  that  viewed  him :  so  that  it  might  be  .said  of  him,  as  it  once  was 
of  a  great  person  in  the  English  nation,  'they  thnt  knew  him  from  a  child, 
never  knew  him  any  other  than  a  man."  Under  these  advantages,  he 
was  an  hard  student,  and  he  so  prospered  in  his  indefatigable  studies,  that 
he  became  a  scholar  of  illnminntions,  not  far  from  the  first  magnitude: 
recommended  by  which  qualifications,  it  was  not  long  before  he  was  chosen 
a  Fellow  of  the  Colledge.  But  the  main  strokes  of  his  Colledge  life,  that 
I  shall  single  out  for  my  reader's  observation,  are  of  yet  an  higher  char- 
acter. Know,  then,  that  as  it  was  his  own  counsel  to  his  brother,  "the 
writing  of  sometimes  your  former  and  present  life,  would  be  a  thing  of 
endless  use,"  thus  it  was  his  manner,  whilst  in  the  Colledge,  to  keep  a 
brief  diary,  written  in  the  Latin  tongue,  which  ho  wrote  indeed  fluently 
and  handsomely;  and  from  a  part  of  this  diary,  by  him  entitled,  "  Vitm 
ITypomnemata,^'\  happily  fallen  into  my  hands,  I  shall  note  some  few 
remarkobles. 

•  Even  ns  n  chilil,  (jIvlnR  proof  of  generous  elflraents  of  rlrtue,  nnd  foreshadowing  something  worihy  of  dletln'-tlon. 
t  Keminisceiiccs  of  my  life. 


84 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA 


He  kept  a  strict  eye  upon  his  interior  state  btfore  God;  and  upon  the 
dispositions  of  his  heart,  as  well  in  sacred  as  in  civil  entertainments;  but 
with  an  extreme  severity  of  reflection  upon  himself,  when  perhaps,  at  the 
same  time,  the  severest  spectator  upon  earth  besides  would  have  judged 
every  thing  in  him  worthy  to  have  been  admired^  rather  than  censured. 
He  would  record  such  things  as  these :   One  time, 

In  my  prayer,  God  was  justly  withdrawn  from 
my  unsavory  and  desolate   heart,  that  so  He 


Inter  precandum,  Deua  ae  Inaipido  ae  Dea- 
olato  Corde  juate  abfuit,  ut  me  {quo  nihil  magia 
neceaaarium)  hwniliaret;  Nam  aliter  (aipaulo 
meliua  aliquando  ae  habeat  Cor)  eat  in  me,  quod 
frtphana  Spirituali  Superbia  tilillattir.  Eram 
tamsn  inde  nan  nihil  ad  Deum  Excitatior. 

At  another  time, 

Jfjnnio  privato  interfui,  ubi  multo  Stupoi-e, 
f.t  T'lulta  vanitate  Oppletua  aum;  aliqua  tamen 
vifnurant  Suapiria  et  Deua  non  viaus  eat  me 
'  ni  no  abdicare,  aed  paulo  meliorem  fecit; 
ut'nam  tenuiaaem  et  foviasem  Deaideria,  qua 
.'.'..      'Accendit. 

At  another  time, 

Lccum  eommunem  habui;  vix  abatinu  ia 
aecreta  auperbia;  Licet  turpiaaima  vanitaa 
Animi  {qua  nunquam  non  omnia  mea  vencnan- 
tur)  me  coram  Deo  proatraviaset,  pratur  a'in 
mea  peccata,  qua  me  infra  vermea  ponunt, 
Neque  sane  unquam  aliquid  aut  facio  aut  dico, 
unde  plus  pudoria  quam  Honoris,  mihi  non 
naaciiur,  si  omnia  mecum  perpendo;  et  L  •> 
aolet  sempe-  aliquid  relinquere,  unde  tne  {aai 
tern  upud  me)  pudrfarit. 

At  another  time, 

Colloquiij  Hilaribua,  cum  aociia  quibuadam 
nimia  indulai. 

Ac  another  time, 

Adibam  Boatumum,  et  tbi  Libeitatem  Civilem 
accept,  aed  ex  Oblectamentia  Leve  et  Inaipidum 
Cor. 

At  another, 

Liberiiis  quam  prudentiua  qutBdam  locutua 
turn,  unde  mihipudor. 


might  humble  me ;  than  which  there  is  nothing 
more  needful  for  mc.  For  otherwise  (if  my 
heart  be  at  any  time  in  a  little  better  frame) 
there  is  that  in  me,  which  is  tickled  with  spir- 
itual  pride.  Nevertheless,  I  was  from  hence 
more  excited  God-ward. 

I  was  present  at  a  private  fast,  where  I  was 
filled  with  much  soitiiihneBS  and  vanity:  yet  I 
had  some  lively  sighs;  and  God  seemed  not 
wholly  to  cast  me  off,  but  made  ivie  a  little  better 
than  I  was  before.  I  wish  I  had  retained  and 
cherished  the  desires  which  lie  then  enkindled ! 

I  common-placed.  I  could  scarce  abstain 
from  secret  pride ;  aliho'  a  very  base  vanity  of 
mind  (with  which  every  thing  of  mine  is  poi- 
son'd !)  had  laid  me  low  in  the  dust  before  God, 
besides  my  other  sins,  which  lay  me  lower  than 
the  very  worms  of  the  dust.  But,  indeed,  I 
never  do  or  say  any  thing,  fron:  whence  there 
arises  not  more  of  shame  than  of  honor  to  me, 
if  I  consider  all  things;  and  Gud  uses  in  all  ever 
to  leave  something,  by  which  he  makes  me  at 
least  ashamed  of  my  self 

I  gnve  too  much  liberty  unto  merry  talk  with 
Bome  of  my  friends. 

I  went  unto  Boston,  and  there  took  a  civil 
liberty,  but  from  such  entertainments  my  heut 
grew  light  and  unsavoury. 


I  dif  'oursed  some  things  with  more  freedom 
than  >.  isdom ;  for  which  1  was  ashamed  of 
r.iyself 

Again;  He  laid  up  the  more  especial  admonitions  which  touched  him, 
in  the  sermons  that  he  heard  preached,  or  in  other  more  private  and  use- 
ful conferences,  and  the  resolutions,  which  he  tliereupon  asked  the  help  of 
Heaven  to  follow.     He  would  record  such  things  as  these:    One  time, 


Vix  aliquid  npud  Deum  anpui,  sed  txcitavit 
mf  Concio  Magistri  Hhepardi,  Trrmeniu  plane 
et  prepstantisaima.  Docuit  AUquns  ntsn  qui 
ridentur  inveniri  et  Servari  a  Chrislo  ft  tamen 
posten  pereunt.     IJae  me  tcrrehant  (rt  u'tinam 


I  haid  little  savour  on  my  spirit  before  God: 
but  (I.  terrible  oimI  excellent  sermon  of  Mr.  Shep- 
nrd's  awnkened  me.  He  taught,  thai  there  are 
ponie  who  s-ej-m  to  be  found  and  saved  by  Christ, 
and  yet  afterwards  they  perish.     These  things 


Alloqi 
tis  illutit 
illud 
*i   incori 


^. 


;Ji, 


OK,    THE    IIISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


86 


u 


inflxa  harerent!)  ne  tantum  viderer  tut 
Christi,  tt  ne  ad  morttm  usque  sic  pergertm. 
Rngar.i  Drum,  ut  mei  Miiertua  totam  rem  age- 
ret.  Ilia  Node  multo  pudore,  apud  me  tuf- 
futut  ernm,  quod  hactenui  nihil  in  Meditatione 
quutidiano, /eeeram,  e(  hiuc  eacua  el  ignarut 
in  Divinia,  extra  tneipaum,  et  aine  Deo,  per 
Integraa  Septimanaa  vixeram.  Jam  Statui 
Meditnndi  opua  quotidie  urgere,  quod  ante  hae 
aliquotiea  atatui,  aed,  heu !  Propoaita  violavi; 
unde  auccenaet  Deaa.  Ah,  Quot  et  Quanta 
aeire  potuiaaem  de  Deo,  ai  aeriua  et  conatana  in 
Meditatione  fuiaaem  ! 


terrified  me,  (and  I  wixh.  they  had  stuck  fnut  in 
me!)  lest  I  ihould  only  aeem  to  bt>lunK  ""'*> 
Christ,  and  lest  I  should  thus  go  on  unto  denth. 
I  beg'd  of  God  that  He  would  have  mercy  on 
me,  and  accomplish  the  whole  work  of  His  Rrnoe 
for  me.  That  night  I  was  covered  with  no  little 
shnme,  because  I  had  hitherto  done,  in  a  man- 
ner,  nothing  at  the  work  of  dniiy  meditation, 
and  hence  I  had  lived  blind,  and  iitnornnt  in 
divine  things,  a  stranger  to  myself,  and  without 
God  for  whole  weeks  together.  I  now  resolved 
every  day  to  urge  the  work  of  meditation,  whirh 
heretofore  I  have  often  resolved, but  alns,  1  havtt 
violnted  my  purposes;  for  which  cause  God  ia 
angry  with  me.  Ah!  how  mnny,  how  mighty 
things  of  God  might  I  have  underMtood,  if  I  had 
been  serious  and  constant  in  meditation  ! 

Mr.  Shepard  preoched  most  profitably.  Thot 
night  I  was  followed  with  serious  thoughts  of 
my  inexpressible  misery,  wherein  I  go  on  most 
miserably  from  Sabbnth  to  Siibbath,  without  God, 
and  without  redemption.  From  hence  1  deter- 
mined that  there  are  things  which  I  must  obiicrve ; 
and  I  commended  these  things  unto  God,  ihnt 
he  would  effect  them  in  me:  First,  that  I  must 
not  remain  quietly  in  this  my  condition ;  but 
that  it  is  intolerable  for  me  to  proceed  as  I  am. 
Secondly,  that  I  inusi,  prny  constantly,  without 
fniniing,  or  any  intermission :  day  and  night  I 
must  cry  unto  the  Lord,  with  groans  that  cannot 
be  uttered.  Thirdly,  L*"  God  will  not  hear  me, 
nor  do  the  things  that  ore  needful  for  me  in  man- 
ifesting to  me  His  love,  let  me  at  least  mourn, 
and  weep,  and  go  on  in  the  bitterness  of  my 
soul.  If  I  eholl  not  have  comfort  and  peac« 
from  God,  let  me  have  none  at  all ! 

Mr.  Samuel  Mather  preached  excellently,  con- 
cerning the  unehangeableneaa  nf  God.  From 
hence  he  rebuked  the  chnngeablenew  md  incon- 
stancy of  men  towards  God.  These  things 
touched  me ;  for  I  was  conscious  to  my  own 
inconstancy  ;  and  being  seriously  ond  inwardly 
smitten  with  the  sense  cf  it,  I  cast  my  self  down 
a:t  the  feet  of  God,  with  vehement  supplications 
for  His  favour. 

Furthermore,  he  acquitted  himself  as  one  concerned  for  the  soxth  of  his 
pupils,  when  he  came  to  have  such  under  hi.s  charge;  and  was  very- 
desirous  to  see  their  hearts  renewed  by  grace,  the  (beginning  or)  head  of 
knowledge,  as  well  as  of  their  heads  furnished  with  other  knowledge.  IIo 
would  record  such  things  as  these:    At  one  time, 

Alloquehar  M.  W.  de  Salutia  Negotio.  Mul- 
tia  ilium  hortabar,  motiebam,  et  dirigebam,  ad 
illud  rurandum,   »i«   avffocaret    Cunvictioiiea, 


At  another  time, 

D.  Shepardua  utilliaaime  doeuit.  Ilia  Noete 
Serite  inatabant  Cugitationea,  de  infnnda  men 
miaeria,  qua  aine  Deo,  aine  Eedemptione,  a  Sab- 
bato  ad  Sabbatum  miaserrimua  pergo.  Inde 
Tria  atatueba7n  mihi  Obaervandn,  qua  etiam 
Deo  commendabam,  ut  in  me  efflceret  Priino, 
Non  Quiete  matiendum  in  hac  mta  conditione; 
Intolerabile  eaae,  ut  sic  pergerem,  Secundo  Pre- 
eandum  conatanter,  aine  Languore,  aut  Inter- 
miaaione,  mane  nocteque  Implorandum  Deum, 
intimia  et  inrffubilibua  suspiriis.  Tertio,  ai 
Deua  non  auacultaveret,  et  qua  opua  aunt  prtts- 
tarit,  in  Amove  aua  manifeatando,  saltern 
Lugeam  et  Lachrymem,  ct  pergam  in  Aviaritu- 
dint  Anima;  ai  Conaolationem  et  Pacem  a  Deo, 
non  habutro,  aaltem  nullum  OMnino  habeam  ! 

At  another  time, 

D.  Samuel  Matherua  eximie  eoneionatua  eat, 
de  Immutabilitate  Dei  Inde  Redarguebat  muta- 
bilitatem  et  Inconatantiam  Hominum  erg(t 
Deum.  llcec  me  tetigerunt:  Conacius  tram 
Inconatantiee  me<e;  Et  aerio,  intimeque  percul- 
aua,  proatratut  coram  Deo  vehementer  Orabam 
Gratiam. 


et   ineonataniia,  Deum  luderit,  aed  precibua 


I  spoke  unto  M.  \V.  about  the  matters  of  eter- 
nal snivntion.  I  largely  exhorted  him,  ailvited 
him,  directed  him  to  be  careful  of  this,  tlmt  ha 
did  not  stifle  his  convictions,  and  mock  God  by 


ii 


66 


yiAQNALlA    OHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


nPOEKAPTEPH^^H.     Utinam  ipte  pra$ta- 
rem,  qua  dixi !     Deut,  terva  ilium  Juvenem .' 

At  another  time, 

S.  M.,  primus  e  Pupillia  meia,  me  alloeutua 
'.et  de  Anitt'.a  aua  statu;  plura  quidem  qi  am 
iperasaen  Latua  audioi;  et  {quod  Deua  d  dit) 
Consilium  addidi,  ut  pergeret  diligenter  Deum 
aequi,  Animabam  ud  tequendum  Deum:  At 
pudfbat  me  Ariditatia  Animi  mei. 


incon«tancy,  but  be  iiiKtnrit  in  pinypr.  I  wisih  I 
could  my  Mir  do,  what  I  spuke!  Lord,  xnvc  that 
young  man ! 

S.  M.,  the  firet  of  my  pupils,  had  some  ^prech 
with  me  about  the  state  of  his  own  soul ;  I  i^lmlly 
heard  more  from  him  thon  I  expected ;  nnd  (with 
the  help  of  God)  I  counselled  him  thnt  he  wonlil 
go  on  to  follow  hard  after  God.  I  eneuuriiu>'<l 
him  to  follow  the  Lord  ;  but  I  was  ashniui'il  uf 
the  barn-Miness  of  my  own  soul ! 

Yea,  how  watchful  he  was,  on  all  occasions,  to  observe  what  occasions 
he  might  have  to  do  good  among  all  the  scholars,  I  shall  no  more  tlum 
transcribe  the  following  passage,  to  intimate: 


Node,  inter  Scholarea,  multa  aeria  dixi  de 
Cognoaeendia  Rebua  Paeia  Nostra,  in  Die  noa- 
tro.  Utinam  ipse  mihimet  Auseultarem  !  Die 
sequenti  plura  ego  collocutus  sum  cum  Contu- 
bemalibus,  ad  prohandum,  esse  Deum,  et  Scrip- 
turas  ease  ipsius  verbum.  Ah,  nimium  serpit 
inter  nos  Atheotes,  et  video  Satanum  multoa 
pemiciosissimos  Diulogismoa  in  Nonnullorum 
Mentes  injicere!  Hoc  malo  peribunt  multi 
Juvenes,  ni  miaerearia,  0  Deua,'  Et  aenai  me 
adhuc  in  kia  miserrime  lenebricoauin,  nee  magia 
aliquid  Rugandum,  quam  ut  Stabiliret  me  quoad 
Fundamentalea  ialaa  veritatea,  claramque  hie 
visionem  darrt!  Hinc  aliquando  Occasionea 
Capto  Kealitatem,  TCN  eEOY  inculcandi,  et 
illustrandi :  quod  non  prursua  mane  video, 
Utinam  tnajori  Cordia  aeiisu,  ego  possem  Deum 
pradicare.  Sed  quid  mirum  me  oppleri  Tene- 
bria,  qui  Oppletua  aum  Cupiditatibua! 


At  night,  among  the  scholars,  I  uttered  innny 
serious  things,  about "  knowing  the  things  o(  our 
peace  in  our  day."  Oh !  that  I  could  my  st-lf 
herein  but  hearken  to  myself!  The  day  fiillow- 
ing,  I  discoursed  more,  with  my  chamber-ftl- 
lowes,  to  prove  ihat  there  is  a  God,  ond  thnt 
the  Scriptures  are  His  word.  Alas!  Atheism 
creeps  in  too  much  among  us,  and  I  see  that 
Satan  does  cast  many  most  pernicious  reneon- 
ings  into  the  minds  of  some.  Many  young  in^n 
will  perish  by  this  mischief,  except  thou,  O  Lord 
God,  have  mercy  on  them!  I  found  my  self 
also  most  miserably  dark  in  these  things ;  nor  is 
there  any  thing  that  I  have  more  cause  to  ask 
than  this:  that  He  would  establish  me  in  these 
fundamentol  truths,  and  give  me  a  clear  vii-ion 
of  them  '  From  hence  I  sometimes  do  snatch 
at  occasions  to  inculcate  and  illustrate  the  reality 
of  the  things  of  God  ;  which  I  see  is  not  alto- 
gether in  vain.  I  wish  I  could  preach  God,  with 
greater  sense  upon  my  heart.  But  what  won- 
der is  it,  if  I  that  am  full  of  hiata,  be  also  full 
of  darkneaa,' 

Reader,  see  how  impossible  it  was  for  this  excellent  young  man  to 
record  any  thing  in  this  diary,  without  some  stroke  of  humiliation  and 
admonition  to  himself  in  the  close  of  all ;  the  ready  way  of  becoming 
excellent/ 

And  while  he  was  thus  a  young  man,  residing  in  the  colledge,  he  would 
sometimes,  on  the  Saturday,  retire  into  the  woods,  near  the  town,  and 
there  spend  a  great  part  of  the  day  in  examining  of  his  own  heart  and 
life,  bewailing  the  evils  which  made  him  want  the  mercies  of  God,  and 
imploring  the  mercies  which  he  wanted  of  the  Lord:  which  custom  of 
spending  Saturday,  he  had  formerly  attended  also  at  South-IIanipton, 
while  he  was  yet  but  as  a  school-boi/  *herc.  Moreover,  it  was,  while  he 
tlins  resided  at  the  colledge,  that  his  brotlter  David,  under  deep  distresses 
of  mind  about  his  everlasting  interests,  addressed  him  for  counsel ;  and 


on,    THE    IllSTO'lY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


87 


our  Joniitlinii  then  wrote  unto  his  brother  that  golden  letter,  which  \v;h, 
ahnost  thiity  years  after,  published  in  London,  at  the  end  of  his  discourse 
of  ylory;  a  letter  whereof  the  famous  Collins  makes  this  remark:  "Every 
reader,  sensible  of  spiritual  things,  will  see  it  written  with  an  excellent 
spirit,  the  spirit  of  God,  and  drawn  out  of  his  own  experiences,  and  this 
when  but  newly  entring  upon  his  ministry;" — a  letter,  wherein  he  dis- 
covers that  experimental  acquaintance  with  the  operations  of  sin  antl  of 
grace  upon  the  souls  of  men,  which  may  intimate  how  eminent  he  was  in 
one  of  the  accomplishments  most  necessary  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel, 
before  he  had  yet  entred  upon  it.  If  Chrysostom,  the  ancient,  were  some- 
times called  insignis  animorum  tractandorum  artifex;*  reader,  here  was  a 
young  man,  who  effectually  proved  himself,  "an  artist,  at  handling  the 
cases  of  a  soul!"  I  remember  that  Alexander  More  judges  three  certain 
epistles  to  be  the  most  "consummate  pieces"  that  ever  the  world  saw; 
namely,  that  of  Calvin,  beft)re  his  institutions;  that  of  Thuanus,  before  his 
history;  and  that  of  Casaubon,  before  his  Polyhius.  Now,  though  this 
epistle  of  our  young  Mitchel  come  not  into  that  class  for  the  embelli.sh- 
ments  of  literature,  yet  it  has  been  reckoned  one  of  the  most  "consum- 
mate pieces"  in  the  methods  of  addressing  a  troubled  mind. 

§  6.  The  extraordinary  learning,  wisdom,  gravity  and  piety  of  this 
incomparable  young  man,  caused  several  of  the  most  considerable  churches 
in  the  countrey  to  contrive  how  they  might  become  owners  of  such  a 
treasure,  even  before  ever  he  had,  by  one  public  sermon,  brought  fortli 
any  of  the  treasure  wherewith  Heaven  had  endowed  him.  The  church 
of  Hartford  in  particular,  being  therein  countenanced  and  encouraged  by 
the  Eeverend  Mr.  Stone,  sent  a  man  and  horse  above  an  hundred  miles 
to  obtain  a  visit  from  him,  in  expectation  to  make  him  the  successor  of 
their  ever  famous  Hooker;  and  though,  upon  the  first  motion  to  him  from 
Hartford,  his  humble  soul  wrote  these  words,  "I  had  more  need  to  get 
alone  into  a  corner,  and  weep,  than  think  of  going  out  into  the  world,  to 
do  such  work:  darkness  and  death  clouds  my  soul!"  yet  he  was  prevailed 
withal  to  visit  them.  At  Hartford  he  preached  his  first  sermon,  (June 
24,  1649,)  upon  Heb.  xi.  27:  "He  endured,  as  seeing  him  who  is  invisible;" 
on  which  action,  though  with  his  usnal  humility,  he  wrote  this  reflection 
in  his  diary: 

"In  preaching  I  was  not  to  seek  of  what  I  had  prepared;  but  my  own  heart  was  drie, 
carnal  and  unaffected,  and  methought  I  could  not  speak  with  any  evidence,  or  presence  of 
the  spirit  of  God;  so  that  when  I  had  done,  I  was  deeply  ashamed  within  myself,  and  could 
not  but  loath  myself,  to  think  how  miserably  I  had  behaved  myself,  in  that  high  employment, 
and  how  unsavoury,  sottish  and  foolish  my  heart  hid  been  therein;  I  thought,  I,  and  ail  I 
did,  well  deserved  to  be  loathed  by  God  and  man." 

Yet  that  judicious  assembly  of  Christians  were  so  well  pleased  with 
the  labours  whereof  he  himself  thought  so  meanly,  that  in  a  meeting,  the 

*  Remarkublu  fur  bis  skill  in  ministerins  to  the  eouls  of  men. 


'ill! 


Li 


Ilf 


Mi 


9g  MAONALIA    CnRISTI    AMERICANA; 

day  following,  they  concluded  to  give  linn  an  invitation  to  settle  aniong 
them:  adding,  that  if  \ie  saw  it  his  best  way  to  continue  a  year  lunger  at 
the  coUedge,  they  would,  however,  immediately  upon  his  acceptance  of 
their  invitation,  advance  a  considerable  sum  of  money,  to  aasi  jt  him  ia 
furnishing  himself  with  a  library  (not  unlike  what  the  Urati><layian  senate 
once  did  for  the  hopeful  young  Lucas  PoUio,  when  they  saw  him,  juvoiem 
ibtibiis  ornatum  a  JJeOy  non  vulgaribus:*  which  they  said,  was  "no  new 
thing  among  them,  having  had  Mr.  Hooker's  instruction  for  doing  so." 
But  he  durst  not  then  accept  of  their  kind  proposals;  for  before  his  jour- 
ney to  Ilartford,  the  renowned  Mr.  Shejjard,  with  the  priucipal  persons  in 
Cambridge,  had  opportunely  pray'd  him  that  he  would  come  down  from 
Hartford,  as  free  as  he  went  up,  insomuch  as  ho  did  upon  divers  accounts 
most  belong  to  Cambridge,  and  Cambridg-^  did  hope  that  he  would  yet 
more  belong  unto  them.  When  Mr.  Shepard  first  mentioned  this  thing 
unto  him,  he  did  with  his  constant  humility  record  it  in  his  diary,  with 
this  reflection,  Ecfo  inirabar  fiinc  rem/  Quid  in  me  videt  Populus  Dei?  lotum 
Negotium  Reliqid  Deo  ayendum — "I  wondred  nt  this  matter  1  What  is  it 
that  the  people  of  God  sees  in  me?  I  left  the  whole  business  to  the  Divine 
management!"  And  now  returning  to  Cambridge,  he  no  sooner  came 
into  the  pulpit  (August  12,  1649,)  but  Mr.  Shepard  must  go  out  of  it  I 
Mr.  Shepard  in  the  evening  told  him,  "this  was  the  place  where  he  should, 
by  right,  be  all  the  rest  of  liis  dayes:"  and  enquiring  of  some  good  people, 
"how  Mr.  Mitchel'>4  iiiv.st  sermon  was  approved  among  them;"  they  told 
him,  "very  well."  ''^bcn  said  he,  "My  work  is  done!"  And  behold, 
within  a  few  tiuycs  more ,  that  great  man  was  by  death  taken  oft";  so  that 
the  unauinious  desire  of  Cambridge  for  Mr.  Mitchel  to  be  their  pastor 
was  hastened,  with  several  circumstances  of  necessity  for  him  to  comply 
with  their  desire.  But  as  the  Jews  used  to  say  about  the  birth  of  li. 
Jehuda,  on  the  very  same  day  that  another  famous  rabbi  dyed,  Eo  die 
occidit  Lux  Israelis,  et  iterum  Orta  cst,"f  so  I  may  now  say,  "the  same  day 
was  the  light  of  New-England  extinguished  and  revived!" 

§  7.  Occuhuit  Sol;  Nox  nidla  iSecuta  es/.ij:  Upon  the  setting  of  Shepard 
there  arose  Mitchel,  in  whose  light  not  only  the  church  of  Cambridge, 
but  the  colledge,  and  the  whole  country,  were  now  '*  to  rejoyce  for  a  season." 
The  eyes  of  all  New-England  were  upon  him  with  great  expectations;  and 
he  did  more  than  answer  their  expectations:  for  he  was  indeed  an  extra- 
ordinary person.  But  scarce  a  paragraph  of  his  life  can  be  written  to  the 
life,  without  some  reflection  upon  that  humility,  with  which  the  spirit  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  prepared  him  for,  and  adorned  him  in  all  of 
that  figure,  whereto  he  arrived  in  the  service  of  the  churches.  Just  upon 
the  time  of  his  beginning  his  ministry  at  Cambridge,  he  was  taken  dan- 
gerously sick  of  the  small  pox,  but  though  he  were  "sick  nigh  unto  death, 

*  A  youth  (Midowfd  mil  with  oomnion  ftirtsi  but  with  divine  graccB. 
t  On  thHt  day  ihu  I.i)(hl  ol°  IsntuI  set  nnd  runti  ut{»lu. 
I  Th«  sun  svt,  but  nu  iilglit  followed. 


r 


OR,    TUE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


89 


God  will  humble  mo  Wfore  the 
y  ministry  with  this  disease: 
>ro  I  come  to  that.    A  loath. 


God  had  mercy  on  him,  and  not  on  him  only,  but  on  all  tho  churches 
thro'  thia  wilderness  in  him."  No  sooner  was  he  recovered  of  that  sick- 
ness, but  this  humble  soul  wrote,  October  4,  1649,  in  his  diary,  (which 
after  this  time  spoke  English,)  these  among  other  passages: 

*'  It  Ims  been  of  Inte  weeks  a  special  timu  of  adversity  with  me,  the  Lord  help  mo  to  eon* 
aider  it!  I  might  say,  'my  skin  is  broken,  and  become  loathsome;'  and  'there  is  no  rtwt  in 
my  bones  because  of  my  sin ;  my  loins  are  filled  with  a  loathsome  disease,  and  there  is  no 
soundness  in  my  flesh ;'  by  such  a  foul,  noisom,  filthy  disease,  It  well  appeared,  what  I  indeed 
was;  as  the  prophet  speaks,  'full  of  putrefying  sores,'  it  being  at  this  time,  I  was  as  a  city 
set  upon  a  hill;  that  when  I  was  attempting  the  pure  a  id  sacred  work  of  the  ministry,  I 
should  bo  surprized  with  that  horrible  disease!    P  'in  to  bo  some  body  in  tho  world? 

God  will  make  me  vile  in  the  eyes  of  the  whole 
sun,  and  in  the  sight  of  all  Israel.    He  will  hav 
He  knows  that  I  have  need  of  a  great  deal  of  | 
some  sinner  shall  have  a  loathsome  sickness!" 

And  the  grace  of  Heaven  that  made  tii  s  fit  of  sickness  to  bo  considered 
thus  as  an  humiliation  by  this  eminent  young  man,  then  entering  upon 
his  ministry,  did,  by  continually  infusing  other  thoughts  full  of  humilia* 
lion  into  him,  lay  the  foundation  of  stately  superstructures.  AvS  our  Lord 
Josus  Christ,  entring  upon  His  ministry,  endured  the  sorest  conflict  of 
temptation  that  He  had  ever  met  withal,  so  did  this  excellent  embassador 
of  that  Lord ;  he  had  his  mind  sorely  buffeted  with  amazing  and  confound- 
ing apprehensions.  Perhaps  it  will  be  many  ways  profitable  unto  some 
candidates  of  the  ministry,  as  well  as  others,  to  see  these  papers  recite  some 
of  the  sad  passages  that  rolled  over  the  soul  of  a  most  lovely  preacher, 
when  he  was  beginning  to  preach  the  gospel  of  peace.  We  then  find 
him,  at  a  time  when  every  one  admired  the  excellencies  that  beautifyed 
him,  thus  writing  and  thinking  of  himself,  as  the  de/ormedst  sinner  in  the 
world.    At  one  time, 

"I  h.ive  lived  in  this  world  almost  twenty  five  years,  and  unto  this  day  hove  known  littlo 
of  God  in  Christ,  made  little  provision  for  eternity,  got  little  acquaintance  with  the  favour 
and  love  of  God.  How  I  have  improved  this  time,  wo  to  me,  I  may  be  ashamed  to  speuk, 
amazed  to  think !" 

At  another  time, 

"Lord,  I  know  not  whether  ever  such  a  sinner  as  I,  came  to  thee  for  merey:  whether  ever 
such  a  work  was  done  to  any  poor  wretcb,  as  tho  saving  of  my  soul  must  be." 
At  another  time, 

"I  have  run  through  all  the  means  of  knowledge,  and  yet  see  no  truth  really,  and  in  the 
glory  of  it;  all  afflictions,  and  yet  am  not  humbled  nor  serious;  all  mercies,  and  yet  am  not 
thankful ;  all  means  of  good,  and  yet  am  evil,  only  evil,  transcendently  evil,  in  the  highest 
degree  to  this  day." 

At  another  time, 

"If  God  do  me  any  good,  or  do  any  good  by  me,  it  must  be  a  creating  work.  Irf>r«l,  I  am 
fit  fr»r  nothing;  (good  for  nothing  at  nil,)  neither  to  live,  nor  dye;  neither  to  teach,  nor 
loam ;  neither  to  think,  nor  speak ;  neither  to  do,  nor  suffer ;  neither  to  communiente  good, 
nor  receive  any;  go  through  all  that  I  am,  either  within  or  without,  what  am  I  but  vilencM 
and  abomination?" 


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23  WEST  MAIN  STREET 

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90 


MAGKALIA   GIIKISTI    AMEBICAXA; 


At  another  time, 

'*Tho  church  will  ( I  suppose)  this  day  consider  and  determine  a  day  for  ordination;  bnt 
did  there  ever  such  a  creature  as  I  am  go  about  such  a  business?  I  was  low  and  vile  this 
time  twelve-month,  when  they  first  made  the  motion;  but  I  am  far  lower  and  viler  now. 
Great  is  the  wrnth  of  God  that  lyos  upon  me;  and  the  tokens  of  it  are  in  some  respects 
increased.  I  cannot  with  confidence  go  to  God  as  my  Father  in  Jesus  Christ.  I  l(now  no 
truth  of'  God  to  any  purpose.  I  have  no  treasure  of  Christian  experience;  I  know  not  what 
belongs  to  the  main  matters  of  conversion  and  salvation.  My  sin  is  enoug^h  to  bring  a  curse 
upon  nil  I  do,  and  upon  the  whole  place;  I  am  under  the  very  feet  of  Satan,  in  respect  of  it. 
Object.  'But  shall  not  my  sin  then  hinder  me,  and  make  me  refuse  this  work  of  the  ministry?* 
Answ.  'That  is  to  mend  one  sin  with  another.  The  more  evil,  and  the  less  good  I  have 
done,  the  more  need  I  have  to  give  myself  up  to  do  what  good  I  can  now;  I  should  not 
choose  my  sin,  and  leave  God's  work ;  and  if  I  cast  it  away,  and  go  to  God  to  take  it  awiiy, 
and  wait  on  Him,  'tis  possible  with  him  to  deliver  me  from  it,  and  to  help  me  in  His  work ; 
though  that  would  be  the  greatest  wonder  that  ever  was  done!  However,  let  me  lye  at  his 
feet,  and  leave  myself  with  Him.  QuesL  •  Why  do  I  enter  upon  it?'  Answ.  'Because  God 
bids  me,  and  commands  me? — Luke  v.*  He  will  have  it  so,  and  why  should  myself,  or  sin 
or  Satan,  say,  'What  dost  thou?*  "^lyect.  'But  it  may  be  God  will  take  no  pleasure  in  me?' 
Answ.  'I  deserve  He  should  not,  but  yet  he  deserves  to  be  honored  and  served;  and  let  it 
be  my  happiness  and  joy  to  do  that,  whatever  becomes  of  me  at  last'" 

At  another  time, 

"My  case  is  now  such  (so  dreadful,  desperate  and  forlorn)  as  I  think,  there  never  was  the 
like  upon  earth,  since  Adam  was  formed,  unto  this  day:  there  is  only  this  place  of  hope, 
that  there  is  a  degree  of  mercy  in  God,  beyond  what  any  ever  yet  made  use  of!  for  no  rami 
ever  came  to  the  end  of  infinite  mercy :  Lord,  honour  thyself  by  me,  some  way  or  other, 
whatever  become  of  me." 

At  another  time, 

"Lord,  it  is  the  hour  and  power  of  darknet^s  with  me;  I  feel  the  dreadful  rage  of  Satan, 
and  my  vile  heart,  now  against  me,  to  overturn  me,  and  to  cut  off  thy  name,  which  thou 
callcst  mo  to  bear  in  this  place.  I  know  not  what  will  become  of  me,  nor  what  to  say  to 
thee;  but  I  will  leave  my  woful  soul  and  self  to  thy  disposing.  Lord,  I  am  in  hell;  wilt  thou 
let  me  lye  there?" 

At  another  time, 

"God  liath  put  this  fear  into  my  heart,  lest  this  be  the  fruit  and  recompence  of  my  sin,  that 
I  shall  never  know  God  for  mine  in  truth,  but  live  and  dye  in  an  unsound  and  self-docoiving 
way:  that  I  should  have  many  foars  and  pniyers, and  good  affections,  and  duties,  and  hopoa, 
and  ordinancfs,  and  seemings,  but  never  an  heart  soundly  humbled,  and  soundly  comforted 
unto  n>y  dying  day:  but  be  a  son  of  perdition  to  the  last,  and  never  have  God's  special  love 
revealed  and  assured  to  me!    Lord,  keep  this  fear  alive  in  my  heart!" 

Such  pa.«?.sages  aa  these  abunthintly  discover  the  contritions  that  laid  him 
exceedingly  low,  in  his  own  apprehension  of  himself,  at  the  time  when 
God  was  raising  him  to  high  improvements  among  his  people;  and  it 
was  by  these  abasements,  that  Heaven  prepared  him  for  those  im,prove- 
ments.  But  being,  after  such  preparations,  called  forth  to  the  service  of 
the  churche.",  his  employments  came  in  so  thick  upon  him,  that  he  had 
not  such  loi.sure  as  heretofore  to  enrich  his  diarys  with  his  observations. 
He  was  at  length  reduced  unto  this  custom,  that  ordinarily,  on  the  week 
before  he  administered  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's-Supper,  which  was 


m 


*  Oil 
t  Net 
geiii-ruus 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


91 


once  in  two  months,  he  spent  a  day  in  prayer  vrith  fasting  before  the  Lord ; 
and  one  of  his  exercises,  on  such  a  day,  was  to  remind  and  record  such 
passages  of  divine  Providence  towards  himself,  his  house,  his  flock,  the 
whole  country,  yea,  and  the  whole  nation,  as  he  judged  useful  to  be  remem- 
bered with  him ;  and  such  especially  as  might  quicken  the  humiliations 
and  the  supplications,  wherein  he  was  engaged. 

§  8.  The  death  of  Mr.  Shepard,  was  a  death- .vound  unto  the  soul  of  Mr. 
MiTCHEL,  whose  veneration  for  the  great  holiness,  learning,  and  wisdom, 
of  his  predecessor,  caused  him  to  lament  exceedingly  the  loss  of  so  rich 
a  blessing,  and  begin  his  own  public  ministry  at  Cambridge  with  sermons 
full  of  those  lamentations.  Indeed,  when  he  had  occasion  to  mention  his 
own  living  four  years  under  Mr.  Shepard's  ministry,  he  added,  "unless  it 
had  been  four  years  living  in  heaven,  I  know  not  how  I  could  have  more 
Clause  to  bless  God  with  wonder  than  for  those  four  years."  Under  an 
affliction,  which  he  so  much  resented,  the  comfort  which  he  so  sought  for 
himself  he  thus  expressed: 

"What  a  blessed  thing  it  is  to  have  this  mediator,  the  man  Christ  Jesus  to  go  unto,  when 
I  iiave  no  friend  that  1  can  fully  speak  to,  and  open  all  my  complaints  and  ails  into  his 
bosom?  I  think,  were  Mr.  Shepard  now  alive,  I  would  go  and  intreat  his  counsel,  and  help, 
and  prayer.  Why,  now  I  may  go  freely  into  the  bosom  of  the  man  Christ  Jesus,  who  is 
able,  faithful,  tender-hearted  above  the  best  of  meer  men.  And  I  may  go,  and  tell  him  not 
only  my  sorrows  (and  yet  that  is  no  small  matter)  but  also  my  sins,  all  my  sins;  though 
not  without  sham^,  yet  without  fearful  despair.  I  may  complain  to  Him  of  a  strong  lust 
and  of  an  hard  heart.  And  he  does  not  only  pity  me  (and  that  He  does  more  than  any  man 
could  do)  but  is  also  fully  able  to  help  me  against  sorrow,  yea,  and  against  sin  too.  And 
in  him,  I  may  see,  and  take  hold  of  the  pity,  and  love,  and  grace  of  God  the  Father,  who 
through  Him,  is  well-pleased." 

But  that  he  might  signalize  his  affection  to  the  predecessor,  he  speedily 
took  the  pains  to  peruse  and  publish  the  sermons  of  that  worthy  man, 
upon  the  "Parable  of  the  ten  Virgins,"  which  make  a  volume  in  folio; 
with  a  most  excellent  and  judicious  preface  of  his  thereunto.  Which 
afterwards  was  not  without  its  recompence  in  the  providence  of  God,  when 
after  his  own  death,  his  own  sermons  upon  "the  glory  to  which  God  hath 
called  believers  by  Jesus  Christ"  (carefully  transcribed,  and  so  transmitted 
by  Captain  Laurence  Hammond  of  Charlstown,  to  whose  cares  about  it  the 
church  is  now  beholden  for  this  treasure)  were  by  some  surviving  friends 
printed  at  London.  And  he  whom  I  have  once  already  compared  unto 
Pollio,  who  dyed  when  between  forty  and  fifty  years  old,  was  in  this  also 
like  that  German  divine,  who  left  behind  him  a  book  of  sermons,  "/?« 
Vita  yEterna,^^*  whereof  Melchior  Adam  says,  Non  solum  suae  Gonfessionis 
Homines  omnium  Ordinum  in  Deliciis  habuerunt,  atque  hahent;  sed  etiam 
Adversariorum  nonnulli,  minus  morosi  prohaverunt ;\  both  friends  and  foes 
approved  it.    The  young  gentlewoman,  whom  his  predecessor  had  married 

*  Oil  Eiernsl  Life. 

t  Not  only  wuro  men  of  hia  own  creed,  of  every  condition,  delighted  with  It,  but  even  many  of  tlie  mure 
geiivruuB  among  liis  adversaries  approved  of  it. 


fiSI 


m 


19  MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 

a  little  before  his  decease,  he  now  also  married  upon  the  general  recom' 
mendations  of  that  widow  unto  him;  and  the  epiihahmiums  which  the 
students  of  the  CoUedge   then  celebrated  that  marriage  withal,  were 
expressive  of  the  satisfaction  which  it  gave  unto  all  the  good  people  in  the 
vicinity.    Howbeit,  before  this  he  had  addressed  himself  unto  the  vener- 
able old  Mr.  Cotton,  for  leave  to  become  his  son-in-law,  and  Mr.  Cotton, 
prognasticating  the  eminency  which  he  would  arrive  unto,  had  given  leave 
unto  it:  but  the  immature  death  of  that  hopeful  young  gentlewoman,  Mrs. 
Sarah  Cotton,  preventing  so  desirable  a  match,  made  way  for  his  pursuing 
and  obtaining  this  other  settlement.    Being  so  settled,  he  wholly  gave 
himself  up  to  the  services  of  the  ministry,  with  such  a  disposition  as  he 
expressed  in  his  parting  advice  to  another,  who,  travelling  from  hence  to 
England,  had  these  words  from  him  as  his  farewell:  "My  serious  advice 
to  you  is,  that  you  keep  out  of  company,  as  far  as  Christianity  and  civility 
will  give  you  leave;  take  it  from  me;  the  time  spent  in  your  study  you 
will  generally  find  spent  the  most  profitably,  comfortably  and  accountably." 
§  9.  Eighteen  years  did  he  continue  a  Pastor  to  the  church  of  Cambridge. 
And  as  that  which  encouraged  him  to  accept  at  first  the  pastoral  charge 
of  that  flock,  was  his  being  able  to  write  that  character  of  them,  "that 
they  were  a  gracious,  savoury-spirited  people,  principled  by  Mr.  Shepnrd, 
liking  an  humbling,  mourning,  heart-breaking  ministry  and  spirit;  living 
in  religion,  praying  men  and  women :  Here  [said  he]  I  might  have  occa- 
sions of  many  sweet  hear-breakings  before  God,  which  I  have  so  much 
need  of!"    So  the  continual  prayers  of  such  a  people  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  for  him  doubtless  contributed  more  than  a  little  unto  his  being  fur- 
nished from  Heaven  with  such  rich  treasures  of  light  and  grace,  as  made 
his  ministry  richly  serviceable  unto  them  all.     In  this  his  ministry  he 
preached  over  a  great  part  of  the  body  of  divinity.    And  as  Paul  appealed 
uirlo  his  two  first  chapters  to  the  Ephesians,  thus,  in  some  degree,  an 
appe: '  niight  have  been  made  unto  those  labours  of  this  admirable 
prea  to  demonstrate  his  "knowledge  of  the  mystery  of  Christ."    He 

made  a  most  entertaining  exposition  on  the  book  of  Genesis,  and  part  of 
Exodus;  [an  evangelical  targum*  of  Jonathan]  he  made  many  incompara- 
ble discourses  on  the  four  first  chapters  of  John :  occasional  subjects  he 
also  handled,  many  with  much  variety :  he  likewise  kept  a  monthly  lecture, 
where  he  largely  handled  man's  misery  by  sin,  and  salvation  by  Christ, 
and  entered  on  the  doctrine  oi obedience  due  thereupon;  and  vast  assem- 
blies of  people  from  all  the  neighbouring  towns  reckoned  it  highly  worth 
their  pains  to  repair  unto  that  lecture.  The  sermons,  wherewith  he  fed 
the  church  of  God,  were  admirably  well-studied ;  they  still  smelt  of  the 
lamp;  and,  indeed,  if  there  were  nothing  else  to  prove  it,  yet  the  notes 
which  he  wrote  in  his  preparations  for  his  publick  exercises,  were  proof 
enough  of  his  being  an  indefatigable  student.    He  ordinarily  medled  with 

•  Shield. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGL ANT). 


ds 


'that 


no  point  but  what  he  managed  with  such  an  extraordinary  invention,  curi- 
ous disjjosition,  and  copious  aj)plication,  as  if  he  would  leave  no  material 
thing  to  be  said  of  it  by  any  that  should  come  after  him.    And  when  he 
came  to  utter  what  he  had  prepared,  his  utterance  had  such  a  becoming 
tunaMeness  and  vivacity,  to  set  it  off,  as  was  indeed  inimitable;  though 
many  of  our  eminent  preachers,  that  were  in  his  time  students  at  the  Col- 
ledge,  did  essay  to  imitate  him.    It  has  been  observed  by  others,  as  well 
as  Jerom,  that  Quae  firmiter  concepimus,  bene  hqimur,  siquidem  Talia  in 
Aninux  Substantiam  quasi  Concoquendo  sunt  Conversu;*  and  our  MiTCHEL, 
having  accordingly  well  concocted  what  he  was  to  deliver,  with  clear  and 
strong  thoughts  «pon  it,  expressed  it  with  a  natural  eloquence,  which,  (as 
Tully  says  of  all  true  eloquence)  cast  the  hearers  into  wonderment.    Pro- 
found meditation  having  first,  in  his  heart,  got  ready  a  well  composed 
meat-offering  for  the  house  of  God,  his  tongue  was  as  the  "  pen  of  a  ready 
writer"  to  bring  it  forth:  and  his  auditories  usually  counted  themselves 
at  &  feast  with  the  inhabitants  of  heaven,  while  he  was  thus  entertaining  of 
them.    His  preaching  was  not  that  which  Dr.  Manton  would  justly  rebuke 
under  the  name  of  "gentleman-preaching;"  or,  a  sort  of  harangue,  finely 
laced  and  guilded  with  such  phalarate  stuff  as  plainly  discovers  th^  vanity 
of  them  th&i  jingle  with  it:  but  he  still  spoke  as  reckoning  that,  if  Seneca's 
])hilosopher  was  to  remember.  Ad  miseros  vocatus  es;  opem  laturus  Naufra- 
gls,  Gaptis,  jEgris,  IntentcB  securi  subjectum  prcestantibus   Caput:\  such  a 
thing  is  much  more  to  be  remembered  by  a  minister  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.    Hence,  though  he  had  a  very  clean  style,  and  spoke, — Munda,  sed 
e  medio  Consuetaque  verba ;% — by  the  same  token,  that  when  he  had  once 
used  one  word,  in  the  pulpit,  which,  it  may  be,  no  body  else  would  have 
so  severely  criticised  upon,  after  he  came  home,  he  wrote  a  severe  animad- 
version upon  it:  "I  was  after  in  myself  ashamed  of  it,  [he  wrote]  as  being 
a  phrase  too  coarse  for  the  pulpit!"    Nevertheless,  he  had  also  a  plain 
Ptyle,  for  which  he  might  have  been  justly  called,  as  Melancthon  was  by 
Keckerman,  Ille,  ut  sic  dicam,  Perspicuitatis  Genius ;%  but  so  pungently 
improved,  that  what  he  spoke,  was  felt  by  his  hearers,  as  "quick  and  pow- 
erful."   One  that  hath  addressed  the  world  with  a  treatise  of  ecclesiastical 
rhetoric,  saith,  Credat  mihi  Ministeris  Candidatus;  Tria  sunt,  quae  valde 
commendant  Goncionatorem ;   Vocis  Amabilitas,  Epiphetorum  Emphasis,  et 
Gonnexionis  Goncinitus:\\  now  all  of  these  three  commendations  did  belong 
to  the  preaching  of  our  Mitchel.     And,  as  it  was  the  remark  of  that  then 
matchless  preacher  Bucholtzer,  to  whom  I  have  often  in  my  thoughts 
wafc/iWour  Mitchel,  "that  a  preacher  was  known  by  his  peroration,"  so 

*  Ideas  clearly  conceived— trammated,  as  by  a  digeative  procoBs,  Into  the  very  substance  of  the  intellect— we 
Always  express  well. 

t  Vuii  are  called  to  aid  the  wretched— to  bear  succour  to  the  shipwrecked,  the  captive,  the  sick— to  thoiw 
whoM!  necks  are  bared  fur  the  axe  of  the  executioner. 

t  Ii  polished,  yet  commnn  and  unambitious  phrase.  g  The  very  Rcnius,  so  to  speak,  of  perspicuity. 

I  Let  the  candidate  for  Die  ministry  rely  upon  il,  Ihnt  Uiere  are  three  qualities  wliich  ef>peciiilly  coniniend  (he 
preacher  to  his  heorets :  a  pleasant  voice,  an  emphatic  address,  and  an  easy  conia-ctiim  of  thoughts  and  language, 


tm 


in 


u 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


'twns  remarkt  of  our  Mitchel,  that  tho'  he  were  all  along  in  his  preaching, 
"as  a  very  lovely  song  of  one  that  hath  a  pleasant  voice,"  yet,  as  he  drew 
near  to  the  close  of  his  exercises,  his  comely  fervency  would  rise  to  a 
marvellous  measure  of  evterg'y/  he  would  speak  with  such  a  transceudent 
majesty  and  liveliness,  that  the  people  (more  thunderstrmk  than  they  that 
heard  Cicero's  oration  for  Ligarius)  would  often  shake  under  his  dispensa- 
tions, as  if  they  had  heard  the  sound  of  the  trumpets  from  the  burning 
mountain,  and  yet  they  would  mourn  to  think,  that  they  were  going  pres- 
ently to  be  dismissed  from  such  an  "heaven  upon  earth."  He  had  indeed 
an  uncommon  measure  of  that  priviledge,  that  is  reported  of  Bucholtzer, 
Ut,  licet  nonnisijinita  Hora  Altera peroraret,  nullum  tamen  Audicndi  Tvedium, 
vel  e  media  cuiquam plehe,  Ohrepserit:  "Though  he  preached  long  sermons, 
the  people  were  never  weary  of  hearing  them." .  Vast  was  the  happiness 
of  the  scholars  at  the  Colledge,  and  (in  them)  of  all  the  churches  in  the 
country,  while  Cambridge  was  illuminated  with  such  a  ministry  1  It  was 
a  reflection  upon  this  matter  long  since  printed  unto  the  world:  "Reason 
and  prudence  requireth  that  the  minister  of  that  place  be  more  than  ordi- 
narily endowed  with  learning,  gravity  and  wisdom,  orthodoj^y,  ability, 
excellent  gifts  in  preaching,  that  so  the  scholars,  which  are  devoted  to  be 
preachers  of  the  gospel,  might  be  seasoned  with  the  spirit  of  such  an  Eli- 
jah :  in  which  regards  this  holy  man  of  God  was  eminently  furnished ; 
and  his  labours  were  abundantly  blessed :  for  very  many  of  the  scholars 
bred  up  in  his  time  (as  is  observed)  do  savour  of  his  spirit  for  grace,  and 
a  most  attractive  manner  of  preaching."  Truly,  as  it  was  no  rare  thing 
for  a  German  divine  to  give  solemn  thanks  unto  God,  "for  being  born  in 
the  days  of  Melancthon ;"  so  there  is  many  a  New-English  divine  who 
has  given  thanks  to  God,  "for  their  being  at  the  Colledge  in  the  days  of 
Mitchel."  But  it  must  here  be  added,  that  altho'  the  chief  labours  of 
this  exemplary  pastor  were  in  the  study  and  the  pulpit,  yet  he  did  not  think 
himself  thereby  excused  from  those  pastoral  visits  which  his  flock  expected 
from  him.  Herein  he  visited  at  fit  hours,  which  he  set  apart  for  it,  the 
several  families  of  his  flock ;  not  upon  trivial  designs,  but  with  serious 
and  solemn  addresses  to  their  souls  upon  matter  of  their  everlasting  peace; 
and  the  Gildas  Salvinnus  of  Mr.  Bax'er  was  herein  our  Mitchel  himself, 
as  well  as  much  read  and  priz'd  by  this  faithful  pastor,  who  "  watched  for 
souls,  as  one  that  was  to  give  an  account." 

§  10.  What  he  was  in  his  ministry,  the  same  he  was  in  his  discipline, 
when  offences  arose  that  called  for  his  consideration,  in  the  church  whereto 
he  was  related;  faithful,  prudent,  zealous,  holy,  and  like  an  Angel  of  a 
church,  "not  bearing  with  those  that  are  evil."  When  a  public  admonition 
was  to  be  dispensed  unto  any  one  that  had  offended  scandalously,  one 
could  have  heard  nothing  more  pathetical  or  more  powerful  than  his  dis- 
courses on  those  unwelcome  occasions;  the  hearers  would  be  all  drowned 
in  tears,  as  if  the  admonition  had  been,  as  indeed  he  would  with  much 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


95 


one 


artifici  make  it  be,  directed  unto  them  all:  but  such  would  be  the  compas- 
sion, and  yet  the  gravity,  the  majesty,  the  scriptural  and  awful  pungency 
of  these  his  dispensations,  that  the  conscierMX  of  the  offender  himself  could 
make  no  resistence  thereunto.  But  when  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  intends 
to  make  any  steward  in  his  house  eminently  ^Jn^^i  wn^  fai^ifid,  he  com- 
monly tries  that  person,  by  ordering  some  very  difficult  church  cases  to 
arise,  quickly  after  his  first  entrance  upon  the  stewardship.  Some  such 
thorny  church  cases  did  soon  exercise  the  thoughts  of  this  truly  aged  young 
man;  in  all  of  which  he  conscientiously  considered  the  rights  of  the  frater- 
nity to  judge  in  their  own  church  cases  as  that  renowned  minister  ond 
martyr,  the  blessed  Cyprian  did,  when  he  could  say  in  one  of  his  Epistles 
unto  his  flock,  "from  the  very  beginning  of  my  ministry,  I  determined 
to  do  nothing  without  the  consent  of  my  people:"  And  again,  "all  such 
affairs  as  mutual  respect  requireth  [m  co..imune  tractabimus]  "we  will 
manage  them  in^common;"  and  again,  he  would  restore  and  admit  none 
but  those  who  "  should  plead  their  cause  before  all  the  people ;"  lActuri 
aptid  phhcm  universam  causam  suam:'\  and  order  none  of  their  matters,  but 
(prascntibus  et  Judicantibus  vohis,"]  "with  their  presence  and  judgment." 
And  if  Mr.  Mitchel  had  heard  any  reckon  the  liberty  of  the  brethren  thus 
confessed  in  the  days  of  Cyprian,  to  be  an  apostacy  from  what  was  "  in  the 
beginning,"  he  would  have  asked  them,  whether  they  reckon'd  the  lo&s 
of  this  liberty  afterwards  in  the  rise  of  Popery,  to  be  any  beginning,  or 
tendency  towards  Church  reformation  and  recovery?  Now,  tho'  this  lib- 
erty of  the  brethren,  which  our  Mitchel,  according  to  the  primitive  Con- 
gregational Church  discipline  allow'd,  be  that  wherein  for  the  most  part 
the  repose  of  the  pastors  has  been  by  the  compassionate  wisdom  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  provided  for,  yet  some  trouble  sometimes  has  arisen  to 
the  pastors  from  the  brethren's  abuse  of  their  liberty,  which  has  call'd  for 
much  patience  and  prudence  in  those  that  have  the  rule  over  them.  And 
so  there  did  unto  our  Mitchel,  who  on  this  occasion,  as  on  all  others, 
was  readier  still  to  condemn  himself  than  any  others;  and  once  particu- 
larly recorded  this  passage  in  his  diary:  "I  was  troubled,  [at  some 
improper  cavils  from  the  brethren]  and  I  fear  spake  not  so  lovingly  and 
prudently  as  I  should  have  done.  I  feel  my  spirit  ready  to  rise,  and  for- 
get my  principles  of  lying  low  in  the  dust,  and  bearing  with  other's 
infirmities,  and  becoming  all  things  to  all  men,  for  their  edification.  Oh! 
Lord,  humble  me,  and  teach  me  how  to  carry  itl"  Thus  did  this  excel- 
lent person  write,  when  he  was  enumerating  his  humbling  circumstances, 
in  a  secret  fast  before  the  Lord.  But  there  was  an  harder  case  than  any  of 
these  to  exercise  him.  Our  Mitchel,  presently  upon  his  becoming  the 
pastor  of  Cambridge,  met  with  a  more  than  ordinary  trial,  in  that  the  good 
man  who  was  then  the  President  of  the  CoUedge,  and  a  member  of  the 
Church  there,  was  unaccountably  fallen  into  the  briars  of  Antipado-bap- 
tism ;  and  being  briar^d  in  the  scruples  of  that  perswasion,  he  not  only  for- 


•1  'ifl 


all 


96 


HAONALIA   CURISTI    AMERICANA; 


bore  to  present  an  infant  of  his  own  unto  the  Baptism  of  our  Lord,  but 
also  thought  himself  under  some  obligation  to  bear  his  testimony,  in  sumo 
sermons  against  the  administration  of  baptism  to  any  infant  whatsoever. 
The  brethren  of  the  Church  were  somewhat  vehement  and  violent  in  their 
signifying  of  their  dissatisfaction  at  the  obstruction,  which  the  renitencies 
of  that  gentleman  threatened  unto  the  peaceable  practice  of  infant-baptism, 
wherein  they  had  hitherto  walked;  and  judged  it  necessary,  for  the  vindi- 
cation of  the  church's  name  abroad  in  the  country,  and  for  the  safety  of 
the  congregation  at  home,  to  desire  of  him  that  he  would  cease  preaching 
as  formerly,  until  he  had  bettor  satisfied  himself  in  the  point  now  doubted 
by  him.  At  these  things  extreani  was  the  uneasiness  of  our  Mitchel,  who 
told  the  brethren  "that  more  light  and  less  heat  would  do  better:"  but 
yet  saw  the  zeal  of  some  against  this  good  man's  error,  to  push  this  matter 
on  so  far,  that  being  but  a  young  man,  he  was  likely  now  to  be  embarrassed 
in  a  controversie  with  so  considerable  a  person,  and  with  one  who  had 
been  his  hctor,  and  a  worthy  and  a  Godly  man.  He  could  give  this 
account  of  it:  "Through  the  church's  being  apt  to  hurry  on  too  fast  and 
too  impatiently,  I  found  my  self  much  oppressed ;  especially  considering 
my  own  weakness  to  grapple  with  these  difficulties;  this  business  did  lye 
down,  and  rise  up,  sleep  and  wake  with  me :  It  was  a  dismal  thing  to  me, 
that  I  should  live  to  see  truth  or  peace  dying  or  decaying  in  poor  Cam- 
bridge." But  while  he  was,  with  a  prudence  incomparably  beyond  what 
might  have  been  expected  from  a  young  man,  managing  this  thorny  busi- 
ness, he  saw  cause  to  record  a  passage,  which  perhaps  will  be  judged 
worthy  of  some  remembrance: 

"That  day  [writes  he,  December  24,  1653]  after  I  cnme  from  him,  I  had  n  strange  expert- 
ence;  I  found  hurrying  and  pressing  suggestions  against  Piedo-bnptism,  and  injected  scruples 
and  thoughts  whether  the  other  way  might  not  be  right,  and  infunt-baptism  nn  invention  of 
men;  and  whether  I  might  with  good  conscience  baptise  children,  and  the  like.  And  these 
thoughts  were  darted  in  with  some  impression,  nnd  left  a  strange  confusion  and  sickliness 
upon  my  spirit.  Yet,  methought,  it  was  not  hard  to  discern  that  they  were  from  the  Evil 
One.  First,  Because  they  were  rntiier  injected,  hurrjing  suggestions,  than  any  deliberate 
thoughts,  or  bringing  any  light  with  them.  Secondly,  Because  they  were  unseasonable ; 
interrupting  me  in  my  study  for  the  Sabbath,  and  putting  my  spirit  into  a  confusion,  so  ns  I 
had  much  ado  to  do  ought  in  my  scrmor.  It  was  not  now  a  time  to  study  that  matter;  bui 
when,  in  the  former  part  of  the  week,  I  had  given  my  self  to  that  study,  the  more  I  studied 
it,  the  more  clear  and  rational  light  I  saw  for  Picdo-baptism.  But  now  these  suggestions 
hurried  me  into  scruples.  But  they  m;ide  me  cry  out  to  God  for  his  help;  and  he  did  after- 
ward  calm  and  clear  up  my  spirit.  I  thought  the  end  of  them  was — First,  To  shew  me  the 
corruption  of  my  mind ;  how  apt  that  was  to  take  in  error,  even  as  my  heart  is  to  take  in 
lust.  Secnndhj,  To  make  me  walk  in /ear,  and  toke  hold  on  Jesus  Christ  to  keep  me  in  the 
truth;  and  it  was  a  check  to  my  former  self-conjidence,  and  it  made  me  fearful  to  go  need- 
lessly  to  Mr.  D.;  for  methought  I  found  a  venom  atid  poison  in  his  insinuations  and  discourses 
against  Pa^do-baptism.  Thirdly,  That  I  might  be  mindful  of  the  aptness  in  others  to  be 
soon  shaken  in  mind,  and  that  I  might  warn  others  thereof,  and  might  know  how  to  speak 
to  them  from  experience.  And  indeed  my  former  experience  of  irreligious  injection  was 
some  help  to  me  to  discover  the  nature  of  these.    I  resolved  also,  on  Mr.  Hooker's  priiu'i)lc, 


OB,    TUE   HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


97 


Mliiit  I  would  have  an  argument  able  to  remove  a  mountain,  before  I  would  recede  from,  or 
i>l>|)i>Mr  ii^rainst  n  truth  or  practice,  received  nmong  the  faithful.'  After  the  Sabbath  was  over, 
Kiid  I  liiid  time  to  reflect  upon  the  thoughts  of  those  things,  those  thoughts  of  doubt  departed, 
and  I  returned  unto  my  former  frame." 

The  troubles  thus  impending  over  the  Church  of  Cambridge  did  Mr. 
MiTCiiEL  happily  wade  through;  partly  by  much  prayer  with  fasting,  in 
secret,  before  God,  for  the  good  issue  of  these  things;  partly,  by  getting 
as  much  help  as  he  could  from  the  neighbouring  ministers,  to  be  inter- 
posed in  these  difficulties;  and  partly,  by  using  much  meekness  of  wisdom 
towards  the  erroneous  gentleman ;  for  whom  our  Mr.  MiTCHEL  continued 
such  an  esteem,  that  although  his  removal  from  the  government  of  the 
CoUedge,  and  from  his  dwelling  place  in  Cambridge,  had  been  procured 
by  these  differences,  yet  when  he  dyed,  he  honoured  him  with  an  elegy, 
from  which  I  will  transcribe  one  stanza  or  two,  because  it  very  truly  points 
out  that  generous,  gracious,  catholick  spirit,  which  adorned  that  person 
who  wrote  it: 


Where  fnith  in  JiiDi  is  bincere, 
That  miul,  he  saving,  panloiieth ; 

Wliut  wants  or  orrurs  else  Im  (here, 
That  may  aiid  do  consist  therewith. 

And  though  wc  be  imperfect  here, 
And  in  one  mind  can't  often  meet, 

Wlio  knau)  in  part,  in  port  niny  err. 
Though  faith  be  onft  all  do  not  aeo't. 

Vet  may  we  once  the  rest  obtain. 
In  everlasting  bliss  above. 


Where  Christ  with  perfect  taintM  doth  reign, 
In  perfect  light  and  perfect  luve  : 

Then  shall  we  all  likt-minded  be, 
FaitVt  unity  is  there  full-grown ; 

There  one  truth  all  both  love  and  «<(, 
And  thence  are  perfect  made  in  one. 

There  Luther  both  and  Zulnglina, 
Ridley  and  Hooper  there  agree ; 

There  all  the  truly  righteous. 
Sane  feud,  live  to  eternity. 


But  there  was  a  special  design  of  Heaven  in  ordering  these  trials  to 
befal  our  MiTCHFi,  thus  in  the  beginning  of  his  ministry.  He  was  hereby 
put  upon  studyii.^  nd  maintaining  the  doctrine  of  infant-buptism ;  and  of 
defending"  the  visib.e  interest  of  the  children  of  the  faithful  in  the  cov- 
enant of  grace,  under  the  neiv  administration  of  it,  as  well  as  under  the 
oW,  wherein  we  all  know  the  infants  of  believers  enjoyed  the  seal  of  being 
made  righteous  by  faith.  In  the  defence  of  this  comfortable  truth,  he  not 
only  preached  more  than  half  a  score  ungainsayable  sermons,  while  his 
own  church  was  in  some  danger  by  the  hydrophohie  of  anabaptism,  which 
was  come  upon  the  mind  of  an  eminent  person  in  it;  but  also  when  after- 
wards the  rest  of  the  churches  were  troubled  by  a  strong  attempt  upon 
them  from  the  spirit  of  anabaptism ;  there  was  a  publick  disputation 
appointed  at  Boston  two  days  together,  for  the  clearing  of  the  faith  in 
this  article,  this  wortln-^  man  was  he  who  did  most  service  in  this  disputa- 
tion ;  whereof  the  efl'ect  was,  that  although  the  oring  brethren,  as  is  usual 
in  such  cases,  made  this  their  last  answer  to  the  "Arguments  which  had  cast 
them  into  much  confusion:  "Say  what  you  will,  we  will  hold  our  mind!" 
Vol.  II.— 7 


I   ^  ij 


fl 


iit. 


98 


MAONALIA    OHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


[Coneurrot  vtterum  licet  in  te  lurba,  fotet  tu,  Hoc  omnei  una  vincere  voce,  Nego:*] 

Yet  others  were  happily  established  in  the  "right  ways  of  the  Lord." 
Nor  was  this  all  the  good  and  great  work  for  which  this  rare  person  was 
marvelously  prepared  by  these  temptations:  there  is  a  further  stroke  of 
our  church  history  to  be  here  briefly  touched,  though  elsewhere  more 
fully  to  be  given. 

§  11.  New-England  was  a  wilderness  planted  by  a  people  generally  so 
remarkable  in  their  holy  zeal  for  the  ordinances  belon;ring  to  the  house 
of  God,  that,  for  the  sake  of  enjoying  the  administrations  of  those  ordi- 
nances with  scriptural  purity,  they  had  undergone  the  severe  persecutions 
which  at  last  exiled  them  into  that  American  wilderness:  and  hence  there 
were  few  people  of  any  significancy  in  the  transplantation,  but  what,  at 
their  first  coming  over,  joyned  themselves  unto  the  full  communion  of  the 
churches  in  all  special  ordinances,  though  many  of  them  had  (I  say  not, 
justifiably)  made  the  terms  of  their  communion  so  strict,  that  it  might 
justly  have  been  reckoned  a  difficult  thing  for  some  sincere  Christians  of 
smaller  attainments  in  Christianity  to  come  up  unto  them.  For  this  cause, 
although  several  of  our  seers  did  so  far  see  the  state  which  our  matters 
would  ere  long  devolve  into,  that  they  laboured  much  to  have  the  prin- 
ciples of  truth  concerning  "the  church  state  of  the  children  born  in  the 
church"  declared  and  asserted  in  the  "platform  of  church  discipline," 
among  the  "first  principles  of  New-England,"  nevertheless,  many  worthy 
men  were  slow  to  make  any  synodical  decision  of  those  principles,  until 
there  should  arise  more  occasion  for  the  practices  that  were  to  be  deduced 
from  them.  This  occasion  did  in  twenty  or  thirty  years  time  come  on 
with  some  importunity  and  impetuosity,  when  the  country  began  to  be  filled 
with  the  adult  posterity  of  the  first  planters;  among  which  there  were 
multitudes  of  persons,  who  by  the  good  effects  of  a  pious  education  under 
the  means  of  grace  observable  upon  them  in  their  profession  of  the  faith, 
not  contradicted  by  any  thing  scandalous  in  their  life,  deserved  another 
consideration  in  the  churches,  than  what  was  allowed  unto  Pagans ;  and 
yet  were  not  so  far  improved  in  all  the  points  of  experimental  godliness, 
that  they  could  boldly  demand  an  admission  unto  the  mysteries  at  the  table  of 
the  Lord;  the  conditions  whereof  confined  it  unto  persons  that  were  sensi- 
bly "grown  in  grace,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 
The  most  of  the  ministers  tJien,  and  before  then,  in  the  land  were  desirous 
to  have  the  thus  qualified  posterity  of  the  faithful,  acknpwledged  in  the 
churches,  as  the  nursery  from  whence  a  successive  supply  of  communicants 
was  to  be  expected;  and  it  was  their  desire  that  this  nursery  might  be 
watered  with  baptism,  and  pruned  with  discipline,  as  well  as  otherwise 
dressed  by  the  ministry  of  the  word.  Yea,  they  thought  that,  besides  the 
internal  benefits  of  the  new  covenant  unto  the  elect  of  God,  the  sealing  of 

*  Though  the  whole  line  of  anctent  tnges  assail  yuar  Judgment,  you  can  overcome  them  all  with  tbia  simple 
ptanie:  "I  deny  it." 


OB,    TUS    HISTOBT    OF    NKW-KNOLAND. 


09 


liB  (imple 


that  covenant  unto  them  that  were  visibly  the  right  Bubjects  of  it,  would 
be  an  assurance  from  God  that  when  these  persons  grew  up  to  years  of 
discretion,  ho  would  infallibly  make  them  the  offer  of  his  covenant,  and 
so  continue  the  gospel  of  it  among  them :  whereas  if  they  and  theirs  were 
no  other  accounted  of  than  heathens,  there  would  not  pass  many  genera* 
tions,  before  the  sacred  religion  of  Christ  would,  through  the  just  wrath 
of  Heaven,  be  lost  among  them  in  utter  heathenism.  However,  all  men 
did  not  then  see  all  things/  When  the  church  of  Boxbury,  particularly  in 
the  year  1658,  was  put  upon  doing  what  was  their  duty  in  this  respect, 
our  MiTCHEL  was  yet  (he  said)  "in  the  dark  about  it:"  he  wished  and 
wrote,  "that  it  might  not  yet  be  pressed;"  and  added,  "the  Lord  teach  me 
humility,  modesty,  and  wisdom  in  these  things  1"  Many  a  day  did  this 
excellent  man  spend  now  in  praying  with  fasting  before  God ;  and  when 
he  was  thus  engaged  in  the  exercises  of  a  sacred  and  secret  fast,  I  find 
him  inserting  this,  as  not  the  least  cause  of  his  being  so  engaged: 

"The  case  of  the  children  of  the  church  in  regard  of  the  doctrine  and  practice  about  it— 
Oh!  that  God  would  shew  me  his  mind  and  way  clearly  in  those  things:  enable  me  to  teach 
them  convincingly,  and  set  upon  the  practice  thereof:  and  that  the  whole  country  might  be 
guided  aright  therein :  that  Abraham's  commanding  power  might  have  its  due  exercise  as  to 
the  children  of  our  churches.  And  that  all  the  remaining  knots  and  difficulties  about  church- 
discipline,  and  the  management  of  Christ's  visible  kingdom,  might  once  be  resolved  according 
to  the  word.  Lord,  humble  me,  and  prosper  my  poor  studies,  and  teach  me  to  know  and  do 
thy  noble  will  herein!  as  Ezek.  xliiL  11." 

And  at  another  \ime : 

"  The  points  about  church-discipline  I  have  been  long  aiming  to  look  more  thoroughly 
into.  Lord,  help  and  guide  me  therein!  and  grant  that  I  may  be  kept  from  extreams  (the 
great  undoing  of  the  world) :  both  from  immoderate  rigidness  on  the  one  hand,  either  in 
principles,  spirit  or  practice;  and  on  the  other  hand,  from  wronging  either  truth,  or  con* 
iscience,  by  any  sinful  compliance." 

To  these  devotions,  he  joyned  indefatigable  studies  upon  the  great 
question  then  agitated;  and  the  determination  of  the  question,  at  last,  was 
more  owing  unto  him  than  unto  any  one  man  in  the  world :  for  he  was  a 
great  part  in  that  renowned  synod,  that  met  at  Boston  in  the  year  1662. 
The  result  of  the  synod,  afterwards  published,  was  chiefly  of  his  com- 
posure ;  and  when  a  most  elaborate  answer  to  that  result  was  published 
by  some  very  worthy  persons,  that  were  then  dissenters,  the  hardest 
service  in  the  defence  was  assigned  unto  him.  In  fine,  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  made  this  great  man,  even  while  he  was  yet  a  young  man,  one  of  the 
greatest  instruments  we  ever  had  of  explaining  and  maintaining  the 
truths,  relating  to  the  church-state  of  the  posterity  in  our  churches,  and  of 
the  church  care  which  our  churches  owe  unto  their  posterity:  and  I  have 
laid  before  the  reader  one  of  the  most  extensive  and  expensive  labours 
that  exhausted  his  life,  when  I  have  mentioned  "the  propositions  of  the 
synod  about  the  subject  of  baptism."  All  that  remains  necessary  to  illus- 
trate this  paragraph  of  our  history,  is  to  describe,  in  a  line  or  two,  the 


\) 


100 


MAONALIA    GIIRI8TI    AMERICAKA; 


disposition  which  our  Mitciiel  did  prosecute  this  grnnd  concern  withni : 
nnd  I  will  thcreforo  only  trnnscribe  a  little  from  n  judicious  letter  of  his  to 
Mr.  Increase  Matlier  upon  that  subject,  which  that  reverend  person  nlYer- 
wards  printed  unto  the  world;  with  an  unanswerable  vindication  of  these 
first  principles  of  New-England,  both  from  the  imputations  of  apostacy,  by 
some  ignorantly  cost  upon  them,  and  from  whatever  other  objections 
might  be  advanced  against  them. 

'*Ab  for  tho  tubstanco  of  the  cause  wherein  we  have  ongngf>d,  [miith  he,]  I  am  daily  ninro 
and  more  confirmed  that  it  is  tho  caune  of  truth  and  of  Christ,  and  that  wherein  not  a  littlu 
of  the  interest  of  Christ's  liingdom,  and  of  tho  souls  of  men,  is  laid  up.  We  have  b(>(>n 
reflected  upon  by  some,  as  seeking  ourselves,  nnd  driving  on,  I  know  not  what  design: 
though  I  cannot  rendily  imagine  what  seK-intereat  or  si-lf-end  wo  lieni  should  bo  led  by  in 
this  matter;  sure  I  am,  that  for  my  own  juirt,  1  prejudice  niyNvlf  much,  ns  to  name,  inleresi, 
and  ease,  for  my  appearing  in  this  vauHe:  neither  was  I  so  uuxeiiMililo  as  not  to  feci  \t  frmn 
the  first.  I  know  myself  to  be  a  poor,  vile,  sinful  creature,  and  I  can  with  some  fouling  sny, 
*chief  of  sinners,'  and  'least  of  saints:'  but  in  this  i«trtii'ular  matter,  I  have  often  said,  'I 
wish  my  brethren  could  see  through  me ;'  for  I  know  not  any  dvHign  or  desire  I  have  in  it  in 
all  the  world,  but  only  that  the  will  of  God  might  bo  dune  among  us,  his  kingdom  bi* 
advanced,  these  churches  settled  on  right  bases,  and  flourish  in  the  ways  of  truth,  purity  and 
peace,  and  that  the  good  of  the  souls  of  men  might  l>i>  promoted  both  in  tliis  and  after  gen- 
erations. Touching  tho  matter  itself,  thut  hath  been  in  debate,  please  to  consider  ut  leisure 
these  three  propositions: 

"  First,  The  whole  visible  church,  under  the  New  Testiiment,  is  to  be  baptized, 

"  Secondly,  If  a  man  be  one  in  tho  church,  (whether  admitted  ut  ngt«  or  in  infancy)  nothing 
less  than  censurable  evil  can  put  him  out. 

"  Thirdly,  If  the  parent  be  in  tho  visible  church,  his  infant  ch  Id  is  so  also. 

"Whether  tho  persons  described  in  tho  fifth  proposition  of  tho  synod  should  be  baptised, 
as  a  catholirk  or  in  a  pnrtii-uliir  ohurch-statc,  is  another  question:  nnd  I  contess  myself  not 
altogether  so  peremptory  in  this  latter,  ns  I  am  the  Ihinfj  itself:  [vi/.:  that  they  ought  to  be 
baptized,]  yet  still  1  think,  when  nil  stonoH  are  turned,  it  will  oonie  to  this,  that  all  the  bap- 
tized arc  and  ought  to  bo  under  di.scipline  in  particulnr  churehos." 

And  now  'tis  more  than  time  for  us  to  dismiss  this  part  of  our  Mitchel- 
lian  portraiture  front  any  farther  claboration.s. 

§  12.  Mr.  MiTCiiEiAs  desire  had  been,  "to  be  kept  from  exlro.-uns;"  and 
indeed  there  was  nothing  more  ohservahk  in  Ins  tt'm^H't\  than  such  a  study 
of  a  temper  in  all  difficult  matters,  as  renders  a  ])erson  amiahlcy  wherever 
'tis  observable.  I  reinenihcr  I  liave  mot  with  a  note  of  a  very  famous 
preacher,  who,  in  the  midst  of  many  "temptations  on  botli  hands,"  relieved 
himself  by  interpreting  from  the  context  that  jntssnge  in  Idiocies,  vii.  18: 
"He  that  feareth  God  shall  come  forth  from  thetn  nil,"  to  be  meant  of  a 
deliverance  out  of  all  exiremm.  "The  fear  of  (lod,"  in  our  Mitciiel,  had 
this  effect  and  reward:  and  his  "wise  coming  forth  from  all  extreams," 
was  no  where  more  conspicuous  than  in  those  points  of  church-disciplino, 
for  the  clearing  of  which  he  had  been  (I  may  s.-iy  rxirramhj)  exercised. 
Had  the  sweet,  charitable,  aniic;d)le  spirit,  that  signalized  this  good  maii, 
been  expressed  by  all  good  men  as  much  as  it  was  by  him,  a  great  part  of 
the  ecclesiastical  differences  in  the  world  had  been  evaporated,  and  it  had 


OR,    TUB    UISTOBY    OF    MKW-XNOLAND. 


101 


not  been  so  long  before  the  names  of  Presbyterian  and  Congregational,  had 
been  tiielted  down  into  that  one  of  United  Bhei'HUKN.  It  was  the  wUh 
of  our  MiTCHEL  to  have  those  two  things  in  the  state  of  the  church,  livelily 
represent  jd  unto  the  sense  of  the  world:  first,  the  grace,  and  then  at  the 
same  time  the  holiness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  king  of  the  church; 
and  for  the  obtaining  of  such  a  representation,  he  thought  nothing  more 
effectual,  than  the  middle  tvay;  for  the  children  of  the  faithful  to  bo  takea 
within  the  verge  of  the  church,  under  the  wings  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
in  his  ordinances,  and  under  church  care,  discipline,  and  government,  and 
to  be  in  a  state  of  initiation  and  education  in  the  church  of  God,  and  con- 
sequently to  have  baptism,  which  is  the  seal  of  initiation :  but  that  they 
shall  not  come  up  to  the  Lord's  Table,  nor  be  admitted  unto  an  equal  share 
with  the  communicants  in  the  management  of  church  affairs  peculiar  to 
them,  until,  as  a  fruit  of  the  aforesaid  helps  and  means,  they  attain  unto 
such  qualifications  as  may  render  their  admission  fair,  safe,  And  comforta* 
ble,  both  to  themselves  and  others.  His  words  were,  '*  Wo  make  account, 
that  if  we  keep  baptism  within  the  compass  of  the  non-cxcommunicable, 
and  the  Lord's  Supper,  within  the  compass  of  those  that  have  (unto  charity) 
somewhat  of  the  power  of  godliness  (or,  grace  in  exercise)  we  shall  be  near 
about  the  right  middle-way  of  church  reformation."  And  hence,  when  he 
had  pleaded  with  as  irresistible  reason,  as  indefatigable  study,  for  the  grace 
of  the  kingdom  of  heaven  to  be  exhibited  in  our  churches,  by  adminis- 
tring  the  baptism  of  the  Lord  unto  the  persons  and  infants  of  all  who 
"understand  the  doctrine  of  fuith,"  and  "publickly  profess  their  assent 
thereunto,"  and  "are  not  scandalous  in  life,"  and  "solemnly  own  the  cov- 
enant of  grace  before  the  church,  and  subject  themselves  and  theirs  unto 
the  Lord  in  his  church:"  he  then  set  himself  to  plead  for  the  holiness  of 
that  kingdom,  to  be  exhibited  in  the  churches,  not  only  by  censuring  the 
baptized  when  they  fell  into  scandalous  evils,  but  also  by  requiring  further 
degrees  of  preparation  in  those  that  they  received  unto  the  Supper  of  the 
Lord.  Nothing  was  more  agreeable  unto  him  than  such  a  notion  of 
things  as  Polanus  had,  when  writing  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  he  had  these 
words:  Nee  ad  earn  admittendi  sunt  ulli,  nisi prius pastoribus  ecclesia:  explor- 
atum  sit,  eos  veramjidei  doctrinam  recte  tenere  etprojiteri,  ac  intelligere  quid  in 
sacra  coena  agatur,  quove  fine,  et  scipsos  probare  possent,  an  sint  in  fide — 
Quocirca  etiam  catechumeni  aut  imperiti,  e  vidgo,  tamdiu  differendi  donee  de 
fide,  et  vita  eorum  pastoribus  probe  conntet.*  Now,  because,  it  may  be  a  sin- 
gular service  unto  the  churches  to  lay  before  them  the  judgment  of  so 
eminent  a  person,  upon  a  concern  of  some  curious  and  critical  contestation 
in  ihem,  I  shall  reckon  it  no  digression  from  the  story  of  his  hje  to  recite 

*  Nor  are  nny  to  be  perinllti><]  to  partake  of  11,  nnlesa  it  haa  flrst  been  ascertained  by  the  pastors  of  the  ehurobea, 
that  they  rightly  hold  and  profoge  the  true  doctrine  of  faith,  and  understand  the  import  and  object  of  The  Sacra- 
ment at  Supper,  ond  are  capable  of  demonstrating  that  they  are  In  the  ralth— whf  refore  catechumens,  or  Ignorant 
persons  of  tlie  common  rank,  ought  tu  be  kept  back,  until  the  pastor  is  hilly  satisfled  concerning  their  faith  and 
purity  of  life. 


4! 


102 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


the  result  of  those  meditations,  in  the  digesting  of  which  no  little  part  of 
his  life  did  roll  away.  He  thus  wrote  for  his  own  satisfaction,  on  January 
4,  1664,  and  I  shall  be  glad  if  it  may  now  be  for  my  reader' a: 


PROPOSITIONS. 

**!  It  is  a  necessary  qualification,  in  worthy  receivers  of  the  Lord's  Supper,  that  they 
examine  themselves,  and  discern  the  Lord's  body. — 1  Cor.  xi.  28,  29. 

"11.  Those  whom  the  church  admits  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  must  be  such  ns  she  in  charity 
judgeth  that  they  can  and  will  examine  themselves,  and  discern  the  Lord's  body;  because 
she  must  admit  none  but  such  as  are  in  charity  (or  visibly)  worthy  receivers,  and  they  only 
are  in  charity  worthy  receivers,  who  in  charity  have  the  necessary  qualifiuations  of  such. 
Either  she  must  give  it  only  to  visibly  worthy  receivers,  or  she  may  give  it  to  visibly 
unworthy  receivers,  which  were  to  profane  and  pollute  it.  We  must  dispense  ordinances, 
unto  (it  and  proper  subjects,  as  Christ's  faithful  stewards. — 1  Cor.  i.  1,  2. 

"III.  None  can  be  such  self-examining  and  discerning  Christians  without  some  experience 
of  a  work  of  grace,  (or  without  grace  in  exercise)  so  as  to  have  an  experimental  savonry 
acquaintance  with  the  essentials  of  effectual  calling,  viz :  conviction  of  sin  and  misery  by 
nature,  illumination  in  the  knowledge  of  the  gospel,  and  conversion  of  heart,  by  rcpeiitiiiice 
towards  God,  and  fiiith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  1,  Self-examination  implies  both, 
that  there  is  the  grace  of  faith  and  repentance,  (or  of  vocation)  the  matter  to  be  examined : 
and  also  an  ability  to  reflect  upon  that  grace  that  is  and  hath  been  wrought  in  us;  to  prove 
it,  and  find  it  to  be  approved,  at  least  by  a  preponderating  hope.  2,  Discerning  the  Lord's 
body,  the  shewing  forth  or  annunciation  of  his  death,  imports  some  acquaintance  with,  and 
actual  eying  of  the  main  and  more  spiritual  mysteries  of  the  gospel,  concerning  Christ,  his 
death,  righteousness,  redemption,  and  all  the  benefits  thereof;  and  those  as  exhibited  in  this 
ordinance  of  the  Supper.  3,  That  a  lively  or  special  exercise  of  grace,  by  reviving  and 
renewing  o\xr  faith,  repentance  and  love)  is  required  in  preparation  for,  and  participation  of  the 
Lord's  Table,  is  abundantly  evident,  both  by  the  sense  of  the  expressions  aforesaid,  and  by 
the  scope  of  this  ordinance,  which  is  to  seal  not  only  union,  but  actual  communion  and 
fruition. — 1  Cor.  x.  16.  By  the  active  use  of  all  the  outward  senses,  in  receiving  the  sacra- 
ment, implying  that  there  must  be  an  actual  and  active  use  of  exercised  senses,  in  reference 
to  the  inward  part  of  it. 

"  IV.  None  can  appear  unto  rational  charity  to  have  the  qualification  aforesaid,  without 
holding  forth  the  same  in  some  way  or  other.  Man  can  judge  of  internal  qualifications  no 
way  but  by  external  signs.  Invisible  grace  is  made  visible  to  us  by  some  outward  tokens 
and  manifestations.    Here,  esse,  et  apparere,  non  esse,  et  non  apparere,*  are  all  one. 

"  V.  Besides  a  doctrinal  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  religion,  there  are  two  things 
required  to  the  holding  forth  of  grace  in  exercise  (or  of  an  experimental  savoury  acqunint- 
ance  with  the  essentials  of  efiectual  calling)  viz:  1,  A  gracious  conversation.  2,  Gracious 
expressions.  By  a  gracious  conversation,  I  mean,  not  only  freedom  from  notorious  scandal 
and  obstinacy  therein,  but  a  conversation  wherein  some  positive  fruits  of  piety  do  appear,  so 
as  they  that  know  the  parties,  can  give  a  positive  testimony  for  them. — Gal.  v.  6;  Jam.  ii. 
18,  26.  "  Gracious  expressions"  or  words  are,  when  a  person  can  so  speak  of  the  essentials 
of  efibctual  calling,  as  doth  signifie  not  only  a  doctrinal,  but  a  practical  or  spiritual  acquaint- 
ance therewithal.  That  these  are  necessary  to  shew  grace  in  exercise,  appears:  because — 
1,  "Good  words"  arc  in  Scripture  made  the  great  sign  of  a  "good  heart." — Mat.  xii.  34,  35. 
37 ;  Prov.  x.  20.  And  if  it  be  so  in  ordinary  conversation,  much  more  may  this  sign  b» 
expected,  when  a  man  comes  to  hold  forth,  and  give  evidence  of  the  grace  that  God  has 
bestowed  upon  him,  in  order  to  parttiking  of  the  Lord's  Table.  2,  "  Confession  with  the 
mouth"  is  that  by  which  faith  evidences  itself  to  be  saving  and  cflfcctual. — Rom.  x.  9,  10. 
*  To  te  and  to  appe&r,  and  not  to  be  and  not  to  appear. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


108 


8,  It  cannot  be  im:igincd  how  a  person  can  have  had  experience  of  a  work  of  grace,  and  that 
unto  a  comfortable  discerning  thereof  in  himself,  but  that  he  can  apealc  of  it,  in  some  way 
or  other,  after  a  savoury  manner. 

"  VI.  Hence,  either  a  relation  of  the  work  of  conversion,  such  as  hath  been  ordinarily  used 
in  most  of  our  churches,  or  somewhat  equivalent  thereunto,  is  necessary  in  order  unto  full 
communion,  or  to  admission  unto  the  Lord's  Table.  There  is  an  equivalent  thereunto.  1, 
When  an  account  of  the  essentials  of  conversion  is  given  in  way  of  answers,  unto  questions 
propounded  thereabout.  2,  In  a  serious,  solemn,  and  savoury  profession,  or  confession,  de 
prxsenti,  i.  e.  when  a  person  doth,  with  understanding  and  affection,  express  and  declare 
himself  sensible  of  his  sin  and  misery,  and  absolute  need  of  Christ,  his  believing  or  casting 
himself  on  Christ  in  the  promise,  for  righteout>uess  and  life,  and  his  unfeigned  purpose  and 
desire,  through  the  grace  and  strength  of  Christ,  to  renounce  every  evil  way,  and  walk  with 
God  in  the  ways  of  new  obedience;  pointing  also  to  some  special  truths,  considerations  or 
st-riptures,  that  have  or  do  affect  his  soul  with  reference  to  these  things,  though  he  do  not 
relate  the  series  of  former  passages  and  experiences.  3,  When  a  person  is  eminently  known 
to  excel  in  gifts  and  grace,  (as  a  long  approved  minister  of  the  gospel,  or  other  eminently 
holy  Christian,)  this  is  more  than  equivalent  to  such  a  relation. 

"The  sum  is,  the  modus  agendi*  may  be  various  and  mutable,  and  much  therein  left  unto 
the  prudence  of  church-officers;  but  the  thing  is  necessary,  viz:  to  hold  forth,  in  one  way  or 
other,  experience  p<'  a  work  of  grace,  or  a  practical  acquaintance  with  the  essentials  of 
effectual  calling.  The  reason  is,  because  without  this  they  cannot  shew  themselves  able  to 
examine  themselves,  and  discern  the  Lord's  Body,  which  is  essentially  necessary  to  worthy 
receiving,  and  hence  the  appearance  of  it  necessary  in  a  subject  of  orderly  admission  to  the 
Lord's  Table.  A  man  must  make  a  relation  to  himself,  viz :  by  reviewing  of  his  faith  and 
repentance,  or  at  least  an  equivalent  present  renewing  thereof  in  preparations  for  the  Lord's 
I'able:  i,  e.  to  give  himself  a  comfortable  regular  admission  thereunto.  And  should  he  not 
declare  and  manifest  such  a  thing  to  the  church  or  officers  thereof,  to  give  them  a  comforts 
able  ground  to  admit  him? 

"Obfect.  But  why  may  it  not  suffice  for  a  man  publickly  to  say,  'I  believe  on  Christ,  or 
do  unfeignedly  repent  of  my  sins?'  Or  to  consent  to  such  expressions  being  read,  or  pro- 
pounded unto  him,  without  any  more  adoe? 

"  Answ.  1,  He  that  can  groundedly  so  say,  or  profess  before  God,  angels  and  men,  that 
he  hath,  (yea,  knows  that  he  hath)  unfeigned  faith  and  repentance,  can  say  somewhat  more 
p.irticulariy  to  show  the  reality  of  his  acquaintance  with  those  things.  And  if  ho  cannot 
Hiiy  it,  groundedly,  it  is  not  meet  to  put  him  so  to  say. 

"2,  He  that  either  cannot,  or  will  not  say  any  more  than  so,  (especially  in  times  of  suck 
light  and  means  as  wo  live  in)  he  renders  the  truth  of  his  faith  and  repentance  suspicious,  so 
as  that  rational  charity  cannot  acquiesce  in  it.  For  all  men  know  that  faith  is  not  dropt  into 
men's  hearts  out  of  the  clouds,  without  previous,  concomitant  and  subsequent  operations; 
or  if  it  was  first  wrought  in  infancy,  yet  it  will  (especially  when  grown  to  such  a  lively  exer- 
cise as  fits  for  the  Lord's  Supper)  shew  itself  in  effects,  renewings  and  increasings  by  the 
word  and  ordinances,  so  as  a  man  will  he  able  to  hold  forth  some  experience  of  the  opera, 
tions  of  grace. 

"  3,  That  mode  of  profession  which  the  objection  mentioneth,  hath  been  found  by  plenti- 
ful experience  to  bo  a  nurse  of  formality  and  irreligion.  Now,  it  is  a  rule  concerning  the 
modus  agendi  or  such  like  circumstances,  that  when  by  experience  a  thing  proves  inconvenient, 
and  subject  to  abuse,  there  ought  to  be  an  alteration  thereof. 

"VII.  Besides  this,  from  the  qualifications  requisite  to  the  Lord'^  Supper,  there  be  other 
reasons  serving  to  confirm  the  necessity  of  practical  confession  (viz:  by  relations,  or  other- 
ways,  as  was  before  said)  in  those  that  are  admitted  unto  full  communion. 

"As — I,  Let  those  Scripture  examples  be  considered,  wherein  the  grace  wrought  in  tho 

*  Mode  or  proceeding. 


104 


MAGNALIA   OHBISTI    AMERICAXA; 


faithful  is  evinced,  or  collected  firont  the  Lord's  doalinga  with  them  in  the  work  of  '"^nrer* 
•ion,  and  experiences  relative  thereto,  or  to  the  fruits  thereof.  See  1  Thes.  i.  3,  % '  l.  9, 
10.  Let  those  words  be  piirapliraaed  according  to  th'dr  obvious  sense,  they  will  is:  .  up  a 
full  relation.  And  if  Paul  knew  or  gathered  the  grace  that  was  in  the  Thesaaloiiiatm  from 
such  things  m  those,  docs  it  not  show,  tliat  such  things  are  a  proper  and  rational  ground  for 
us  to  gather  grace  from!  If  they  be  famously  known  otherwise  (ns  they  were  in  that  case 
to  Paul)  it  sufticetii,  as  was  above  said;  but  otherways,  how  should  they  be  known  but  from 
the  party's  own  mouth  f  So  Col.  L  4 — 8.  Is  there  not  a  kind  of  relation  of  the  work  and 
manner  of  the  conversion  of  those  three  thousand  in  Acts  ii.  set  down  in  that  chapter?  And 
consequently,  the  substance  of  such  a  relation  or  work  was  then  de  facto  obvious  to  the 
apostles.  And  so  of  the  conversion  of  Paul,  chap,  ix.,  and  of  Cornelius,  chap.  x.  Yea,  if 
we  look  into  most  of  the  examples  in  the  Acts,  consider,  if  they  be  not  immediately  redu- 
cible to  ["n  manifestation  of  a  work  of  grace"]  than  to  that  of  knowledge,  and  a  hlamelesa 
life  J  Paul  had  little  to  say  for  a  foregoing  blameless  life  to  the  disciples  of  Damascus ;  but 
a  work  of  conversion  he  could  hold  forth  to  tliem,  and  a  profession  de  prasenli  thereupon. 
So  Acto  ix.  26,  37. 

"  2,  Ministers  in  giving  the  Lord's  Supper  to  persons,  do  give  a  great  and  solemn  tcstU 
mony  to  them  ["take,  eat,  this  is  Christ's  body,  that  was  broken  for  you];"  therefore  snrttly 
they  may  take  and  require  a  solemn  testimony/rom  them,  and  had  not  need  to  be  slight  therein. 

"3,  The  power  of  godliness  will  soon  be  lost,  if  only  doctrinal  knowledge  and  outward 
blamelessness  he  accounted  sufficient  for  all  church-privileges,  and  practical  confessions  (or 
examinations  of  men's  spiritual  estate)  be  laid  aside.  For  that  which  people  see  to  bo  pub- 
Ikkly  required,  and  held  in  reputation,  that  will  they  look  after,  and  usually  no  more,  but  con- 
tent themselves  with  that.  Consider  if  this  hath  not  been  a  reason  of  the  formality  and 
deadness  that  hath  overgrown  many  churches. — Januiry  4,  1664." 

Thus  did  a  manuscript  of  this  worthy  msm's,  now  in  my  hands,  harmon' 
ize  with  a  notable  passage  about  the  BohcnJan  churches : 


Demum.  quia  ohficiehatur,  fratret  non  habere 
eccletiam  apertam  cum  plena  Siinetorum  Com- 
munione,  ted  Adminittrare  Saframenta  Qui- 
buedam  tantum  tiki  addictie :  Responaum  fuit, 
Saneta.dare  non  Sancti»,prtthibui»*e  Chriilum; 
Chrittianismumque  a  panitfntia,  auapicnndum, 
non  a  Sacramenti* ;  neque  Secundum  Imtituta 
Christi  Abeolutionem  nunciandam  nisi  liesipia- 
eentibue,  et  Credentibue,  quod  utrumque  {Pan- 
itentiam  et  Fidem)  ne  Superficiarium  tit  et 
fallax,  Exploratione  indigere;  Explnratione 
vera  Tempore  Jutto :  et  quia  Nudit  Saeramen- 
tit  Saluttt  Vim  adtcribere,  ex  Opere  Operato, 
Errorum  in  Papatu  Batit  ett,  Errorem  Anne 
eorrigi  non  potte  aliter,  quam  ut  eerta  prvba- 
(tone,  nee  ilia  Subilanea,  Cordium  Arcana 
Bevelentur,  Novitiique  diu  et  eaute  turn  Infor- 
wtentur,  turn  Explorentur. 

Jiatio  Vitcipl.  Fatr.  Bohem.  p.  4,  5. 


Because  it  was  objected,  that  the  brethren 
have  not  an  open  church  with  the  ful!  commu- 
nion of  saint!!,  but  administer  the  sacranienlR  only 
to  tome  of  iheir  own  party;  it  was  answered, 
thnt  Christ  hath  forbid  uur  givini;  of  holy  things 
unto  unholy  persons;  and  that  Christianity  is  to 
be  btgun  with  repentance,  and  not  with  the 
taeramenta;  and  thnt  according  to  the  institu- 
tions of  our  Lord,  absolution  is  not  to  be  pro- 
nounced upon  any  but  those  that  repent  nnd 
believe;  both  of  which  {repentance  ond  faith) 
thnt  it  may  not  be  superficiary  and  fallacious, 
it  must  have  some  exjdoration ;  and  this  explo- 
ration must  havr  a  tuffieient  time  for  it.  And 
because  to  ascribe  a  taring  vertue  unto  the  bare 
sacromente  ex  Opere  Operate,  is  the  bottom 
of  the  errors  of  Popery,  this  error  cannot  other- 
wise be  corrected,  than  by  this  means ;  thnt  by  a 
certain,  and  no  tudden  trial,  the  seer  s  of  meuH* 
hearts  may  be  laid  open,  and  novices  ni  '<y  b<-,  with 
a  long  caution,  both  instructed  and  examined. 


his 


Reader,  if  the  beating  out  of  truth  in  controversies  that  have  risen 
among  us  relating  to  our  church  discipline  had  not  been  tlie  special  service 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    OF   NEW-ENGLAND. 


105 


wherein  all  our  churches  beheld  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  making  use  of  this 
our  learned,  able,  holy,  and  no  less  considerate,  than  considerable  MiTOHEL, 
I  had  not  given  thee  so  long  an  entertainment  as  that  of  these  propositions 
— propositions  which,  if  they  should,  in  the  opinion  of  any,  fall  short  of 
demonstrations,  and  contribute  nothing  to  unite  and  settle  the  Various 
apprehensions  of  some  very  worthy  men  among  us  about  an  important 
point  in  our  church  government,  yet  they  will,  in  the  opinion  of  all,  serve 
to  express  the  dispositions  of  mind  which  the  rare  spirited  author  of  them 
did  both  live  and  dye  withal:  they  show  how  much  he  was  against  that 
rigid,  unscriptural,  uninstituted,  and  unwarrantable  insisting  upon  modes, 
wherein  some  of  our  churches  had  sinned  sometimes  against  the  grace  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  yet  how  much  he  was  for  all  scriptural  and 
rational  methods  to  preserve  the  churches  from  sinning  against  the  holiness, 
which  does  "become  those  houses  of  God  for  ever." 

§  13.  I  have  said  that  the  life  of  our  Mitchel  was  in  a  special  manner 
engrossed  by  the  services  of  explaining,  maintaining  and  perfecting  those 
principles,  whereby  the  Christian  religion  must  be  preserved,  with  a  true 
and  pure  church  state  among  us,  and  conveyed  and  secured  unto  posterity ; 
and  this  leads  me  to  that  part  of  his  character  which  distinguished  him 
as  much  as  any  one  whatsoever;  namely,  "a  care  of  all  the  t'  arches." 
Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  complains,  "that  the  children  of  this  world  are" 
(for  so  I  read  it)  "  wiser  for  their  own  generation,  than  the  children  of 
light."  But  our  Mitchel  was  **  wise  for  his  generation,"  and  exercised 
his  wit  with  much  contrivance  and  much  diligence,  that  his  generation, 
even  the  faithful  people  of  God  in  the  world,  might  be  accommodated  in  all 
their  interests.  He  was  endued  with  a  certain  soaring  and  serious  great- 
ness of  soul,  which  rendered  Jly-catching  too  low  a  business  for  him ;  though 
he  were  one  of  a  very  lowly  spirit  in  his  disposition  to  be  always  condemn- 
ing of  himself,  yet  he  nourished  in  himself  a  generous  disdain  of  low, 
little,  trifling  matters,  and  was  of  a  leading  spirit  where  hard  service  was 
call'd  for,  and  of  a  public  spirit  for  doing  of  service  to  as  many  as  he  could : 
his  thoughts  moved  in  a  large  sphere  of  usefulness,  and  he  was  continually 
projecting  how  to  do  good,  in  the  most  extensive  manner  unto  more  than 
an  whole  country.  The  Bucholtzerian  expression  of  the  apostolical  IIAN. 
TAXOT2IA*  might  be  transferred  into  our  account  of  Mr.  Mitcuel:  "he 
was  a  circle,  whereof  the  centre  was  at  Cambridge,  and  the  circumference 
took  in  more  than  all  New-England."  Hence,  when  he  set  apart  his 
days  for  secret  prayer  with  fasting  before  God,  he  would  recapitulate  in 
his  private  papers  the  humbling  occasions  for  supplication,  which  he  saw 
not  only  in  afflictive  things  on  his  own  particular  flock,  but  also  in  all  the 
sad  sights,  which  in  disasters  either  upon  the  civil  or  sacred  concerns 
throughout  all  our  three  colonies,  and  all  gradual  decays  of  our  glory, 
occurr'd  unto  him;  yea,  and  he  would  then  travel  so  far,  as  to  observo 

f  CompreheiiBlvenen. 


I 


!    i    J 


106 


MAONALIA    OHRISTI   AMEBIOANA; 


i 


the  condition  of  the  ohurch  throughout  Great  Britain,  and  the  nations  of 
the  European  world ;  and  all  these  occasions  of  distress  and  request,  he 
would  enumerate  before  the  Lord,  with  the  matters  of  his  own  everlasting 
welfare.  From  the  same  heroic  vertue  (as  I  may  properly  call  it)  in  him 
it  was,  that  in  the  weekly  meetings  of  the  neighbouring  pastors,  afler  the 
weekly  lectures  in  the  towns  which  he  could  visit  and  at  all  other  such 
meetings,  he  would,  with  a  most  becoming  discretion  and  modesty,  be  still 
putting  forward  something  or  other  that  might  be  for  general  advantage : 
and  when  the  ministers  met  at  any  time  so  much  without  advantageous 
effects  of  their  discourses,  that  it  could  be  said  the  time  had  been  smoaked 
away  to  no  purpose,  he  would  be  troubled  at  it;  it  caused  him  once  to 
write  this  lamentation:  "Little  done  I  I  have  begun  to  feel  the  sadness  of 
the  present  time,  and  the  Lord's  withdrawing  from  us,  and  our  chariot- 
wheels  taken  off:  I  find  that  in  all  societies,  where  I  have  any  thing  to 
do,  commonwealth,  and  church  and  colledge,  things  stick,  and  we  draw 
heavily,  and  nothing  can  be  gotten  forward:  all  things,  and  all  the  spirits 
of  men,  seem  to  be  off  the  hinges ;  Oh !  Lord,  affect  my  heart  therewithal  I" 
In  this  lamentation,  the  reader  finds  the  colledge  mentioned,  and  indeed 
the  colledge  was  nearer  unto  his  heart  than  it  was  to  his  house,  though 
next  adjoyning  to  it.  He  was  himself  an  accomplished  scholar,  and  he 
loved  a  scholar  dearly;  but  his  heart  was  fervently  set  upon  having  the 
land  all  over  illuminated  with  the  fruits  of  a  learned  education.  To  this 
end,  he  became  afatfier  to  the  colledge,  which  had  been  his  mother,  and 
sought  the  prosperity  of  that  society  with  a  very  singular  solicitude;  but 
among  other  contrivances  w  hich  he  had  for  the  prosperity  of  the  colledge, 
one  was,  "a  model  for  the  education  of  hopeful  students  at  the  colledge 
in  Cambridge."  His  proposals  were,  for  septennial  subscriptions  by  the 
more  worthy  and  wealthy  persons  in  this  poor  wilderness;  to  be  disposed 
of  by  trustees  (namely,  the  magistrates  and  ministers  of  the  six  next  towns, 
for  the  time  being,  with  seven  other  gentlemen  by  them  chosen  out  of  the 
said  towns,  of  which  any  seven  to  be  a  quorum,  if  three  ministers  were 
among  them),  who  should  single  out  scholars  eminently  pregnant  and 
pious,  and  out  of  this  bounty  support  them  in  such  studies  as  they  should 
by  these  trustees  be  directed  unto,  until  they  had  either  performed  such 
profitable  services  as  were  imposed  on  them  in  the  colledge  itself,  or  pre- 
pared themselves  for  other  services  abroad  in  the  world.  He  was  mightily 
affected  with  a  passage  of  Luther's: 

"If  over  there  be  nny  considerable  blow  given  to  the  devil's  kingdom,  it  must  be  by  youth 
excellently  educated.  And  therefore,  Res  seria  est,  Ingens  est;  'it  is  a  serious  thing,  a 
weighty  thing,  and  a  thing  that  hath  much  of  tlie  interest  of  Christ  and  of  Christianity  in 
it,'  tliat  youth  be  well  trained  up,  and  want  no  helps  for  that  end;  that  schools,  and  school- 
roristers,  and  poor  scholars  be  maintained.  It  is  the  flourishing  of  a  common-weaUh,  to  bo 
Well  furnished  with  learned,  worthy  and  able  men  for  all  purposes.  And  God  will  not  give 
U8  such  men  by  miracle,  seeing  he  hath  vouchsafed  us  other  ways  and  means  to  obtain  them. 
Learning  is  an  unwelcome  guest  to  the  devil,  and  therefore  he  would  fuin  starve  it  out.    But 


Mi 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


lor 


fthe 


ing,  a 

[lity  in 

ihooU 

to  bo 

)t  give 

thorn. 

But 


we  Hhnll  never  long  retain  the  gospel  without  the  help  of  learning.  And,  if  we  should  have 
no  regard  unto  religion,  even  the  outward  prosperity  of  a  people  in  this  world  would  necos> 
sari!/  require  schools  and  learned  men.  Alas,  that  none  are  carried  with  alacrity  and  seri* 
cuHDess  to  take  care  for  the  education  of  youth,  and  to  help  the  world  with  eminent  and 
able  men!" 

'Twas  from  considerations,  like  these  of  Luther's^  that  he  did  with  an 
accurate  and  judicious  pen  shape  these  proposals.  But  if  New-England 
then  had  not  many  persons  in  it  of  the  same  inclination  with  Pope  Paul 
II.,  who  pronounced  them,  heretices  that  should  mention  the  name  of  an 
Academy,  and  exhorted  people  that  they  would  not  put  their  Ci  ildren 
to  kaming,  inasmuch  as  it  was  enough  if  they  could  but  read  and  write: 
yet,  through  the  discouragements  of  poverty  and  selfishness,  the  proposals 
came  to  nothing.  Moreover,  the  remarkable  acuteriess,  joined  with  an 
extraordinary  holiness  in  this  renowned  man,  caused  the  churches  in  all 
quarters,  far  and  near,  when  their  difficult  church-cases  called  for  the  help 
of  councils,  to  make  their  applications  unto  Cambridge,  for  Mr.  Mitchel 
to  come  and  help  them  in  their  difficulties.  And  in  these  councils,  as 
well  as  when  weighty  cases  have  been  laid  before  the  elders  of  tho 
churches,  by  the  general  courts,  though  usually  most  of  the  ministers  pres- 
ent were  elder  than  he,  yet  the  sense  and  hand  of  no  man  was  relied  more 
upon  than  his  for  the  exact  result  of  all.  With  so  much  humble  wisdom 
and  caution  did  he  temper  the  significant  forwardness  at  well-doing  which 
he  still  carried  about  him,  that  the  disproportion  of  age  hindered  not  the 
most  aged  and  able  and  venerable  angels  in  our  churches  from  their  paying 
a  very  strange  respect  unto  him.  Yea,  as  the  Jewish  Midrash  upon  that 
passage  in  the  first  Psalm,  "his  leaf  shall  not  wither;"  I  remember  is  this, 
Omnes  necessitatem  kabent  Colloquii  ejus;*  even  such  a  necessary  tree  of 
life  was  Mitchel  accounted  in  the  garden  of  New-England.  However, 
he  encountred  with  such  temptations  as  must  buffet  all  that  have  in  them 
any  thing  of  significancy ;  for  which  cause,  once  particularly,  when  he 
had  been  admirably  acquitting  himself  in  an  undertaking  of  great  conse- 
quence to  the  churches,  he  c^me  home,  and  wrote  these  words: 

"  My  spirit  was  carried  out  in  too  much  forwardness :  I  see  cause  to  be  deeply  abased,  and 
loath  myself,  and  hang  down  my  head  before  God  and  men.  How  do  I  marr  God's  work, 
and  miirr  wimt  he  gives  me  therein,  by  my  own  folly !  Sometimes  1  am  ready  to  resolve  to 
put  forth  myself  no  more  in  publick  work,  but  keep  myself  silent,  and  uningnged,  as  I  see 
others  do.  But  then  I  perceive  that  this  tnsteth  of  frowardness  and  pride.  Lord,  give  me 
more  wisdom  to  manage  and  demean  myself!  but  if  thy  service  and  honor  may  be  promoted 
by  my  weakness  and  folly,  let  me  be  willing  to  be  vile,  that  God  may  be  exalted — 2  Sam. 
vi.  21,  22." 

Upon  the  whole,  he  was  unwilling  to  affect  such  an  unserviceable  privacy, 
that  they  who  passed  by  his  house,  might  say.  Hie  situ^  est  MiTCHELLUS.f 

§  14.  I  know  not  how  far  that  learned  Frenchman,  who  writes,  "the 
conformity  of  the  Congregational  church -government  unto  that  of  the 


*  All  have  need  of  his  wolety. 


t  Here  lies  Mitchel. 


108 


MAONALIA    OHBISTI   AMEBIOANA; 


ancient  primitive  Christians,"  hath  seen  verified  his  observation,  "all  dis* 
interested  persons  may  easily  be  perswaded  that  the  Congregational  cuiu- 
rnunion  retains  most  of  the  Apostolick,  because  it  is  not  only  the  creuui 
and  and  best  of  the  others,  but  also  because  it  hath  more  charity.  'Tis 
very  rarely  seen  (saith  he)  that  any  one  of  the  Congregational  way  does 
not  love  all  good  men,  of  what  communion  soever  they  be,  and  that  they 
do  not  speak  of  them  as  of  the  true  churches  of  Jesus  Christ:  whereus 
even  the  most  sober  and  honest  party  of  the  Episcopal  men,  and  some  of 
the  Presbyterians,  are  so  strongly  possessed  with  prejudices  against  those 
of  Congregations,  that  they  are  in  their  account  no  better  than  hypocrites, 
schismaticks,  and  men  oi  strange  enthusiasm."  If  any  of  the  Congrega- 
tional way  do  not  answer  this  character,  let  these  words  condemn  them; 
as  I  know  those  of  the  Presbyterian  way  in  this  country  have  by  their 
charitable  temper  much  confuted  that  part  of  the  discourse  by  which  they 
are  here  characterized.  But  the  observation,  I  am  sure,  was  verified  in 
our  Mitchel;  who  was  one  fully  satisfied  and  established  in  the  Congre- 
gational way  of  church  government,  and  yet  had  a  spirit  of  communion 
for  all  godly  men  in  other  forms,  and  was  far  from  confining  of  godliness 
unto  his  own.  It  was  a  frequent  speech  with  him,  "the  spirit  of  Christ 
is  a  spirit  of  communion  I"  And  I  can  tell  what  he  would  have  said,  if 
he  had  lived  to  see  the  books  of  so  ridiculous  a  schismatick  as  he  that  has 
made  himself  infamous  by  attempting  to  prove,  "  that  where  there  is  no 
Episcopal  ordination,  there  is  no  true  church,  minister,  sacrament,  or  sal- 
vation." His  great  worth  caused  him  to  be  called  forth  several  times  with 
an  early  and  special  respect  from  the  general  court  of  the  colony,  to  preach 
on  the  greatest  solemnity  that  the  colony  afforded ;  namely,  "  the  anniver- 
sary election  of  Governour  and  Magistrates:"  And  one  of  the  sermons 
which  he  preached  on  those  occasions  was,  after  his  death,  published  unto 
the  world,  under  the  title  of  '^Nehemiah  on  the  WalV  In  that  sermon, 
reader,  take  notice  of  the  discovery  which  he  gave  of  his  own  Catholic 
charity,  when  he  says: 

"  Do  not  wrong  and  marr  an  excellent  work,  and  profession,  by  mixing  and  weaving  in 
spurious  principles  or  practices;  as  those  of  sei'akation,  Anubuptisin,  Morelliun  (anarchial) 
confusion.  If  any  would  secretly  'twist  in  and  espouse  such  things  tis  those,  and  make  them 
part  of  our  interest,  we  must  needs  renounce  it  as  none  of  our  c:iuse,  no  part  of  the  end 
and  design  of  the  Lord's  faithful  servants,  when  they  followed  him  'into  this  land,  that  was 
not  sown.'  Separation  and  Anabaptism  are  wonted  intruders,  and  seeming  friends,  but  secret 
&tal  enemies  to  reformation.  Do  not,  on  pretence  of  avoiding  corruption,  run  into  sinful 
separation  from  any  true  churches  of  God,  and  what  is  good  therein;  and  yet  it  is  our 
'errand  into  the  wilderness'  to  study  and  practice  true  Scripture-reformation,  and  it  will  be  our 
crown,  in  the  sight  of  God  and  man,  if  we  find  it  and  hold  it,  without  adulterating  deviations." 

Thus,  though  he  were  a  reformer,  yet  he  had  nothing  in  him  of  a  Dona- 
tist:  for  which  cause  Mr.  Baxter,  hearing  of  him,  said,  "if  an  oecumenical 
council  could  be  obtained,  Mr.  Mitchel  were  worthy  to  be  its  moderator." 
And  this  disposition  of  charity  in  him  was  rewarded  with  the  respects 


OB,    THE    HI8T0BT    07    NEW-ENGLAND. 


100 


which  he  found  from  learned  and  pious  men,  that  were  in  many  things 
not  of  his  own  perswasioi; :  such  holiness  and  patience,  and  sweet  conde- 
scension, were  his  incomparable  abilities  accompaoied  withal,  thtt  good 
men,  who  otherwise  dififered  from  him,  would  still  speak  of  him  with  rev- 
erence. To  give  one  particular  instance:  'Tis  y[e\[  known  that  the  rever- 
end Charles  Chancey,  President  of  the  Colledge,  and  a  neighbour  in  the 
town  and  church  with  our  much  younger  Mitci^el,  at  the  time  of  the 
Synod,  zealously  and  publickly  opposed  the  Synodalian  principles  whereof 
Mr.  MiTCHKL  was  no  small  defender:  But  so  far  was  the  dissent  between 
them,  in  the  very  heat  and  heighth  of  all  the  controversie,  from  causing 
the  reverend  old  man  to  handle  his  antagonist,  in  any  measuie  as  the 
angry  Dioscorus  did  the  dissenting  Flavian,  in  the  council  of  Ephesus, 
tliat  he  would  commonly  say  of  him,  "I  know  of  no  man  in  this  world 
that  I  could  envy  so  much  as  worthy  Mr.  Mitchel,  for  the  great  holiness, 
learning,  wisdom  and  meekness,  and  other  qualities  of  an  excellent  spirit, 
with  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  adorned  him." 

§  15.  And  shall  we  a  little  more  particularly  describe  that  holiness  of 
this  excellent  man,  which  we  have  so  often  mentioned?  It  is  an  aphorism 
of  a  Machiavel,  [and,  reader,  was  it  not  worthy  of  a  Macliiavell]  "that  he 
who  writes  un  history,  must  be  a  man  of  no  religion."  By  that  profane 
•  ule,  the  first  and  the  best  historian  in  the  world,  the  most  religious  Moses, 
was  ill  accomplished  for  a  writer  of  history.  But  the  history  which  we 
are  now  writing,  does  professedly  intend  nothing  so  much  as  the  service 
of  religion,  even  of  that  religion  whereof  our  Mitchel  made  an  exemplary 
profession.  Wherefore  we  go  on  to  say:  know,  reader,  that  he  was  a 
great  example  of  a  "walk  with  God;"  and  of  religion  he  was  much  in 
prayer,  much  in  fasting,  sometimes  taking  his  virtuous  wife,  therein  to 
make  a  consort  with  him;  and  sometimes  also  he  kept  whole  days  of 
thanksgiving  privately  with  his  family,  besides  what  he  did  more  pub- 
licly; devoting  himself  as  a  thank-offering  to  God  for  his  mercies,  with  a 
reasonable  service.  In  his  diary,  he  betimes  laid  that  rule  upon  himself, 
"Oh!  that  I  could  remember  this  rule,  never  to  go  to  bed  until  I  have 
had  some  renewed,  special  communion  with  God  I"  He  kept  a  strict  watch 
over  not  only  his  words,  but  also  his  very  thoughts;  and  if  by  the 
reflection,  which  he  was  continually  making  on  himself,  he  judged  that 
liis  mind  had  not  been  always  full  of  heaven,  and  his  heart  had  been, 
what  he  called,  hard  and  slight,  that  he  had  been  formal  in  his  devotions, 
that  he  had  not  profited  abundantly  by  the  sermons  of  other  men,  that  he 
had  not  made  conscience  of  doing  all  the  good  he  could,  when  he  had  been 
in  any  company,  he  would  put  stings  in  o  his  reflections,  and  rebuke  and 
reproach  himself  with  an  holy  indignation.  Severe  might  seem  the  rule 
of  R.  Hanina:  "If  two  sit  together,  and  there  be  no  discourse  of  the  law, 
'tis  the  seat  of  the  scornful;"  severe  might  seem  the  rule  of  R.  Simeon: 
"If  three  do  eat  at  one  table,  and  say  nothing  nbout  the  law,  they  are  as 


1 

'■'  'i\ 


§ 


■  t'Sm 


110 


MAGNALIA    OHBISTI    AMEBIC.  IvA; 


if  they  eat  the  sacrifices  of  the  dead;"  and  severe  might  be  the  rule  of  R. 
Hananiah:  "He  that  wakes  in  the  night  or  walks  by  the  way,  and  lets  his 
heart  lie  idle,  sins  against  his  own  soul."  But  our  Mitchel  reckoned  it 
DO  severity  unto  himself  to  impose  upon  himself  such  rules  as  these  for  his 
conversation.  I  have  read,  that  jive  devout  persons  being  together,  there 
was  this  question  started  among  them:  how,  in  what  ways,  by  what 
means,  "they  strengthened  themselves  in  abstaining  from  sin  against  the 
God  of  heaven?"  The  first  answered,  "I  frequently  meditate  on  the  cer- 
tainty of  death,  and  the  uncertainty  of  the  time  for  my  death,  and  this 
makes  me  live  in  the  fear  of  sin  every  day  as  my  last."  The  second 
answered,  "I  frequently  meditate  on  the  strict  account  of  sin  that  I  am  to 
give  at  the  day  of  Judgment,  and  the  everlasting  torments  in  hell,  to  be 
inflicted  on  them  that  can  give  no  good  account."  The  third  answered, 
"I  frequently  meditate  on  the  vileness  and  filthiness  and  loathsomeness 
of  sin,  and  the  excellency  of  grace,  which  is  contrary  unto  so  vile  a  thing." 
The  fourth  answered  "I  frequently  meditate  on  the  eternal  rewards  and 
pleasures  reserved  in  heaven  for  them  that  avoid  the  pleasures  of  sin, 
which  are  but  for  a  moment."  The  fifth  answered,  "I  frequently  meditate 
on  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  his  wondrous  love  to  miserable  sinners,  in 
dying  a  cursed  and  bitter  death  for  our  sin ;  and  this  helps  me  to  abstain 
from  sin,  more  than  any  other  consideration  whatsoever;"  and  the  answer 
of  this  lust  was  indeed  the  greatest  of  all.  Now,  all  these  were  the  sub- 
jects which  our  holy  Mitchel  obliged  himself  to  an  assiduous  meditation 
upon;  and  by  meditating  on  these  it  was,  that  he  became  very  holy. 
Moreover,  he  was,  as  holy  men  use  to  be,  very  solicitous  to  make  a  due 
improvement  of  all  afflictions  that  the  providence  of  Heaven  dispensed 
unto  him.  He  would  say,  "When  God  personally  afflicts  a  man,  it  is 
as  if  He  called  unto  the  man  by  name,  and  jogged  him,  and  said,  *0h! 
repent,  be  humbled,  be  serious,  be  awakened :' "  Yea,  he  could  not  so  much 
as  be  kept  a  little  from  the  labour  of  his  ministry  by  an  hoarse  cold 
arresting  him,  without  writing  down  this  improvement  of  it:  "My  sin  is 
legible  in  the  chastisement:  cold  duties,  cold  prayers  (my  voice  in  prayer, 
t.  e.  my  spirit  of  prayer  fearfully  gone),  my  coldness  in  my  whole  conver- 
sation, chastisement  with  a  cold:  I  fear  that  I  have  not  improved  my 
voice  for  God  formerly  as  I  might  have  done,  and  therefore  He  now  takes 
it  from  me."  But  the  affliction  which  most  of  all  exercised  him,  seems  to 
have  been  in  the  successive  death  of  many  lovely  children,  though  all  of 
them  in  their  infancy.  'Tis  an  observation  made  by  some,  upon  several 
passages  in  the  Scripture  concerning  that  generous  and  gracious  man, 
David,  that  he  was  Liherorum  Amantissimus — full  of  affections  to  his 
children;  and  that  was  to  be  observed  in  our  Mr.  Jonathan  Mitchel;  for 
which  cause,  when  his  children  were  sick^  his  paternal  bowels  felt  more 
than  ordinary  wounds;  and  when  they  were  dead,  his  humiliations  there- 
upon were  extraordinary.    He  wrote  whole  pages  of  lamentations  on  these 


OB,    THE   HIBTOBT    Of    KEW-ENOLAND. 


Ill 


occasions ;  and  one  of  his  infants  particularly  expiring  before  it  could  bo 
brought  forth  to  an  orderly  baptism,  I  cannot  but  recite  a  little  of  the 
meditations  then  written  by  him: 

"It  was  a  further  sod  hand  of  the  Lord  [saya  he]  that  it  should  dye  unbaptized.  Thoufr't 
I  do  not  think  they  are  orthodox,  that  hang  salvation  upon  baptism,  and  not  rather  upon  '.ho 
eaoenant,  yet  as  it  is  appointed  to  be  a  confirming  sign,  and  as  it  is  an  ordinance  of  grace,  so 
to  be  deprived  of  it  is  a  great  frown,  and  a  sod  intimation  of  the  Lord's  anger:  And  though 
it  may  be  well  with  the  child  notwithstanding  (that  it  becomes  me  to  leave  unto  the  Lord!) 
yet  it  is  to  us  a  token  of  displeasure.  And  what  construction  of  thoughts  tending  to  the 
Lord's  dishonour  it  may  occasion,  I  know  not:  that  after  my  labours  in  publick  about 
infant-baptisti:,  the  Lord  should  take  away  my  child  without  and  before  baptism!  Hen^by 
the  Lord  doee  again  and  again  make  me  an  example  of  his  displeasure  before  all  men,  as  if 
He  did  say  rpenly,  that  he  hath  a  special  controversie  with  me;  thus  remarkably  taking 
away  one  afler  another.  The  Lord  brings  me  forth,  and  makes  me  go  up  and  down,  as  one 
smitten  of  t.iod:  the  Lord  spits  in  my  face  by  this  thing.  See  2  Sum.  xiL  13.  Numb.  xiL 
12.    DeuL  xxviii.  46,  46.  68,  69." 

Such  and  many  more  were  the  workings  of  his  tender  soul  under  his 
repeated  afflictions.  And  such  were  the  unsearchable  dealings  of  God, 
that  besides  the  children  which  he  sent  unto  heaven  before  him,  when  he 
went  unto  heaven  himself,  he  left  behind  three  sons  and  two  daughters, 
all  of  which  lived  unto  somewhat  of  youth,  yet  they  have  all  of  them 
since  dyed  in  their  youth:  except  only  a  virtuous  young  gentlewoman, 
married  unto  Captain  Stephen  Sewal,  of  Salem ;  unto  whom  (with  her  off- 
spring, the  only  posterity  of  this  great  man)  may  the  Lord  multiply  all 
blessings  of  that  covenant  for  which  their  progenitor  proved  so  serviceable 
a  pleader  in  his  generation! 

The  last  thing  that  ever  he  wrote  m  his  reserved  papers,  after  he  had 
bitterly  reproached  "the  sinful  deadness,  straitness,  enmity,  andunsavour- 
iness  [as  he  called  it]  upon  his  own  heart;"  upon  which  he  added  this 
pathetical  expression,  "I  feel  I  shall  fall  and  tumble  down  into  the  pit  of 
hell,  if  left  unto  myself."  It  was  June  7,  1668.  To  quicken  his  cares  of 
daily  meditation — 

"  First,  Far  younger  than  I,  some  of  them  now  got  to  heaven,  have  done  much  this  way. 
Nulla  Dies  sine  Linea.* 

•♦  Secondly,  Meditation,  yea,  daily  meditation,  in  general,  is  an  indispensiblc  duty. — Psal.  i.  2, 
and  Paul.  cxix.  97.  And  becau»e  it  is  so,  there  may  be  something  of  meditation  in  proyer,  in 
reading  tlie  word;  Josh.  i.  8,  with  Deut.  xvii.  19,  and  in  occasional  transient  thoughts;  yet 
surely  some  sett  meditation  d:iily  besides  these,  is  at  least  to  me  a  duty,  who  am  set  apart  for 
the  holy  work  of  the  ministry,  wherein  it  would  bo  helpful,  as  well  as  to  my  own  soul. 

"  Thirdly,  Heaven  is  here  begun  upon  earth :  shall  I  bo  thinking  on,  and  talking  with, 
Christ,  to  all  eternity,  and  not  disecoursc  with  him  one  quarter  of  an  hour  in  a  day  now? 

**  Fourthly,  The  great  enemies  of  all  good — flesh,  Satan  and  world — do  of  all  other  things 
most  oppose  meditation,  which  shows  that  there  is  much  good  in  it.  Flesh,  by  awkness,  giddi- 
ness; world, by  distractions;  Satan,by  stirring  up  both.  Lord,awakenme,and  keep  me  awake!" 

§  16.  But  tc'hat  and  tvhen  was  the  end  of  this  holy  walk?  The  incon- 
gruities and  inconsistencies  of  historians  are  not  more  notorious  in  any 

*  Not  a  day  without  a  line  [of  writing]. 


112 


MAONALIA    OUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


one  article,  than  in  that  of  the  deaths  of  the  heroes  whose  lives  they  have 
eternalized.  With  what  varieties  are  the  deaths  of  Cyrus,  of  AntiochuH, 
of  Alexander,  of  IlanQibal,  of  Komulus,  of  Scipio,  of  Pliit'\  of  Aristotle, 
reported?  There  is  hardly  any  philosopher,  but  he  dies  twice  or  tLi'co 
over  in  Laertius;  and  there  is  hardly  one  of  Plutarch's  worthies,  but  be 
dies  as-  many  ways.  The  death  of  our  Mitcuel  remains  now  to  be  related 
with  more  of  certainty.  Though  "bodily  exercise  does  profit  a  little,"  as 
the  Apostle  concedes,  namely,  to  the  health  of  the  body ;  and  Mr.  Mitchel 
had,  from  a  principle  of  godliness,  used  himself  to  bodily  exercise ;  never- 
theless he  found  it  would  not  wholly  free  him  from  an  ill  habit  of  body. 
Of  extream  lean,  he  grew  extream  fat;  and  at  last,  in  an  extrcam  hot 
season,  a  fever  arrested  him  just  after  he  had  been  preaching  on  those 
words:  "I  know  that  thou  wilt  bring  me  to  death,  and  unto  the  house 
appointed  for  all  the  living."  The  fever  did  not  seem  to  threaten  his 
death;  however,  in  his  illness,  to  them  that  visited  him,  he  said,  "If  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  have  any  service  for  me  to  do  for  Him  and  His  dear 
people,  I  am  willing  to  do  it;  but  if  my  work  be  done.  His  will  be  done!" 
But  the  distemper  suddenly  assaulting  him  with  a  more  mortal  malignity, 
and  summoning  him  to  the  "house  appointed  for  all  the  living,"  he  fell 
to  admiring  the  manifold  grace  of  God  unto  him,  and  broke  forth  into 
these  words:  "Lord,  thou  callest  me  away  to  thee;  I  know  not  why,  if  I 
look  to  myself;  but  at  thy  bidding  I  come!"  which  were  some  of  the  last 
words  which  he  spoke  in  the  world:  for  his  friends,  who  had  not  for 
many  hours  entertained  the  expectation  of  any  such  dismal  event,  were 
compelled  in  floods  of  tears  to  see  him  d^-e  on  July  9,  1668,  in  the  forty- 
third  3*ear  of  his  age:  when  (as  one  expresses  that  matter)  he  left  his  body 
to  be  dipped  in  the  river  Jordan,  that  afterwards,  in  its  resurrection,  pass- 
ing into  Canaan,  it  may,  beyond  the  story  of  Achilles,  become  impenetra- 
ble and  invulnerable.  Wonderful  were  the  lamentations  which  this 
deplorable  death  fill'd  the  churches  of  New-England  withal;  for  as  the 
Jewish  llabbies  lamented  the  death  of  11.  Jose,  with  saying,  that  after  his 
death,  Oessamut  Jiidri,  i.  e.  Viri  tales,  in  qnihns  omnes,  turn  Erudltionis,  cum 
Virtutis,  cumuli  erant:*  So,  after  the  departure  of  our  MiTCHEL,  it  was 
fear'i]  there  would  be  few  more  such  rich  grapes  to  be  seen  growing  in 
this  unthankful  wilderness.  Yea,  they  speak  of  this  great  man  in  their 
lamentations  to  this  day;  and  what  they  speak  is  briefly  the  same  that 
one  of  our  most  eminent  persons  has  writ  in  those  terms:  ''All  New- 
England  SHOOK  WHEX  THAT  PILLAR  FELL  TO  THE  GROUND." 

EPiTAPrr. 
And  now,  reader,  let  us  go  to  the  best  of  poets  in  the  English  nation  for 
those  lines  which  may,  without  the  least  wrong  to  truth,  be  applied  as  an 
Eiiita})h  to  this  best  of  preachers  in  our  little  New-English  nation.    The 
incomparable  Dr.  Blackmorc's  Orator  Tylon  shall  now  be  our  Mitchel: 

*  The  Uetri  (men  in  wlioin  werv  accumulated  all  knowledge  and  all  virtues)  wore  extinct. 


UB,    THE    BIBTOBY   OF   VEW-ENOL AND. 


IIU 


?nity, 
e  fell 
I  into 
^,ifl 
le  last 
pt  for 
were 
orty- 
3ody 
pass- 
netra- 
this 
the 
er  his 
cum 
t  was 
Ing  in 
their 
B  that 
New- 


Jon  for 
as  an 
The 


Til  the  Rroat  Mitorii,  whoM  Immortal  worth 

RuUm  Ui  henv'n  th«  hie  that  gave  him  birth. 

A  Micrpcl  mnn,  ■  Temnbla  prieit, 

Who  ii«vor  ipake,  and  admiration  mlit. 

or  lood  ami  kind,  he  the  Juit  itandnrd  leem'di 

Urar  to  the  beat,  and  by  the  wont  eitoeroed, 

A  gen'roua  lore,  dlffkiaed  to  human  kindi 

Dirine  ctimpaMlnn,  mercjr  unconfln'd, 

Htlll  relgn'd  triumphant,  In  hit  godlike  mind, 

Oreatnou  and  roodoitjr  their  wart  compose, 

Between  them  here  a  perfect  ft-lendahip  grows. 

HIa  wil,  hii  Judgment,  learning,  equal  riae; 

Dlvlnoljr  humble,  yet  divinely  wise: 

Ho  aecm'd  expreis  on  beam's  high  arrand  aent, 

Aa  Moset  meek,  u  Aaron  eloquent. 


Naetar  dlrtne  flowa  tnm  hia  hMTBly  loiiffa«i 

And  on  hli  lip*  charming  partwMlon  bung. 

When  he  the  lacred  uraoiea  ravoard, 

Our  ravlth'd  aoult.  In  bleit  enehanlmenti  heldt 

Beem'd  loil  In  traniporta  of  immortal  bllaa  { 

No  ilmple  man  eouid  ever  ipeak  like  thtal 

Arm'd  with  coaleatlal  Ore,  hIa  laered  darta 

Glide  thru*  our  breaita,  and  molt  our  yielding  htartm 

So  louthem  breexet,  and  the  ipring'i  mild  ray, 

Unbind  the  Globe,  and  thaw  the  n-oien  clay. 

He  triumph'd  o'er  our  loula,  and  at  hit  will. 

Bid  thii  touchM  paa<ii<>n  rite,  and  that  be  Mill, 

Lord  of  our  pattiuna,  he,  with  wondrout  art, 

Could  ttrike  tho  lecrot  movementa  of  our  heart ; 

Releaae  our  loult,  and  make  them  soar  above, 

Wing'd  with  divine  detlret,  and  flamet  of  heav'oly  loTt, 

But  what  need  I  travel  as  far  as  Europe  for  an  Elegy  upon  this  worthy 
man  ?  Let  it  be  known,  that  America  can  embalm  great  persons,  as  well 
as  produce  them,  and  New-England  can  bestow  an  elegy  as  well  as  an  «rfu- 
cation  upon  its  heroes.  When  our  Mitchel  was  dying,  he  let  fall  such  a 
speech  as  this  unto  a  young  gentleman  that  lodg'd  in  his  house,  and  now 
stood  by  his  bed:  "My  friend,  as  a  dying  man,  I  now  charge  you  that 
you  don't  meet  me  out  of  Christ  in  the  day  of  Christ."  The  speech  had 
a  marvellous  impression  upon  the  soul  of  that  young  gentleman,  who  then 
compos'd  the  ensuing  lines: 

TO  THE  MEMORY  OF  THE  REVEREND  JONATHAN  MITCHEL. 

Quicquid  Aghaua,  quiequid  Patimur,  venit  ex  Alto." 

Some  lay,  that  touls  ufl  tad  presagea  gl  ve ; 
Death-broathing  tormona  taught  ut  latt  to  Uve. 
nit  Kyttcm  of  religion,  half  unheard. 
Full  double.  In  his  preaching  life  appear'd. 

He's  gone,  to  whom  hia  country  owea  a  love, 
Worthy  the  prudent  serpent,  nnd  the  dove. 
Religion's  panoply,  the  sinner's  torrour. 
Death  summon'd  bonce ;  sure  by  a  writ  of  error 

The  Quaker,  trembling  at  his  thunder,  fled ; 
And  with  Caligula  reaiim'U  bis  bed. 


Ton  country's  tears,  be  ye  my  spring;  my  bill 
A  gene.al  grave ;  let  groans  inspire  my  quill. 
By  a  warm  sympathy,  lot  feaverlfh  heat 
Roam  thru'  my  vene  nn^eon :  and  a  cold  aweat, 
Limning  despair,  attend  me:  tighs  diffuse 
Convulaions  through  my  language,  such  aa  nae 
To  type  a  giupiog  fancy ;  lastly,  shroud 
Religion's  splendor  In  a  mourning  cloud. 
Replete  with  vengeance,  fur  succeeding  t%iea, 
Fertile  in  woes,  more  fertile  In  their  crimes. 
These  are  my  muses;  these  lns|.lre  the  tnila 
Of  fanry  with  their  sighs,  instead  of  gulei. 

Render,  rend  reverend  Mitchkl's  life,  and  then 
Confess  the  world  a  gordian  knot  ngen. 
Road  his  teur-dolug'd  grave,  and  then  decree, 
Our  pri'sont  woe,  and  future  misery. 
Stars  falling  speak  a  atorm ;  when  Samuel  dies, 
Baul  roHy  expect  Philiatia's  cruelties ; 
So  when  Jehovah's  brighter  glory  fled 
The  Temple,  Israel  soon  was  captive  led, 

Geneva's  triple  light  made  one  divine: 
But  here  that  vast  triumvirate  combine 
By  a  blest  metempsychosis  to  lake 
One  person  for  their  larger  zodiack. 
In  sacred  censures  Farel's  dreadful  scroll 
Of  words,  broke  fVom  the  pulpit  to  the  soul. 
In  balmy  comforts  Vlret's  genius  came 
From  th'  urinkled  Alps  to  wooe  the  western  dame; 
And  counlng  Cambridge,  quickly  took  fh>m  thence 
Iler  last  degrees  of  rhetoric  and  sense. 
Cnlvin's  laconlcka  thro'  his  doctrine  spred. 
And  children's  children  with  their  manna  fed. 
His  exposition  Renebis  begun, 
And  futa  F.xodua  eclipt'd  his  sun. 


He,  by  the  motions  of  a  nobler  spirit, 

Clear'd  men,  and  made  their  nations  Swine  inherlL 

The  Munster  goblin,  by  his  holy  flood 

Exorcls'd,  like  a  thin  phantnsma  stood. 

Brown's  llabcl  shutter'd  by  his  llghtuing  foil, 

And  with  confused  horror  pack'd  to  hell. 

Tho  Scripture,  with  n  commentary  bound, 

(Like  a  lost  Calais)  in  his  heart  was  found. 

When  he  was  sic*'  the  air  a  feavcr  took. 

And  thirsty  Phoebus  quatTd  the  sllvor-brook: 

When  dead,  the  spheres  in  thunder,  clouds,  and  rain, 

Groan'd  his  eleglum,  mourn'd  and  wept  our  pain. 

Let  not  the  brazen  schlsmatick  aspire ; 

Lot's  leaving  Sodom  left  them  to  the  Are. 

Tis  true,  the  Bee's  now  dead ;  but  yet  his  sting 

Deaths  to  their  dronlsh  doctrines  yet  may  bring. 

EPITAPHIUM, 

Here  lies  within  this  comprehensive  epan. 
The  church's,  court's,  and  country's  Jonathan, 
He  that  speaks  Mitoucl  gives  the  schools  the  He; 
Friendship  in  him  gaiu'd  an  ubiquity. 

F.  Drau. 


Vol.  IL— 8 


*  All  that  we  do  and  Buffer  cometh  ft'om  on  high. 


114 


IfAONALIA    OIIRISTI    AMKRICATfA; 


CHAPTER    V, 

DIUSIUS  N0?.AN6LICANU8.*— THE  LIFE  OF  II.  URliN  OAKES 

0  Utinam  plurtt  rimilu  tihi  ptttwt  mmmi, 
A»t  in  DoelrinA,  out  Stdulilatt  parn.i 

§  1.  I  REMEMBEK  'tis  the  rcport  given  by  Sylvius  concerning  Rhodes, 
"that  it  is  blessed  with  a  perpetual  sliino  ul'tho  sun;"  imagine  that  there 
passes  not  a  day  in  the  year  wherein  the  sun  shines  not  u()on  it.  And 
methinks  our  Cambridge  had  not  been  much  otherwise  privileged  for  more 
than  forty  years  together;  being  shined  upon  by  a  succoaHivo  triumvimte 
of  such  eminent  and  heavenly  lights,  as,  first,  Shepard,  then  Mitchc] ; 
and  lastly  our  excellent  Urian  Oake».  Those  iXxvan  ipUlen  men  and  very 
Chrysostoms,  have  given  to  Cambridge  its  yttlden  age.  The  church  of 
Cambridge  had  a  succession  in  some  sort  like  that  iu  the  churoh  of  Ephc* 
BUS — ^a  Paul,  a  Timothy,  and  a  Tychicus. 

§  2.  'Tis  remarkable  that,  in  tlio  sacred  story,  at  least  forty  Dukca  (»f 
Edom  have  their  whole  story  crouded  into  one  short  piece  of  a  chapter; 
three  or  four  of  them  are  jostled  into  a  line,  seven  or  eight  of  them  into 
two;  all  but  their  meer  name  is  buried  in  n  dark  vault  of  eternal  oblivion: 
while  above  a  dozen  chapters  are  employ 'd  in  describing  the  vertues  niul 
relating  the  actions  of  one  younger  son  of  Israel,  the  son  of  a  "plain  niun 
who  dwelt  in  tents."  If  the  greatest  persons  of  Kdoin  [that  is  to  say,  of 
Borne]  have  their  history  lost,  the  church  of  God  would  have  no  great  loss 
in  it;  a  son  of  Israel  may  more  worthily  and  n^oro  usefully  have  his 
memory  preserved  in  church-history  with  the  tnost  extended  paragraphs: 
yea,  the  son  of  a  "plain  man,  who  dwelt  in  tents,"  nuiy  deserve  an  ever- 
lasting remembrance  among  them  who  most  consider  what  they  have  most 
reason  to  remember.  Make  room,  then,  for  Urian  Oakes,  ye  records  of 
New-England.  He  was  born  in  England,  and  now  in  his  childhood  brought 
over  to  New-England  by  his  pious  parents,  who  were  blessed  with  several 
worthy  sons,  the  efl'ects  of  whose  liberal  education  in  our  Colledge  have 
rendered  the  family  not  the  least  in  our  little  Israel.  While  he  was  yet  a 
child,  he  was  delivered  from  an  extream  Hazard  of  drowning  by  a  miracle, 
I  had  almost  said,  a  miracle  of  divine  providence;  Ood  reserving  him  to 
be  a  Moses  among  his  people.  And  the  sweet  nature,  which  accompanied 
him  ar  his  days,  did  now  so  remarkably  recommend  him,  that  observers 
have  made  this  reflection:  "If  good  nature  could  ever  carry  one  to 
heaven,  this  youth  hath  enough  to  carry  him  thither." 

§  3.  His  prompt  parts  adorned  and  advanced  with  the  grace  of  God  at 
such  a  rate,  as  to  make  the  considerate  say  of  him,  as  they  said  of  young 


his 
Oal 
calli 
Oce 


*  The  New-England  Oak. 


t  Would  there  were  nior^  like  llieo!  like  thee  In  aenie, 
In  learning,  and  unwearied  diltgvnce. 


OR,    THE    III8TUKY    OF    NEW-K*  GLAND. 


116 


ArnbroHC,  "To  what  will  this  child  grow?"  were  improved  in  our  CoUcdge; 
^vliuru  liu  took  hia  two  dugrocs.  Huing  here  yet  u  lud  otainull,  as  ho  never 
Aviui  offjreat  Htuture,  he  publiHhcd  a  little  parcel  of  aatronoinical  cttlculatiuun 
with  thJH  apposite  verHc  in  the  title  page: 

Pareum  parva  deetnt,  nd  inut  mt*  Oratim  partis.* 

But  here,  being  fun.ished  with  the  armour  and  the  treasure  of  the  schools, 
ho  went  from  hnnco  unto  tho  work  of  building  the  Temple  of  God ;  preach- 
ing his  first  sermon  nt  Roxbury. 

§4.  Returning  back  to  England,  he  there  "grew  in  favor  with  God 
and  man."  After  he  had  been  a  while  chaplain  to  one  of  the  most  noted 
persons  then  in  tho  nation,  Titchftold  was  the  place  where  this  bright  star 
became  Jixed;  there  'twas  that  ho  settled  in  the  chai^o  of  souls,  which  ho 
discharged  in  such  lively  preaching  and  such  holy  living,  as  became  a 
minister  of  the  New  Testament:  there  'twas  that,  like  a  silkworm,  he 
spent  his  own  botvels  or  spirits  to  procure  the  "garments  of  righteousness 
for  his  hearers;"  there  'twas  that  he  might  challenge  the  device  and  motto 
of  the  famous  Dr.  Sibs,  a  wasting  lamp  with  this  inscription,  Proilucendo 
pei-eo,\  or,  "My  light  is  my  death." 

§  5.  But  tho  expensive  labours  of  his  ministry  did  not  so  hasten  a  nat- 
ural duath  upon  him,  as  to  anticipate  a  civil  death  by  the  persecution,  that 
silenced  the  Non-conformist  ministers  throughout  the  nation.  A  civil 
deaths  I  say;  because,  although  the  authors  of  that  act,  XIV.  Car,  2,  would 
not  be  reckoned  among  "tho  slayers  of  our  Lord's  witnesses,"  yet  it  may 
surprize  the  most  attentive  consideration  to  read  how  much  oftener  than 
twice  or  thrice  in  that  act,  tho  silenced  ministers  are  pronounced  as  dead, 
and,  as  if  naturally  dead!  This  act  slew  tho  ministry  of  this  "faithful 
witness"  to  the  truths  of  tho  gospel,  whereof  he  was  a  minister;  but  that 
worthy  and  well-known  Colonel  Norton,  proved  the  Obadiah  who  then 
gave  this  good  man  a  residence  in  his  house;  where  his  presence  and 
prayers  produced  a  blessing,  like  that  on  the  house  of  Obed-Edom.  Nev- 
ertheless, when  the  hent  of  the  persecution  was  a  little  abated,  ho  returned 
unto  the  exercise  of  his  ministry,  in  a  congregation  where  Mr.  Symmons 
was  his  colleague. 

§  6.  Our  Cambridge,  deprived  of  their  incomparable  Mitchel,  and 
lamenting  that,  "of  all  her  sons,  there  were  so  few  to  take  her  by  tho 
hand;"  after  solemn  addresses  unto  the  "great  Shepard  of  the  sheep"  for 
his  direction,  sent  over  their  agents  into  England,  with  a  invitation  to  Mr. 
Oakes,  to  "  come  over  and  help  them."  A  council,  upon  that  occasion 
called,  approving  of  the  invitation,  the  good  Stork  flew  over  the  Atlantick 
Ocean  to  feed  his  dam.     Whereupon  one  wrote. 


laenM, 


Welcome,  great  prophrt,  to  Ncw-Gnglund  shore, 
The  famM  Utopiu  of  muru  riimuiis  Mure, 
Unfabled,  for  New-England  la  by  thee, 

*  Little  things  become  Utile  men ;  yet  little  things  have  a  grace  peculiar  to  themselvM, 
.      t  It  is  by  giving  light  that  I  waste  away. 


Now  Twissu'g  giiesi  too  must  accompltsht  bei 
That  for  the  New  Jerusalem  there  mqr 
A  itat  be  found  in  wide  America. 


II 


116 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


§  7.  The  church  of  Cambridge  could  now  show  this  orient  jewel  for 
divers  years  before  the  Almighty  would  have  it  made  up  "among  his 
jewels ;"  though  the  troubles  and  sorrows  of  a  quarta..  ague  often  diverted 
him  from  his  publick  services.  And  here  he  had  the  opportunity  for 
which  Dr.  Preston  chose  rather  to  preach  at  Cambridge  than  any  other 
place,  Dolare  non  tantum  Lapides  sed  artifices.*  Of  the  divine  favour  to 
them,  in  their  enjoyment  of  such  a  pastor,  the  church  was  now  so  sensible, 
that  they  kept  a  day  of  publick  thanksgiving  for  it.  At  this  thanksgiv- 
ing a  sermon  being  expected  from  himself,  he  took  for  his  text  tliose 
words  in  2  Cor.  xii.  11:  "I  be  nothing."  And  the  holy  endeavours  that 
he  used  in  the  sermon  to  take  off  the  thoughts  of  the  faithful  from  any 
thing  in  man  to  every  thing  in  Christ,  were  very  agreeable  to  a  man 
whom  Christ  had  made  something  among  the  people.  But  the  Colledge 
in  Cambridge  languishing  under  somewhat  worse  than  an  ag%ie  by  the 
want  of  a  President,  this  accomplished  man  was  invited  unto  that  place : 
For  divers  years,  he  would  admit  no  other  title  to  this  place  but  that  of 
pro  tempore,  which  indeed  seems  to  have  been  a  little  proleptical  and  pro- 
phetical. From  this  time,  and  but  for  a  time,  he  was  the  Jerom  of  our 
Bethlehem  1 

§  8.  Soon  after  he  had  accepted  his  Presidentship,  he  was  arrested  with 
a  malignant  fever,  which  presently  put  an  end  unto  his  days  in  this  world. 
The  prayer  of  some  great  saints  has  been  contrary  to  that  in  the  Litany 
for  a  sudden  death;  and  such  was  the  death,  of  this  desirable  person,  if 
any  death  may  be  accounted  sudden  to  him  that  was  alioays  prepared  for  it. 
When  he  had  lain  sick  about  a  day  or  two,  and  not  so  long  as  to  give  the 
people  of  God  opportunity  to  pray  for  his  recover}',  his  church  coming 
together  with  expectation  to  have  the  Lord's  Supper  on  the  Lord's  Day 
administered  unto  them,  to  their  horror  found  the  pangs  of  death  seizing 
their  pastor,  that  should  have  broken  to  them  the  bread  of  life.  And, 
indeed,  I  have  often  seen  the  Lord  of  heaven  taking  off  his  ministers, 
perhaps  to  heaven,  at  that  season  when  the  Eucharist  should  have  been 
celebrated!  which  is  a  thing  that  might  admit  of  some  useful  reflections. 

§  9.  He  was  upon  all  accounts  truly  an  admirable  person.  Consider'd 
as  a  Christian,  he  was  "full  of  all  goodness,"  and  like  a  fidl  ear  of  corn, 
he  stoop'd  with  a  most  profound  humility,  adorning  all  his  other  graces; 
but  though  he  were  low  in  his  own  opinion  of  himself,  yet  he  was  high  in 
his  attainments;  high  in  his  principles.  lie  carried  heaven  in  his  name 
Urianus,  [q.  spavio?,]  but  much  more  in  his  heavenly  mind.  Considered 
as  a  scholar,  he  was  a  notable  critick  in  all  the  points  of  learning;  and 
well  versed  in  every  point  of  the  great  circle.  Vast  the  treasures  lodged 
in  the  soul  of  such  a  scholar!  Considered  as  a  preacher,  he  was  an  Orpheus 
that  would  have  drawn  the  very  stones  to  discipline;  had  Austin  been 
here,  he  might  now  have  seen  "Paul  in  the  pulpit:"  indeed,  he  was,  as  one 

*  Tu  oiudel  (lut,  not  statues,  but  artists.  , 


:!«!: 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


117 


if 


ung 


bgcd 

heuH 

)Gcn 

one 


said,  "an  uncomfortable  preacher;"  why?  he  drove  us  to  despair,  namely, 
of  seeing  such  another.  Finally,  I  cannot  speak  more  comprehensively 
of  him  than  Mr.  Increase  Mather  does  in  his  preface  to  a  discourse  of  this 
renowned  man's,  published  just  after  his  decease: 

"There  have  been  several  of  the  same  name,  heretofore  renowned  for  their  rare  accom- 
plishments in  some  particular  faculty,  wherein  they  have  excelled.  Josephus  Quercetanus 
was  a  learned  and  famous  physician.  Johannes  Drusias  (the  Greek  word  for  Oakes)  was  a 
great  divine,  and  eminent  for  his  critical  genius.  But  an  age  doth  seldom  produce  one  so 
many  ways  as  this  author  was.  If  we  consider  him  as  a  divine,  as  a  scholar,  as  a  Christian, 
it  is  hard  to  say  in  which  he  did  most  excel.  I  have  often,  in  my  thoughts,  compared  him 
unto  Samuel  among  the  prophets  of  old;  in  as  much  as  he  did  truly  "fear  God  from  his 
youth,"  and  was  betimes  improved  in  holy  ministrations,  and  was  at  last  called  to  the  head  of 
the  "sons  of  the  prophets"  in  this  New-English  Israel,  as  Samuel  was  President  of  the  Col- 
ledge  of  Najoth.  And  in  many  other  particulars,  I  might  enlarge  upon  the  parallel,  but  that 
it  is  inconvenient  to  extend  such  instances  beyond  their  proportion. 

" ' Heu,  tua  nobis 

Morte  aimul  tecum  Solatia  rapta  !'* 

It  may  without  reflection  upon  any  be  said,  that '  he  was  one  of  the  greatest  lights  that 
ever  shone  in  this  part  of  the  world,  or  that  is  ever  like  to  arise  in  our  Horizon.'  He  is 
now  become  a  'royal  diadem  in  the  hand  of  the  Lord]'  being,  as  one  speaks  concerning  a 
great  worthy, 'an  ornament  unto  heaven  itself.'" 

§  10.  As  for  his  works,  'tis  an  exceeding  pity  that  the  press  has  given 
to  the  light  no  more  of  them;  for  Quicquid  tarn  Docta  condidit  Manus 
Goelum  est:\  nevertheless,  four  or  five  of  his  published  composures  are 
carried  about  among  us,  like  Paul's  handkerchiefs,  for  the  healing  of  our 
sick  land.  We  may  read  something  of  what  he  was,  in  a  sermon,  called 
"  The  Conquering  and  Unconquerable  Christian  Soldier,^''  on  Eom.  viii.  37, 
preached  unto  the  Artillery  Company  in  Boston,  on  their  election ;  and  in 
a  sermon  preached  on  the  like  occasion  in  Cambridge,  from  Eccles.  ix.  11, 
showing,  that  chance  is  infallibly  determined  by  God;  and  in  a  sermon 
upon  a  Fast,  which,  from  Isa.  xliii.  22,  presses  for  sincerity  and  delight 
in  the  service  of  God :  but  most  of  all  in  a  sermon  on  Deut.  xxxii.  22, 
preached  unto  the  General  Court  of  the  Massachusetts-colony;  wherein, 
he  pleaded  with  his  country,  to  consider  what  would  be  the  latter  end  of 
the  evils  then  growing  in  the  country;  after  a  manner,  so  faithful,  so 
solemn,  so  affectionate,  as  was  hardly  to  be  equalled.  Now,  that  the  reader 
may  see  some  account  of  this  learned  man's  judgment  in  the  matters  of 
church-discipline,  without  which  we  may  not  say  that  we  have  written  hia 
hje,  we  will  from  that  sermon  onl}'  transcribe  tlie  few  following  lines: 

"I  profess  I  look  upon  tlie  settlement  of  the  Congregational  icaij  as  the  boon,  the  gratuity, 
the  largess  of  divine  bounty,  which  the  Lord  graciously  bestow'd  upon  his  people,  that  fol- 
lowed him  into  this  wilderness ;  and  a  great  part  of  tiie  blessing  on  the  head  of  Joseph,  and 
of  them  that  were  'separate  from  their  brethren.'  Those  good  people  that  came  over  hither 
shewed  more  love  and  zeal,  and  nfll'i-tionate  desire  of  communion  with  God  in  pure  worsiiip 
and  ordinances,  and  did  more  in  order  to  it  than  others,  and  the  Lord  did  more  for  tlu-m 


*  lu  luslns  llioo,  we  lust  uur  comrurt  too. 


t  The  work  of  a  hand  so  gkillod  must  be  divine. 


m\ 


118 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


than  for  any  people  in  the  world,  in  shewing  them  the  'pattern  of  liia  house,'  and  tlie  true 
scriptural  way  of  church-government  and  administrntions.  I  do  not  think  that  they  were  it  u 
tie.  plus  ultra,*  and  that  nothing  was  left  unto  the  discovery  of  after-times;  but  the  bttpii- 
ning'Work  was  substantially  done  by  thorn;  they  were  set  in  the  right  way,  wherein  we  iiro 
now  to  proceed,  and  make  a  progress.  It  will  be  our  wisdom,  interest,  and  duty  to  follow 
tiiem,  as  they  followed  the  guidance  of  the  spirit  of  Christ.  The  reformation  in  K.  Edward's 
days  was  then  a  blessed  work;  and  the  reformation  of  Geneva  and  Scotland  was  u  laigL-r 
step,  and  in  many  respects  purer  than  the  other;  and,  for  my  part,  I  fully  believe,  thut  tliu 
Congregational-wuy  fur  exceeds  both,  and  is  the  highest  step  that  hns  been  taken  towards  rejhr- 
mation,  and,  for  the  substance  of  it,  is  the  very  way  that  was  established  and  practised  in  tlio 
primitive  times  according  to  the  institution  of  Jesus  Christ.  There  is  a  sweet  tempi-rainunt 
in  the  Congregational- way ;  that  the  liberties  of  the  people  may  not  be  overlaid  and  opprcsst-d, 
as  in  the  classical-way,  nor  the  rule  and  authority  of  the  elders  rendered  an  insignificant  thing, 
and  trampled  under  foot,  as  in  the  way  of  the  Brownists;  but  that  there  may  be  a  reconcilia. 
lion,  or  due  concurrence  in  the  balancing  of  the  one  justly  with  the  other:  and  herein,  the 
wisdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  frame  of  church-government  (for  it  is  not  any  poli- 
tick or  prudential  contrivance  of  man,  but  modell'd  by  the  great  Law-giver,  the  Lord  Jesus) 
is  greatly  to  be  admired  by  us." 

§  11.  The  rest  of  the  report  that  we  will  give  of  this  memorable  person, 
shall  be  but  a  transcript  of  the  Epitaph  on  the  tomb-stone  in  the  sleep- 
iii'j-place  at  Cambridge,  dedicated  unto  his  memory.  And  know,  reader, 
that  though  the  stones  in  this  wilderness  are  already  grown  so  witty  as  to 
speakj  they  never  yet,  that  I  could  hear  of,  grew  so  wicked  as  to  lye. 

URIANI  OAKESII. 

Ciijna,  Quod  Eeliquum  est,  clauditur  hoc  l^mulo  ; 

ExpUiutta  Iiitegrilale,  summd  Morum  Gravitate, 

Onmiumque  meliorum  Artium  insigni  Peritid, 

Spectatisaimi,  Clarissimique  omnibus  Modis  Viri,      , 

Theologi,  merito  suo,  celeberrimi, 

Coneionatoris  tere  MelUflui, 

Cantahrigienais  Ecrlesiai,  Doctisaimi  et  Orthodoxi  Paatoria 

In  Collegia  Harvardino  Pr<eaidia  Vigilantissimi, 

Maximam  Pietatis,  Erudilioiiis,  Facundi<e,  Laudem  Adepti; 

Qui,  Brpentina  Murte  subitd  correptua, 

In  JESU ainnm  efflnvit  Animam, 
Julii  XXV.  A.  D.  M.  DC.  LXXXI. 

Memori^. 
.idntis  sum  L. 
Plurima  quid  Kefrram,  aalis  est  at  dixeria  Unum, 
Hoc  Dictu  aatia  eat.  Hie  jncit  OAKESIUS.+ 

t 
•  Point  of  perfeclinn. 

t  To  the  memory  of  Ifrlun  Onkes,  whoso  remoinn  are  enclosed  In  this  grnvo :  a  man  of  tried  integrity,  consum- 
mate diinilty  of  characlor,  remiirkabin  acquirements  in  all  the  belter  kinds  of  knowled*i;e,  most  conspicuous  and 
distinguished  in  every  respect ;  as  a  theoloir'an,  deservedly  famous ;  a  truly  charming  oriiior ;  a  learned  and  orlho- 
dos  pastor  of  a  church  at  Cnmt)ridKe ;  u  most  sagacious  president  of  Harvard  College ;  a  recipient  of  the  higliest 
commendations  for  piety,  learning  and  eloquence,  smitten  by  a  sudden  and  deadly  disease,  be  breathed  out  his  life 
Into  the  bosom  of  his  Saviour,  July  ttSth,  A.  D.  1081,  at  the  age  of  flDy. 

What  need  of  epithetx  ?  one  name  must  dear  > 

Kipranes  all,  and  tolls  that  UAKKS  lies  here. 


! 


OE,    THE    niSTOEY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


LliAFTEH   iv« 


m 


THE  LIFE  OF  MR.  THOMAS  SHEFARD. 

§  1.  When  we  find  that  passage  in  the  oracles  of  Heaven,  "  Behold, 
Philistia,  and  Tyre,  with  Ethiopia;  this  man  was  born  there;"  it  follows, 
*'  and  of  Sion,  it  shall  be  said  this  and  that  man  was  born  in  her :"  and 
tlie  meaning  and  the  reason  of  this  different  expression  hath  been  a  matter 
of  some  enquiry.  It  seems,  that  of  Kahab,  Babylon,  Philistia,  Tyre  and 
Ethiopia,  it  was  said,  "Behold  [as  being  almost  a  wonder !]  that  this  man," 
some  one  single  man  of  eminency — a  rara  avis  in  terris*  was  born  there. 
But  of  Zion  it  might  be  said,  [b^'W  »'«]  man  and  man,  "this  and  that  man," 
that  is  to  say,  very  many  eminent  men,  Multi  pielate,  DoctrinA  IngeniOy 
Jierum  Bellicarum  Ohrid.  aliquibusque  Virtutibus  Insignes,^  were  "born  in 
her."  That  little  spot  of  ground,  where  God  planted  his  church,  affording 
more  excellent  men  for  holiness  and  other  noble  accomplishments,  in  pro- 
portion, than  all  the  world  besides.  I  will  now  make  no  odious  compari- 
sons between  Harvard-Colledge  and  other  Universities,  for  the  proportion 
of  worthy  men  therein  educated:  but  New-England,  compared  with  other 
parts  of  America,  may  certainly  boast  of  having  brought  ^orth  very  many 
eminent  men;  in  proportion,  more  than  any  of  therti;  and  of  Harvard- 
Colledge  (herein  truly  a  Sion-Colledge)  it  maybe  said,  'this  and  that  man 
were  bred  there;"  of  whom,  not  the  least  was  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard. 

§  2.  Reader,  esteem  it  not  prceposteroics,  if  I  begin  the  life  of  this  worthy 
man  with  relating  that  his  death  fell  out  on  December  22,  1677.  When 
the  pestilence  raged  so  much  in  Alexandria  of  old,  that  "there  was  not 
an  house,  wherein  there  were  not  many  dead,"  it  was  the  observation  of 
mankind,  that  while  the  Payans  cast  off  all  humanity,  and  inhumanly 
forsook  their  dearest  friends  in  the  distresses  of  their  sickness,  the  Chris- 
tians, without  any  regard  unto  their  own  life,  boldly  ventured  into  the  sick- 
chambers,  and  cheerfully  assisted  and  relieved  their  infected  brethren,  and 
very  oflen  dyed  that  they  might  preserve  others  from  death,  or  attend 
them  in  it.  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard  had  in  him  that  spirit  of  the  primitive 
Christians.  He  was  the  pastor  of  the  church  in  Charlstown;  and  the 
small-pox  growing  as  epidemically  mortal  as  a  great  plague  in  that  place, 
this  excellent  man,  who  had  for  many  years  most  faithfully  done  all  the 
duties  of  a  pastor  unto  his  flock,  apprehended  it  now  his  duty  to  visit  one 
of  his  flock,  who,  lying  sick  of  this  distemper,  desired  a  visit  from  him. 
He  went  with  "his  life  in  his  hand,"  and  (which  he  courageously  and 
undauntedly  expected)  the  contagious  distemper  arresting  of  him,  did  put 

*  A  rare  bird. 

t  Slany  men,  romarkablo  (or  pioly,  learning,  gcniut,  (he  glory  of  warlike  achievements  and  other  excellencei. 


Ih 
1 


)l 


120 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


an  end  unto  his  life,  and  therein,  surely,  after  some  sort  entitle  him  unto 
the  crown  of  martyrdom.    Thus,  as  an  Elegy  upon  his  death  expressed  it: 

Rather  than  run  from  'a  work,  he  chose  to  dye, 
Running  on  death,  sooner  than  duty  fly. 

Behold,  a  Shepherd,  who  was  (as  the  emperor  Probus  had  it  said  of  him) 
Vir  sui  Nomim's/* 

§  8.  And  now,  that  the  pourtraiture  of  this  person,  who  was  "as  great  a 
blessing  and  glory  as  ever  Charlstown  had,"  may  be  drawn  to  the  life, 
it  is  fit  ^hat  other  pencils  than  such  poor  ones  as  mine  should  be  employ'd ; 
for  indeed  it  was  very  truly  confessed,  in  an  Elegy  made  upon  him, 

Here's  worth  enough  to  overmatch  the  skill 
Of  the  most  stately  Poet  Laureat's  quill. 

We  will  therefore  employ  three  other  testimonies  and  descriptions  to 
give  posterity  the  knowledge  of  him;  whereof  the  first  shall  be  the  Epi- 
taph engraved  on  his  tomb-stone,  in  such  terms  as  these: 

D.  o.  M.  s. 

Bepoaita  aunt  hie  Reliquite  Thomae  Shepardi, 
Viri  Sanctiaaimi, 
Eruditione,  Virtute,  Omnigena  Moribuaque  auaviaaimia  Omatiaaimi; 
Theologi  Conaultisaimi, 
Concionatoria  Eximii : 
Qui  Filiua  fuit  ThomsB  Shepardi  Clarisaitnua, 
Memoratiaaimi  Paatoria  olim  EcclcaicB  Cantabrigienaia  ; 
Et  in  Eccleaia  Carolienai  Presbyter  doeena ; 
Fide  ae  Vita  Veraua  Epiacopua ; 
Optitne  de  Re  Literaria  Meritua : 
Qua  Curator  Collegii  Harvardini  vigilantisaimut ; 
Qua  Municipii  Academici  Sociua  Primariua. 
Ta  7a  Irittn  Xpirfa  s  7a  laulu  Zriluv 
In  D.  Jeau  placide  obdormivit,  Anno  1677,  Dec.  22. 
^tatis  suae  43. 
Totiua  Novanglia  Lachrymia  Defletua; 
Uaque  et  Usque  Deflendua.f 


Let  Fame  no  longer  boast  hor  antique  things, 
Huge  Pyrnmida  and  Mununicnta  of  Icings: 
This  cabinet  tliat  lucks  up  a  raru  i;ein, 
Without  presumption  may  compare  with  them. 
The  sacred  reliques  of  thul  matchless  unu 
Great  Bhepard,  are  enshrin'd  below  this  stone. 
Here  lies  entomb'd  an  heavenly  orator, 
To  the  great  King  of  Kings  embitssador: 
Mirror  of  Tirtues,  magoxine  of  arts, 
Crown  to  our  heads  and  Loadstone  to  our  hearts : 


Harvard's  groat  son,  and  father  too  beside, 

ChorlHlown's  Juxt  glory  and  New-England's  pride : 

The  church's  Jewel,  Colledge's  overseer, 

The  clergy's  diudum  without  a  peer : 

The  poor  man's  ready  friend,  the  blind  man's  eyes, 

The  wnndring,  wildrud  soul's  conductor  wise: 

The  widow's  solace,  and  the  orphan's  father, 

The  isicb.  man's  visitant,  or  cordial  rather : 

The  general  beiiefnctor,  and  yet  rare 

Engrosser  of  all  good ;  the  man  of  prayer : 


*  A  man  of  his  own  name. 

f  Sacred  to  the  all-good  and  Omnipotent  God.  Here  repose  the  remains  of  Thomas  Siiipakd,  a  most  gndly 
man,  possessed  of  learning,  excellence  in  every  virtue,  and  most  charming  manners;  a  sagacioiis  thecilnKlun,  un 
admirable  preacher.  He  was  the  distinguished  son  of  Thomas  Sliopord,  formerly  n  well-known  pustor  of  »  cliiircli 
at  CuinbrldKu ;  he  was  alM  a  teaching  elder  in  the  church  at  Chariestown,  a  true  bishop  bntli  in  faith  and  in  life ; 
a  willtT of  divin;>  lilerary  merit ;  a  vi'ry  prudent  steward  of  Harvard  College ;  a  follow  of  Iho  uciidemical  corporation. 
"S«»'klnk  pot  his  own,  but  the  llilnfrs  of  Jesus  Christ,"  he  slept  poHcefully  in  Jp9Uf>,  December  !i3,  A.  D.  IC~7, 
aged  forty-three :  mourued  and  to  be  mourned  yot  more  with  the  tears  of  nil  New  England. 


OR,    THE    HI8T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


121 


The  constant  Mend,  and  the  most  cheerful  f^vt,  In  this  l>ed  lye  repos'd  his  weary  llmbi ; 

Mont  orthodox  divine  and  pious  liver :  His  soul '  s  good  company  fur  Sernphlms. 

An  oracle  in  any  doubtful  case«  ^      If  men  be  dumb  in  praising  of  his  worth, 
A  muter-piece  of  nature,  art  and  grace.  Tbls  stone  shall  cry,  for  ibame !  ud  set  It  forth. 

Si,  Sheparde,  tuo  niri  qua  aint  digna  aepulchro 
Carmiua  nulla  forent,  carmina  nulla  fcrent.* 

§  4.  The  whole  country  was  fiU'd  with  lamentations  upon  the  decease 
of  the  person  thus  entomb'd,  and  many  bestowed  their  elegies  upon  him 
with  resentments  like  those,  which  one  of  them  thus  uttered : 

Next  to  the  tears  our  sins  do  need  and  crave, 
I  would  bestow  my  tears  on  Shepard's  grave. 

But  there  was  none  who  found  a  deeper  wound  at  this  decease  than  the 
reverend  president  of  the  colledge,  Mr.  Urian  Oakes;  who  was  his  parti- 
cular friend.  For,  as  Austin  had  his  Alipius,  as  Bazil  had  his  Nazianzcn, 
as  Jcrom  had  his  Heliodorus,  as  Eusebius  had  his  Pamphilus,  or,  if  you 
will,  as  Paul  had  his  Barnabas;  even  such  was  the  friendship  that  iinan- 
imated  our  Oakes  and  our  Shepard.  He,  besides  other  ways  of  express- 
ing his  value  for  this  his  departed  Jonathan,  took  the  opportunity  of  the 
next  Commencement,  with  no  small  part  of  hLs  elegant  oration,  thus  to 
embalm  his  memory: 

^^Referunt  historici  Caium  Caligulam,  monstrum  illud  hominis,  quert  palam  de 
conditione  temporum  suortim  esse  soHfum,  quod  nullis  calamitatibus  puhlicis  insig- 
nirentur.  Quod  si  nunc  in  vivis,  apud  nos  ageret,  nihil  esset  illi  querclcc  loci  relic- 
turn,  adeo  calamitosa  sunt  omnia,  et  felicitates  bonas  nobis  adversas  habemus, 
Ecquid  verb  calamitosius,  qudm  quod  morbus  ille  variolum  in  vicinis  oppidis  pas- 
sim grassatus  fuerit.  Heu  !  Quce  funera  dedit !  Quas  slragcs  edidil !  Miserum 
me!  Htereo,  stupeo,  vehemenler  perlurbor  animo ;  neque  mens,  neque  vox,  neque 
lingua  consistit,  quoties  subit  animum,  quam  grave  vulnus,  vel  ex  unius  viri,  interritu, 
lion  itd,  pride:ii  xccepimus.  Video  me,  necessitate  coactum,  officii,  audilnres,  in/an- 
dum  renovare  dolorem,  vulnusque  recens  acccptum  refricando,  retractandoque  exacer- 
bare.  Amisimus,  amisimus  memoratissimum  ilium  virum,  reverendissimum  Thomam 
Shepardum :  respublica  civem  optimum  ;  ecclesia  thcologum  clarissimum  :  academia 
nonjilium  tantum  et  alumnum  clarissimum,  sed  curatorem  etiam  vigil anlissimum; 
municipium  scholasticum,  socium  suum  primarium  amiserunt;  amicum  ego  siiigularem 
et  integer rimum.  Heu  pietas  !  Heu  prisca  fides  !  Obiil,  proh  dolor  !  or7iatiss/mus 
Shepardus,  vir  dignus,  si  quis  alius,  qui  nunquam  cegrotaret,  nunqunm  morirctur. 
Dabilis  reniam,  auditores,  ut  maesti  nos  Harvadinates,  etiam  in  ipsisferiis  academ- 
ids,  pientissimi  Thomce  Shepardi  manibus,  alicno  quidem,  uli  videri  potest  tempore, 
et  exequalia  justa,  paremus.  Dolemus  tanto  reipubliccB  vulnere  ;  mortemqne  tanti 
viri,  jure  optimo,  luctu  publico  esse  Tionorandam,  existimamus  ;  quifatalis  morbi  vi 
ereptus,  non  ecclesiam  soliim  Carol inienscm,  sed  totam  etiam  Novangliam,  orbam  ac 
debililatam  reliquii ;  quocum  dcfuncto,  respublica,  ecclesia,  academia  vacillare  ccrtd, 
si  non  corruisse  videantur.  Cum  Caius  Ccesar  satis  se  diu,  vel  naturce  vixisse,  vel 
gloria:  dixisset;  satis,  inquit  Cicero,  si  ita  vis,  naturic  fortasse;  addo  etiam,  si 

•  Were  no  songs  breathed,  siivo  such  ns  match  thy  praise, 
Fur  ever  hushed  had  been  the  minstrel's  lays. 


I'M 


if 


X  ,'11 


jii , 


122 


MAGNALIA    CURISTI    AMERICANA; 


placet  glorite ;  at  quod  maximum  est,  patricD  certe  parum :  tnulld  prqfecto  verius  ct 
sincerius  a  me  did  potest,  clarissimum  Shepardum,  satis  diu  vixisse  sibimetipsi,  et 
glorite  sutE,  eum  yii  adeo  vixerit,  ut  ad  coelestem  veri  vitalem  vitam  sincerA  Jide, 
virtutum  christianarum  exercitio,  dam  adilumque  sibi  munierit,  nomen  suum  immor- 
taUtaii  consecravit ;  at  reipublicoe,  non  sa^s  diu,  at  ecclcsitB,  at  acadeniin;,  parum 
cert6  vixit;  qtiocum  occubenle,  tilubare  ac  nutare  videntur  omnia.  Est  et  illud  ira 
divina  vehemenlir  in  nos  excandescentis  argumenlum  el  indicium  insigne,  qudd  gra- 
vissimis  reipublicce  temporibus,  academicR  necessitatibus,  ecclcsiarum  precibua  et 
lachrymis  hujus  eximii  viri  vitam  noluerit  Deus  condonare.  Amisimus  Shepardum, 
alienissimo  reipublicce  tempore  exlinclum:  at  quern  et  qualem  virumf  theologum 
prqfecid  non  unum  i  viultis,  sed  inter  mullos  prop^  singularem  ;  neminem  cum  illo 
conferendum  non  ausim  dicere :  neque  detrahere  quidquam  ab  aliis  nccessum  habeo, 
cum  encomia  defuncto  Shepardo  debita  persolvo.  At  verb  inter  Gregarios  theologos 
{quod  sine  cujusquam  injuria  did  velim)  tanliim  caput  extulit 

Quantum  Icnta  solent  inter  viburna  cupresai. 

^^Certabat  in  eo,  cum  pietate  minimi  fucatd,  erudilio  minimi  vulgaris  ;  cum  eru- 
ditione  vera  prudentia  modestia,  humanitas  et  industria  singularis.  Quanta  grav- 
itas  in  vullu  ?  Quantum  pondus  in  verbis  ?  Quam  nihil  non  consideratum  exibat 
ex  ore?  Quam  nihil  in  gestu  affeclatum,  aut  indecorum  ?  Fuit  quidem  6  ft.axapiriis, 
animo  sedatissimo,  candidissimo  pectore,  fcelicissimo  ingenio,  acerrimo  judicio, 
suavissimis  denique  temperatissimisque  moribus  ornatissimus.  Sic  autem  universam 
vitam  traduxit,  ut  aliis  illustre  quoddam  vera:  pietatis  ac  virtutis  exemplar,  ad  imi- 
tandutn  propositum  ;  in  eoque  quasi  exempli  causa,  antiqui  officii  vestigia  remanebant, 
Non  ille  inanem  occupatus  est  rumorem,  neque  ullus  umbra  falsa:  gloria:  conseclxitus 
est,  aut  insolentius  extulit  se;  sed  a  superdlio,fastuque  omni  longi  longique  abfuit. 
In  summis  ejus  dotibus,  propter  quas,  honoribus  autoritate,  gratid  Jloruit,  stimma 
ani:  demissio  et  modestia  singularis  emicuerunt ;  et  rara  quidem  {ut  did  solet) 
virtus  est  humilitas  honorata.  Vetus  est  verbum,  "Eig  'Avr)^  ^Sstg  'Avrjg,  unus  vir, 
null  us  vir.  Ego  vera  non  minus  vere  possum  dicere  "Eij  'sjxoi  fAu^iov.  Unus  mihi 
fuit  instar  decern  millium.  Prorsus  assentior  Nazianzeno  dicenti  (piXaifvsr'i  ax 
Eifjiai'  AvTttXXayfAa  twv  ovtwv  iSsv,  Aniicitiam  unicum  esse  vitaj  condimentum. 
Miserum  me  f  Quam  triste  nobis  sui  dcsiderium  reliquit  f  Qui  mihi  ita  chants. 
Ha  jucundus  fuit,  ut  ejus  aspcctu  dolor  omms  fuerit  abstersus,  et  omnis,  qua:  me 
angcbal,  cura  plani  consedcrit.  Probi  memini,  quam  me  olimfrons  ejus  tranquilla, 
vuUusque  {ut  Ovidius  loquitur)  plenus  gravitate  serena,  inter  diccndum  animadver' 
tit.  Ille  horum  comitiorum  {ut  mea  tulit  opinio)  pars  adeo  magna  fuit,  ut  qucmad- 
modum  {aulore  Cicerone)  Antomachus  Clarius  poeta,  cum  convocatis  auditoribus 
rccilarcl  iis  ingens  volutncn,  quod  conscripserat,  eumque  legentem,  omncs  prater 
Plaloiiem  reliquissent,  Lcgam,  inquit,  Niiiilominus;  Plato  enim  milii  unus,  instar 
est  omnium:  ltd  profccto,  alter  Plato  {absit  verba  invidia)fuit  mihi  Shcpardus  el 
instar  omnium.  Did  non  potest,  quam  me  perorantcm,  i .  comiliis,  conspectus  ejus, 
mullo  jucundissimus  re^rearit,  ct  rcfcccril.  At  non  comparel  hodie  Shcpardus  in 
his  comiliis:  oculos  h  ic  illuc  torqueo ;  quocunquc  tamen  inciderinl,  Plalonem  meitm 
in  tanta  virorum  illuslriumfrequcnIiA  r  juirunt;  nu-quam  amicum  et  pcrncccssarium 
meum,  in  hac  solenni  pancgyri,  inter  hosce  revcrendos  theologos,  acudemia:  curalores, 
rcpcrirc  aut  oculis  vesligare  possum.     ATnisitnus  drum  ilium  sanclissimum  strcnuumt 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-E^GLAND. 


123 


J 


orthodoxa  fidei  propugnatorem,  non  hominibus  solim  gratum  et  acceplum,  scd,  et 
h-o  ipsi  charissimum ;  diviixe  fumiliaritatis  virum,  siculi  Tertulhanut  nuncupat 
Abrahamum.  Quamobrem,  honoralissimi  viri,  lugele  amissum  civem  plane  rsrpa^ovov, 
optimariim  semper,  in  republica,  partium  et  in  rebus  optimis,  conslantissitnum  virum  ; 
columen  atque  ornatnentum  reipublica:  vestra ;  cujus  unius  funere,  propi  dixeram, 
efatam  esse  rempublicam.  Lugete,  revcrendissimi  presbyteri,  amissum  charissimum 
fralrem  et  symmislam  ;  ordinis  vestri  decus  et  lumen  singulare.  Lugele,  carolinen' 
ses,  sublatum,  ex  oculis  vestris,  exim'um  epiacopum  vestrum,  delicias  nlim  et  amorea 
vcstros.  Lugele,  academici  amissttm  curatorem  vigilanlissimum,  cujus  interritu, 
colhgii  dignitatem,  immane  quantum  diminutam,  salulem  ipsam  periclitata 'ii  esse, 
quis  non  inteUigil  ?  Lugele,  quotquol  adestis,  auditores.  amissum  ilium  virum,  con- 
summatissimum,  currum  et  equilcs  Israelis,  dignissimum  profecld,  qui  Nov-Anglia 
lachrymis  usque  et  usque  dejlcatur.  Qudd  si  nimius  in  hoc  argumento,  et  longiuSf 
quam  par  est  provectus  esse  vidcor,  qua-so  obtestorque  ut  veniam  aliquam  dolori  meo 
et  marori  animi  tribucndam  putctis.  Videtis  me,  in  amplissimas  charissimi  Shep- 
ardi  laudes,  tanquam  in  oceanum  dcscendisse,  et  dijficile  quidem  esse,  cum  laudandi, 
titm  lugendijincm  reperire."* 

*  Historians  say  of  Caius  Cnllgult .  that  monster  in  human  shape,— thot  he  used  to  deplore  the  condition  of  hli 
nge,  bucnuso  it  was  slKunlizcd  by  no  pubilc  caiumities.  But  if  he  lived  in  tlieae  times  and  among  us,  he  would 
And  no  more  room  for  such  a  complaint,  so  abounding  are  our  raisiurtunes,  and  to  such  un  extent  does  even  our  hap- 
piness turn  into  poignant  sorrow.  What  more  fearful  calamity  can  bo  conceived  of  than  the  prevalence  of  the  small- 
pox through  all  this  region?  How  death  and  destruction  have  followed  its  march  t  Alus!  I  shudder— nay,  am 
stunned,  as  I  contemplate  it:  I  seem  to  lose  Intelligence,  voice  and  language,  whenever  my  mind  recurs  to  that 
terrible  stroke,  which  wo  all  experienced  in  the  death  of  one  man.  I  flud  myself  compelled,  my  hearers,  by  th« 
very  necessity  of  my  position,  to 

'  Renew  the  grief  no  words  con  e'er  ezpms," 

and  tear  open  afkvsh  the  wound  which  we  have  all «« lately  felU  We  have  lost- we  have  lost  that  praiseworthy 
man,  the  revered  Thomas  Shkpard  ;  in  whom  the  state  loses  an  excellent  citizen ;  the  church,  n  distinguished  th«o- 
lotcii:ii ;  tile  college,  not  only  a  beloved  son  and  alumnui,  but  also  a  watchful  steward ;  the  academic  boani,  its  own 
chii.'f  fiillow ;  myself,  a  special  and  sincere  fl-iend. 

*  Alas  t  for  piety  and  fiiith  well-tried.* 

Uow  dreadful  is  It  to  be  reminded,  that  the  accomplished  SiiirARD  has  left  ns— a  man  too  good,  if  mortal  could  be 
BO.  ever  to  sicken— ever  to  diel  Pardon  me,  my  hearers,  if  even  on  so  happy  an  occasion  as  a  college  anniversary, 
we  sorrowing  sons  of  Harvard  oflbr  a  Amoroal  tribute  to  the  shade  of  the  pious  Shepard  ;  wo  grieve  over  the  wound 
inflictt^  on  the  state;  and  we  believe  that  public  mourning  may,  with  unquestionable  propriety,  signalize  the 
decease  of  so  great  a  man.  Tom  trom  us  by  the  Ibrce  of  a  mortal  disease,  he  has  left,  no',  only  nls  church  at 
Charlestown,  but  all  New  England,  In  a  bereaved  and  disabled  condition.  By  reason  of  hit.  departure,  the  com- 
mimwealth,  the  church,  the  college,  seem  to  shake  almost  to  their  fall.  Calus  Ciesar  once  stid,  that  he  had  lived 
long  enough  to  satisfy  nature,  and  long  enough  for  his  tune.  Cicero  adds :  >'  long  enough,  if  yuu  will,  to  sat'sfy  hii 
nature,  and  long  enough  (if  you  require  mo  to  think  so)  for  hisflsme;  and  yet  (alas!  a  matter  far  more  important) 
nut  long  enough  for  his  country."  Surely,  I  can  sity,  with  superior  truth  and  sincerity,  that  the  renowned  Shicpard 
had  lived  long  enough  for  himself  ond  for  his  (bme.  For  he  led  a  life  so  religious,  that  tlie  practice  of  Chiistion 
virtues  had,  through  the  power  of  an  unfeigned  faith,  opened  heaven  itself  before  hir.i,  while  it  secured  to  his 
nnmu  immortality  on  earth.  And  yet  ho  did  not  live  long  enough  for  the  state,  for  the  church,  nnd  for  the  college. 
Ills  death  seemed  to  threaten  every  thing  with  downfall,  and  to  be  a  signal  proof  and  dotnonstration  of  the  severity 
of  the  divine  wrath  against  us :  inasmuch  as  neither  the  crisis  of  the  republic,  the  necessities  of  the  college,  nor 
the  i)niyer8  and  tears  of  the  church,  could  prevail  witli  lioiiven  to  spare  him.  Wo  have  lost  our  t^iiEPARO- torn 
from  us  nl  a  time  most  unpropitious  to  the  state- and  such  a  man  !  Ho  was  a  thuoioginn,  not  one  out  of  many, 
but  among  many  almost  alone— incomparably  superior  to  almost  ail  others ;  although  1  have  no  wish,  in  soying  so, 
to  detract  any  thing  from  tho  merits  of  others  in  order  to  render  due  hoii::r<<  to  the  departed  Siikpard.  Among 
the  common  mass  of  theologians,  (I  speak  without  malice)  he  reared  his  lofty  head 

"  As  'mid  tlie  reeds  the  cypress  lifts  its  crest." 

In  him  unfeigned  piety  was  mntche<I  by  no  mean  share  of  learning :  and  with  his  learning  were  blended  prudence, 
modesty,  generosity,  nnd  remarkable  diligence.  How  much  dignity  in  his  countenance !  how  much  weight  in  his 
wunis !  to  what  an  extent  was  it  true,  that  nothing  ill-considered  escaped  his  lips- that  nothing  aSected  or  ungrace- 
ful n|>|>eared  in  his  gesture !  Ho  was  indeed  Me«t— with  a  calm  spirit,  a  clear  conscience,  a  flne  intellect,  keen  Judg- 
ment, uud  gentle  and  chastened  manners.    Such  was  the  tenor  of  bis  whole  life,  that  it  was  hold  up  to  others  for 


I  !' 


m 


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liJf 


k 

m 


124 


MAUNALIA    OIIUISTI    AMEKICANA; 


This  was  one  paragraph  in  a  cotnmonccincnt-oration  prononnced  by  the 
Lactantius  of  New-Kiigland.  And  that  stroke,  which  this  very  person 
had  in  an  elegy,  by  him  composed  on  the  death  of  his  dearest  Shepard. 

They  thnt  con  Shepiird's  goodncM  well  iliBplny, 
MuHt  be  ns  good  os  In- :  but  who  arc  th(7l 

He  did  himself  make  a  near  essay  towards  the  doing  of  it,  and  in  my 
thought,  ho  was,  according  to  his  own  rule,  well  qualilied  for  the  doing  of  it. 
§  5.  But  if  the  reader  must  have  one  in  all  things,  as  good  as  ho,  to  dis- 
play his  goodness,  behold  then  he  shall  elVcctuaily,  and  not  improperly  do 
it  himself.  Let  the  reader  peruse  his  elaborate  sermon,  jireaclicd  at  the 
anniversary  election  of  the  governour  and  magistrates  in  Boston,  May  5, 
1672,  and  allerwards  printed ;  and  he  will  there  ace  constellated  .so  much 
learning,  wisdom,  holiness  and  faithfulness,  that  he  will  pronounce  the 
author  to  have  been  a  person  of  more  than  common  talents  for  the  .service 
of  our  churches. 

Imllntinn,  nn  an  llliislrioiiR  pnttorn  of  triio  picly  and  virtiio:  in  him,  iw  for  cxampip'H  nokc,  roinninpil  llio  Imprint  of 
his  ancivnt  ofllco.  Ilo  ilitl  nut  rullow  oinply  applnnsc,  or  purmit  lilmavlf  to  l>n  led  iislrny  liy  a  ilviiiHlvo  pliiinlum  of 
glory,  or  insolvntly  niuKoiry  hiniMiir.  Fnr,  lltr  wiis  liu  IVoni  nil  prlilu  nnd  dlwlnln  of  olhrn.  With  nil  M»  woniivrl'id 
gina,  which  yitild«'<(  him  so  much  honor,  authority  and  nivor,  ho  ynt  xlird  around  lilm  Iho  nofl  IlKht  of  (<xlrt>mp 
humility :  und  n  rnro  vtrtuo  (it  is  clalmiHl)  is  honorixl  lowllnosR.  It  Ir  an  ancient  siiyinK,  lliat  >'  oni-  mnn  in  no  niun." 
With  no  loss  truth  cun  I  luiaorl,  that  to  mo  "nnu  man  was  ton  Ihoiiaiuid  mon."  I  ossont  in  nUi  to  tlio  to»tlnioiiy  of 
Nazianzen,  thnt  "npnrt  from  friondship,  thi>ro  is  no  zoxt  to  liro,"  AIoh  for  mo!  how  molunclioly  a  void  Iiiih  hu  Ion 
Diu!  Ilo  was  14)  dour  to  mo— su  plousiuit— that  at  tho  slKht  of  him  ovory  Rriof  wiui  forKotlon,  nnd  ovory  cam  tlial 
toucliod  mu  uUorly  <ll<t!>ipntod.  Woll  do  I  romomhor  how,  in  tlio  midst  ul'  his  diNcourais  that  calm  faoo  und  mion, 
"so  full  (to  ipiolo  Ovid's  pxpro»nion)  of  st^nMio  diKnIty,"  would  flx  its  gazo  on  mo!  In  my  vlow,  lio  apprarod  no 
grout  a  ruuturu  In  those  coIIoro  feslivals,  thot  ho  hroiiKht  to  my  mind  whnt  Cic»ro  slulos  ol'  AntomncliuM  Chiviui>, 
Ihu  poot ;  who  recited  to  his  n.'isombled  auditory  I'rom  a  largo  volumu  whicli  ho  had  conipiuiod,  until  ail  loll  him  in 
tho  midst  or  his  reading  except  Tlato.  "  I  will  still  read  on,"  said  tho  pool, "  tor  Pluto  alone  is  to  mo  o(|unl  to  llioni 
all."  In  like  munnor  was  Shepnrd  (I  would  sponk  wllliout  olTonce)  to  me  another  Pluto— tlio  ocpial  of  all  tlio  rest. 
I.elterR  cannot  describe  how,  at  Commencement,  his  pleasant  couiitonaiico  cheered  and  rerrtwiiod  me,  loiliiiK  throiiKli 
my  concluding  ivmarka.  lint  Shepard  will  not  np|H-ar  to-day  to  graco  this  occusion.  I  turn  my  eyes  liltlier  and 
Ihilher ;  wherever  thoy  full,  they  still  search,  oven  uinid  this  rcvo.'oiid  assembly,  for  my  Pluto :  yet  no  where  can 
I  truce  out,  on  this  solemn  occiwion,  among  these  venerable  theologiuns,  those  suiiervisont  of  tlie  college,  my  friond 
and  intimate.  Wo  have  lost  that  most  saintly  mnn  and  artleiit  defoi  dor  of  tho  orthodox  faith,  who  was  not  only 
pleasing  and  acceptable  to  men,  but  dear  to  God ;  "a  man  ii^timatv.  with  his  Maker,"  us  Tertulliun  describes  Abra- 
ham. Wherefore,  most  honored  friends,  mourn  tho  loss  of  a  citizei,  who  was  always  true  to  tho  host  parly  und 
tho  best  measures ;  tho  crown  and  ornament  of  your  cominonweulth ;  by  whose  doiilh,  I  might  almost  any,  your 
commonwealth  itself  is  swept  uwuy.  Mourn,  reverend  elders,  the  loss  of  n  dour  brother  nnd  fellow,  the  honor  und 
chief  light  of  your  onlor.  Mourn,  citizens  of  Churlestown,  for  your  excellent  bishop,  once  your  deliglit  und  love, 
ruvished  fVom  your  gaze.  Mourn,  sons  of  Harvard,  your  most  watchful  supervisor,  by  whose  tiecease,  us  nil  under- 
stand, tho  dignity  of  this  institution  is  immeiiHoly  diininislied  and  its  sul'ety  endangered.  Mourn,  all  who  hear  me, 
for  the  loss  of  a  perfect  man— '>  tho  chariot  of  Israel  and  the  horsonien  thereof  "—most  worthy  to  be  mourned  ever- 
more with  the  tears  of  Now  Kiigluiid.  If  I  seem  to  dwell  too  long  und  be  carried  tcHi  tar  in  discussing  this  theme, 
bear  me  witness  that  you  tliiiik  some  license  should  be  granted  to  grief  like  mine.  You  see  me  plunge  into  tliu 
praises  of  our  dear  Shepurd  as  into  on  oceun,  und  that  It  is  hard  for  me  to  Hnd  bounds  either  for  praisu  ur  for  sorrow. 


OB,    THE    lUSTOKY    OV    NEW-ENGLAND.  125 


C,    AFTER  ?n. 

ST.   STEPHEN'S   RELIEVES. 

MEDITATIONS,  AWAKENED  HY  THE  DEATH  OF  THE  KEVEIIEND  MR.  JOSHUA  MOODEY; 

WITH  SOMK  SHOUT  CHARACTER  OF  THAT  EMINKNT  PERSON  : 

Wlio  ilupt  In  Jesua  4<1.  Sm.,  I0S7,  In  tlio  (Ulh  Yuar  of.  Iili  Age. 

BY  COTTON  MATHER. — TIIK  SECOND  EDITION. 

Jo»h.  xxiv.  32,  S3.  29. — Joshua  said  unto  the  people,  ye  have  chosen  you  the  Lord,  to  nerve  Ilim. 
Now  therefore,  incline  your  heart  unto  the  Lord.  And  it  came  to  paw,  after  these  things,  that 
Joshua,  the  si-rvant  of  the  Lord,  dyed. 

Rkadkh,  tell  me  not  that  the  people's  being  taken  with  Publicolu'a 
fmujrul  oration  in  i)raise  of  the  dead  Brutus,  or  the  decree  of  the  llornan 
Senate,  that  it  should  be  lawful  to  make  a  funeral  oration  on  such  as 
deserved  well  of  the  commonwealth,  made  Polydore  Virgil  say,  Jlinc  vior- 
tuos  landandi  mos  Jluxit,  qticm  nos  hodie  servamits.*    The  book  of  Lamenta- 
tions, on  the  death  of  Josiah,  is  of  an  elder  date;  the  Koll  of  Lamentations 
on  the  death  of  Jonathan,  is  of  yet  an  elder;  and  certainly  to  be  imitated 
among  the  faithful  peoi)le  of  God.     Tell  me  not  that  some  eminent  Non- 
confijrmists  have  therefore  scrupled  the  preaching  of  any  funeral  sermons: 
that  in  some  Reformed  churches,  the  practice  of  them  is  wholly  omitted; 
that  in  the  Primitive  churches  they  were  not  practiced  until  the  apostacy 
began;   and  that  there  have  l:)een  decrees  of  councils  against  them.     I 
readily  grant  that  the  custom  of  praising  the  dead,  has  been  scandalously 
abused;  but  I  cannot  grant  that  the  abuse  is  best  corrected  by  taking 
away  all  publick  meditations  on  the  funerals  of  those  in  whose  deaths  God 
from  heaven  speaks  great  things  unto  the  Uimir/.     We  do  but  wisely  fulfil 
our  ministry  by  watching,  to  suit  the  words  of  God  iinto  those  tcorlcs  of 
his,  which  occur  to  our  notice  when  men  of  note  are  taken  away.     Behold, 
according  to  the  laudable  usage  in  the  churches  of  New-England,  the  med- 
itations which  have  been  aicakencd  by  the  falling  asleep  of  an  eminent 
l)cr.^(>n,  who  was  "a  memorable  servant  of  those  churches!"    I  am  out  of 
uw-.-'Jure  astonished,  when  I  read  in  an  author  as  old  and  as  great  as  Aus- 
tin, the  wonderful  effects  which  the  pretended  reliques  of  the  Martyr 
Stci)lien  had  uj)on  those  who  repaired  thereunto  for  the  cure  of  maladies, 
llowbeit,  when  I  find  that  great  man,  in  his  ejiistle  to  the  clergy  of  Hippo, 
denying  that  any  miracles  were  then  done  in  Africa,  (which  he  also  again 
said  in  his  book,  {I)e  Ulilitale  Cr(dtndi,\)vi.x\(\.  in  his  book  o[  7'rue  Jicli'jion, 
afhrming  that  God  permitted  not  miracles  to  continue  until  then,  lest  the 
minds  of  men  should  be  too  much  taken  up  with  visible  matters,  I  per- 
swade  myself,  that  the  story  of  the  reliques  of  Stephen  was  foi.sted  into  his 

•  llciicu  uriginati'd  the  custom  of  culiiK'iziiig  Iho  dead,  wliicli  we  slill  observe.       +  On  llie  Utility  of  Fnilli. 


If 


h 


126 


MAGNALIA    CIIBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


book,  De  Civitate  Dei*  by  some  later  band.  The  best  sort  of  reliques, 
after  all,  are  those  which  we  have  here  preserved  and  proposed;  and  it 
will  be  no  superstition  to  hope,  that  a  cure  of  spiritual  maladies  too  gen- 
erally prevailing,  may  be  promoted  by  repairing  unto  them.  And  I  do 
not  more  question  the  opinion  of  a  very  learned  man  concerning  the  angels, 
whom  we  find  mentioned  in  the  Scriptures  as  doing  very  humane  actions, 
Veros  homines  fuisse,  qui  a  Spiritu  J/essiu:,  et  a  spiritibus  angelicis  agehantur: 
et  movehantur  ad  ea  agenda,  quce  ipsi  non  intelligehant,  phantasia  eoruni 
obsessa,  et  a  cogikitionibiis  consuetis  abducta:  Qui  homines,  negotio  peracto,  ad 
quod  fuerant  «  Deo  adhibiti,  discusso  veterno,  et  cessante  ecstasi,  ad  consueta 
tiiunera  reversi  sunt,  immemores  eorum,  quce  impulsore  Spiritu  Divino  aut 
angelica  egemnt:f  than  I  do  believe  that,  in  our  actions,  there  is  an  imita- 
tion of  the  holy  angels  to  be  endeavoured,  by  which  a  man  may  become 
another  Stephen. 

THE   WAT   TO  EXCEL. 

Aet$  vi.  15. — Looking  stcadfociiy  on  him,  they  saw  his  face,  as  it  had  been  the  face  of  an  Anof.i.. 

Since  the  oracles  of  Heaven  have  (with  a  most  significant  admonition !) 
allowed  a  well-served  church  to  call  its  pastor  by  the  name  of  its  angel, 
we  may  now  say,  "the  angel  of  the  church  of  Portsmouth  has  newly 
taken  wingl"  Yea,  not  the  least  of  the  "angelical  chariots  and  horsemen  " 
of  New-England,  have  departed  from  us,  in  the  withdrawing  of  one,  after 
whom  that  bereaved  church  is  crying,  "My  Father,  My  Father!" 

To  prOf  erve  the  idea  and  memory  of  his  face,  as  far  as  the  infirmities 
of  this  mortal  state  permitted  any  approaches  to  the  angelical  character  in 
it,  is  that  whereto  not  only  nature  does  invite  us:  'Twill  be  but  a  com- 
pliance with  that  edict  of  heaven,  "Kemember  them  who  have  spoken  to 
you  the  word  of  God ;  whose  faith  follow,  considering  the  end  of  their 
conversation." 

'Tis  well  known,  that  among  the  chief  works  of  the  Most  High,  created 
by  the  Son  of  God,  at  the  first  beginning  of  time,  there  were  his  "good 
angels:"  Angels,  which  are  spiritual  and  rational  substances,  created  by 
the  Lord  for  his  own  immediate  service  and  honour.  None  deny,  none 
dispute,  the  existence  of  those  good  angels,  but  men  that  are  under  a  more 
than  ordinary  possession  of  evil  ones. 

Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  given  it,  as  a  description  of  that  future  state, 
wherein  he  will  make  us  happy  for  ever,  (Mat.  xxii.  30,)  "  They  are  as  the 
angels  of  God  in  heaven."  And  if  we  hope  to  be  happy  in  that  future 
state,  we  must  endeavour  to  anticipate  it,  by  being  very  holy  in  our  pres- 

*  Conce  ning  the  City  of  God. 

+  Tliese  have  lieon  roni  living  men,  who  were  acted  upon  l>y  the  spirit  of  the  Messiah  and  by  angelic  intelli- 
gences ;  and  also  were  moved  tu  nctiuns,  which  they  did  not  themsielvcs  comprehend,  originating  in  a  sort  of  hal- 
luelniitiDn,  niid  apart  from  their  usual  course  of  thought.  Those  men,  when  they  have  fulfilled  the  special  mission 
to  which  God  has  called  them,  have  shaken  off  their  lethargy,  cnme  out  of  their  ecstatic  stale,  and  returned  to 
their  ordinary  duties ;  oiUirely  unconscious  of  what  they  Imd  done,  while  under  the  iidluence  uf  the  Divine  Sjiirit 
iind  the  nngolic  agency. 


OB,    Ti.  ft    HISTl       /    OF    :      W-ENG'    vND. 


12T 


ent  state.  But  the  way  for  us  to  be  ver ,  ,olj,  is  t<  resemblo  and  imitate 
the  "angels  of  God  in  heaven,"  whilo  v^  we  on  e.  th,  as  far  as  we  are 
able.  Every  holy  man  does  a  little  of  tli  ""I  b(  '  much  of  it  was  done 
by  that  holy  man  who  is  now  gone  to  live  and  |ji!iise,  and  see  Christ 
among  the  angels  for  ever,  may  be  proposed  with  some  advantage  unto  the 
exhortation,  wherein  I  have  a  "few  things  to  preach  unto  the  people." 

But  my  exhortation  must  be  introduced  with  a  report  of  that  glory, 
which  the  Martyr  Stephen,  while  he  was  yet  on  earth,  attained  unto. 

There  being  occasion  to  choose  deacons  in  the  primitive  church,  that  so 
they  who  were  to  give  themselves  continually  unto  the  "ministry  of  the 
word"  might  be  released,  by  the  faithful  cares  of  those  deacons,  from 
secular  encumbrances;  one  of  them  was  the  blessed  Stephen;  who  being 
the  first  that  arrived  unto  the  "crown  of  martyrdom"  for  our  Lord  Jesus 
in  the  New-Testament,  had  in  the  name  of  Stephen,  which  signifies,  a 
crown,  a  notable  specification  of  the  event  and  reward  which  will  attend 
all  our  sufferings  for  the  Lord. 

It  was  then  an  age  of  many  miracles  wrought  by  the  Spirit  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ ;  and  such  a  measure  of  that  Spirit  possessed  this  excellent 
man,  that  by  the  impulse  of  that  Spirit,  he  could  with  all  assurance  per- 
ceive when  the  Spirit  was  going  to  work  miracles,  and  apply  himself  to 
accompany  the  miracles  of  the  Spirit,  by  some  wonderful  actions  of  his 
own.  This  illustrious  worker  of  miracles  was  accused  before  the  Council 
at  Jerusalem  for  saying  that  it  was  the  design  of  Jesus  to  destroy  the 
temple  and  the  city,  and  alter  the  rites  which  Moses  had  from  God  com- 
manded unto  Israel.  When  he  appeared  before  the  Council  to  answer 
this  accusation,  'tis  here  said ;  "  They  saw  his  face,  as  it  had  been  the  face 
of  an  angel." 

Concerning  the  "face  of  an  angel,"  we  have  a  remarkable  account  in 
what  we  read  about  one  of  the  angels  in  Mat.  xxviii.  3:  His  "counten- 
ance was  like  lightning."  And  we  read  concerning  a  great  man,  who  had 
got  the  "face  of  an  angel"  by  being  much  with  the  angels,  in  Exod.  xxxiv. 
10:  "Behold,  the  skin  of  his  face  shone."  If  we  carry  the  passage  now 
before  us  unto  the  highest  sense  whicL  it  would  lay  claim  unto,  we  are  to 
suppose,  that  such  a  splendor  was  discernible  upon  the  face  of  Stephen: 
And  surely,  if  they  who  discerned  it  had  not  the  heart  of  a  devil  in  them, 
they  durst  not  have  gone  on  to  abuse  a  man  that  appeared  before  them 
with  the  "  face  of  an  angel."  Alas,  the  more  of  an  angel  there  is  in  any 
man,  the  more  stones  will  the  devil  procure  to  be  thrown  at  such  a  man  I 
But  behold  the  agreeableness  of  the  matter:  Stephen  was  persecuted  for 
villifying  of  Moses;  and,  behold,  at  this  very  time,  he  is  vindicated  with  a 
shine  upon  his  face,  like  that  oncfe  upon  the  face  of  Moses.  The  things 
here  spoken  by  Stephen,  were  those  very  things  which  the  angel  Gabriel 
had  formerly  spoken  unto  the  prophet  Daniel;  and,  behold,  the  aspect  of 
au  angel  adorns  him  in  his  discourse. 


I 


1-8 


MAUNALIA    CIIKI8TI    AMKKIOANA; 


Wc  may  from  licnce  take  Icftvo  to  obscrvp,  "tlmt  n  mhU  on  rurth,  may 
arrive  to  those  attainments)  that  shall  mako  him  look  like  au  awjd  of 
At'art'/t." 

There  nre  nngdicul  cjcrelleud  j,  a  ilegree  whoroof,  poor  man,  sorry  man, 
sinful  man,  even  wl.ile  such,  moy  very  much  attain  unto. 

But  now,  this  case  calls  for  our  attention :  "  What  arc  i  uoso  excel- 
lencies that  would  make  a  saint  look  like  an  aN(*fi.V" 

And  the  general  answer  hereunto  is,  "the  oxcollcncies  of  holiness." 
For— 

First^  The  angels  of  God  have  many  excellencies,  the  imitation  wlicreof 
cannot  by  men,  in  this  life,  be  reasonably  j)roiH>Hcd.  The  angelical  ma- 
j'jsty,  as  a  mortal  eye  would  not  bo  able  steadily  to  behold  it,  much  less, 
in  tliis  mortal  state  may  wc  alVect  it.  A  man  may  not  wish  to  shine  like 
Stephen  in  this  world,  and  have  a  face  that  may  da/./le  the  spectators. 
Or,  what  would  it  avail,  if  a  man  could  make  a  glare  on  his  face,  by 
smearing  it  with  some  of  the  mxtilucd's  invonteil  by  the  modern  chym- 
istry  ?  A  devil  has,  before  now,  pretended  unto  such  a  fUtr.  'Tis  not  the 
face,  but  the  grace  of  an  angel,  which  is  here  to  be  aspired  after.  It  were 
a  foolish  and  a  faulty  thing  for  any  man  to  bo  anibitious  of  wearing  in 
this  world  such  a  figure  as  that  in  Dan.  x.  G:  "llis  body  like  the  beryl, 
and  his  face  us  the  appearance  of  lightning,  and  his  eyes  as  lamps  of  fire." 
Immortality  itself  is  one  of  the  angelical  excellencies.  Rut,  while  wc  arc 
among  mortals  here,  we  must  submit  unto  the  laws  of  viortalily,  and  bo 
willing  to  dye  when  and  how  the  Sovereign  liod  shall  order  it.  There 
are  also  those  flights  of  ivisdum,  and  tho.se  heights  of  juurcr  among  the 
angelical  excellencies,  wherein  'tis  not  for  us  to  dreani  of  being  like  t]  m), 
until  we  are  become  "the  children  of  the  resurrection."  It  was  the  rumo 
of  our  first  parents  to  imagine  in  Gen.  iii.  5,  they  "might  be  as  Klohim!" 
No,  this  cannot  be,  until  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  by  a  ncic  hirtli  l>ronght 
us  into  that  irorld  to  come,  where  the  "  wise  converters  of  many  to  n  :  litoous- 
ness,''  will  be  those  who  shall  ''shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  li  iiuunent, 
and  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever!"  Our  Lord  .lesus  Christ  will  nuikc  us 
the  angels  of  the  new  world.  Indeed,  the  angels  now  turn  and  move  all 
the  liiieels  of  the  "kingdoms  of  this  world,"  but  tee  are  they  tl>:xt  shall 
"receive  the  kiiigd  in  that  cannot  be  moved." 

But,  secondly.  The  excellencies  of  holiness  |  lo\\  the  saints  are  the  excel- 
lencies!] These  are  they,  wherein  the  imitation  of  the  angels  by  men, 
may  be  very  far  proceeded  in.  The  angels  of  God,  are  styled  in  Mat. 
XXV.  81,  "The  holy  angels;"  and  in  Dun.  iv.  17,  "The  holy  ones."  'Tis 
not  as  they  are  viii/hty  angels,  but  as  they  are  lioli/  angels,  that  we  must 
propound  our  coming  to  look  like  unto  them.  TIk-sc  holy  angels  never 
did  and  never  will  sin  against  their  God;  but  are  continually  serving  of 
him:  "They  serve  him  day  and  night  in  his  temple!"  And  it  may  bo 
the  "bright  garments,"  wherein  these  "angels  of  light"  have  apjienrcfl, 


OU,    THE    HISTORY    OF    N  EW-KN  (1  I,  A  M). 


189 


Miere 

the 

■in, 

ruine 

uin!" 

>nglit 

toous- 

uent, 

<c  us 

ve  all 

.hall 

;xcel- 
men, 

Mat. 

'Tis 
must 
never 
ng  of 
ay  be 

jircd, 


Timy  Ih;  an  emblem  of  their  holiness  and  their  purity.  Now,  it  hulh  been 
the  "will  of  God  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  concerning  us,"  that  there 
HJunild  be  set  before  us  the  greatest  examples  of  holiness  for  our  imitation. 
And  hence,  as  wo  have  the  greater  example  of  our  Lord  Jeslh  Chuist 
himself  given  unto  us,  to  direct  and  excite  and  promote  our  holiness,  with 
a  charge,  "to  bo  holy,  as  he  that  hath  called  us  is  holy ;"  so  we  have  also 
the  example  of  the  holy  angels  given  unto  us,  that  wo  may  strive,  as  fur 
as  may  be,  to  bo  like  unto  them  in  their  holiness.  Hence,  when  tlie 
I'rtiilmist  of  old  saw  the  angels  praising  of  God,  ho  cried  out,  "O,  my  soul, 
do  thou  so  too."  Yea,  some  interpreters  judge,  that  when  the  face  of 
Stephen  looked  like  an  angel,  it  was  no  more  than  what  ,  ou  and  I  may, 
"tlirough  Christ  who  strengthens  us,"  reach  unto;  q.  (.'., '.)  ■  consolations  of 
the  Holy  Spirit  of  God  so  tilled  him,  that  he  discovd  >•'  '  '  loast  con- 
«fcT/»<//b//s  in  his  face:  Ilis  face  was  as  joyful  an  '    (   •      »  had  stood 

free  from  all  the  sorrows  of  this  world,  amonj,    •.  j  ■•  'rod. 

I  rtinember  the  apostle  enjoins  the  woman  in  i:'  ■  >  ■■>  .■  ^'"vea  cov- 
ering on  her  head  in  token  of  subjectio.i  to  her  ^t  ."  .luse  of  the 
angels,"  (2  Cor.  xi.  10.)  Why,  i["  you  turn  to  '  ic  bjjjiniiing  of  the  sixth 
chiii)ter  of  Isaiah,  you'll  find  the  angels  before  their  superiour,  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  in  the  temple,  assuming  a  covering,  out  of  the  reverence 
wiiich  they  f...y  unto  him.  Hence  then,  says  the  apostle,  it  becomes 
women  to  take  exami)lo  by  the  angels;  let  them  consider,  how  the  angels 
tehave  themselves  in  the  presence  of  the  Son  of  God,  who  is  the  grand 
representative  of  the  image  and  glory  of  God;  and  let  them  in  their  habit 
show  some  analogy  to  the  habit  of  the  angels,  betokening  their  subjectioa 
to  tlic  man,  who  is  under  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  image  and  glory  of 
God,  while  they,  the  women,  are  so  of  the  man.  But  I  only  touch  on  this 
gloss  by  the  by.  What  I  insist  on  is,  that  the  angelical  example  is  to  bo 
imitated.                                                                               • 

Indeed,  we  shall,  as  long  as  we  live  in  this  world,  come  far  short  of  the 
original,  when  we  go  to  write  after  the  angelical  example.  In  this  present 
evil  world,  we  cannot  approach  near  to  the  holiness  of  the  good  angels: 
Much  of  sin,  and  fault,  and  folly,  will  unavoidably  cleave  unto  us:  That 
leprosic  will  never  wholly  out  of  the  walls,  until  the  clay-house  be  utterly 
demolished;  There  will  be  as  much  distance  between  the  blessed  spirits 
and  us,  as  between  giants  and  children,  as  between  stars  and  gloworms, 
as  between  the  cedars  of  Lebanon  and  the  hysop  that  grows  out  of  the 
wall :  Thus  it  will  be,  until  we  come  at  length  to  dwell  (and.  Oh  I  why  do 
we  no  more  long  for  it!)  with  the  "innumerable  company  of  angels,"  in 
another  world. 

However,  to  attempt  the  imitation,  is  the  ready  way  to  be  excellent. 
Particularly  in  the  ensuing  instances: 

I.  If  a  man  could  have  his  eye  upon  the  face  of  God  continually,  would 
not  that  procure  the  face  of  an  angel  for  him?  It  would  make  a  man  look 
Vol.  II.— 9 


II 


^■.m 


t 


130 


MAGNALIA    CIIBISTI    AMERICANA; 


like  an  angel,  if  he  were  looking  unto  God,  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  con- 
tinually. Of  the  angels,  there  is  that  account  given,  in  Mat.  xviii.  10:  "In 
the  heavens,  they  do  always  behold  the  face  of  my  Father  which  is  in  the 
heavens."  The  angels  do  converse  with  God  continually.  And  why  may 
not  we  press  after  a  converse  with  God,  a  little  emulating  the  angelical  ? 
To  be  heavenly -minded,  by  having  the  God  of  heaven  almost  always  in 
our  minds,  and  by  being  "in  the  fear  of  God  all  the  day  long,"  this 
were  to  be  as  the  angels  are!  Oh  I  that  we  were  thus  "filled  with  the 
fullness  of  God." 

First,  We  may  have  a  continual  apprehension  of  God  in  our  minds.  In 
every  place,  we  may  apprehend  God.  Wherever  we  are,  we  may  subscribe 
to  that  article  of  the  ancient  faith,  in  Psal.  cxxxix.  7:  Lord,  "Whither 
shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence?"  What  if  we  should  never  be  from  under 
the  awe  of  such  a  thought  as  that,  "The  omnipresent  God  observes  all  my 
ways."  And  we  may  apprehend  God  in  every  thing.  We  need  not  stay 
at  any  second  causes;  but  we  may,  with  a  spiritualized  soul,  soar  up  to 
some  notice  of  God  in  all.  Upon  all  the  works  of  creation,  we  may  say, 
"the  finger  of  God  is  herel"  And  we  may  make  the  positions  of  the  Pau- 
line philosophy,  in  Acts  xvii.  24. 28,  "God  made  the  world,  and  all  things 
therein :  In  Him  we  live,  and  move,  and  have  our  being."  Upon  all  the 
works  of  Providence,  we  may  say,  "this  comes  from  that  God  whose 
kingdom  ruleth  over  all."  And  we  may  make  the  conclusions  once 
taught  by  our  Lord,  no  doubt  alluding  to  the  two  birds,  whereof  one  was 
to  be  killed,  the  other  to  be  let  loose  into  the  open  field,  at  the  cleansing 
of  the  leper,  in  Mat.  x.  29,  "Two  sparrows,  one  of  them  shall  not  fall  to 
the  ground  without  our  Father."  To  be  led  into  some  notice  of  God  con- 
tinually, this,  0  this,  it  is  angelical.  'Tis  godliness.  What  is  holiness, 
but  godliness?    This  were  a  little  of  the  angelical  holiness. 

Secondly,  Our  continual  apprehmsion  of  God  may  bring  a  continuau 
dedication  to  God  upon  all  that  we  have  and  all  that  we  do.  If  we  rjlanct 
at  inferior  ends,  yet  we  may  not  stop  there :  All  our  ends  are  to  be  swal- 
lowed up  in  God.  We  should  not,  with  any  patience,  consent  unto  it, 
that  any  but  God  should  have  our  strength,  our  time,  our  all.  Whatever 
possessions  are  bestowed  upon  us,  we  may  put  them  under  that  consider- 
ation which  the  house  of  David  had,  in  Psal.  xxx.  Tit.  "Dedicated  things." 
All  our  possessions,  all  the  powers  of  our  spirits,  all  the  members  of  our 
bodies,  our  estates,  our  credit,  our  desir.ible  friends;  we  may  contrive  with 
our  selves,  "What  acknowledgments  may  God  have  out  of  these  things!" 
And  improve  them  no  farther,  than  as  instruments,  whereby  God  may  be 
acknowledged.  Yea,  and  our  daily  actions;  may  we  not  be  driving  a 
trade  for  God  in  all?  As  'tis  said  in  1  Cor.  x.  31,  "Whatever  ye  do,  do 
all  to  the  glory  of  God:"  So,  our  eating,  our  drinking,  our  sleeping,  what 
is  it  for?  We  may  distinctly  say,  "I  do  this,  that  I  may  be  supported  in 
the  service  of  God:"  thus,  our  labours,  our  travels,  our  visits,  and  our 


It. ' 


OR,    THE    HI8T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


131 


igs! 
lybe 
ng  tt 


exercises  of  religion,  we  may  thus  ennoble  them,  "I  do  this,  I  will  do  it 
carefull}'  and  cheerfully,  because  God  hath  commanded  my  doing  of  it." 
A  dedication  to  God,  is  the  proper  meaning  of  holiness:  And  very 
angelical  would  be  our  holiness,  if  we  could  be  frequent  and  constant  in 
such  acts  of  dedication. 

Hardly^  Our  continual  apprehension  of  God,  may  produce  our  continual 
satisfaction  in  God,  under  all  His  dispensations.  Whatever  enjoyments  are 
by  God  conferred  upon  us,  where  lies  the  relish,  where  the  sweetness  of 
them?  Truly,  we  may  come  to  relish  our  enjoyments,  only  so  far  as  we 
have  something  of  God  in  them.  It  was  required  in  Psal.  xxxvii.  4, 
"Delight  thyself  in  the  Lord."  Yea,  and  what  if  we  should  have  no 
delight  but  the  Lord?  Let  us  ponder  with  ourselves  over  our  enjoyments : 
"  In  these  enjoyments  I  see  God,  and  by  these  enjoyments,  I  serve  God ! " 
And  now,  let  all  our  delight  in,  and  all  our  value  and  fondness  for  our 
enjoyments,  be  only,  or  mainly,  upon  such  a  divine  score  as  this.  As  far 
as  any  of  our  enjoyments  lead  us  unto  God,  so  far  let  us  relish  it,  affect  it, 
embrace  it,  and  rejoyce  in  it:  "O  taste,  and  feed  upon  God  in  all;"  and 
ask  for  nothing,  no,  not  for  life  itself,  any  further  than  as  it  may  help  us, 
in  our  seeing  and  our  serving  of  our  God.  And  then,  whatever  afflictions 
do  lay  fetters  upon  us,  let  us  not  only  remember  that  we  are  concerned 
with  God  therein,  but  let  our  cdncernment  with  God  procure  a  very  pro- 
found submission  in  our  souls.  Be  able  to  say  with  him  in  Psal.  xxxix. 
9,  "I  open  not  my  mouth,  because  thou  didst  it."  In  all  our  afflictions, 
let  us  remark  the  jicstice  of  that  God,  before  whom,  "  why  should  a  living 
man  complain  for  the  punishment  of  his  sin?"  The  ivisdom  of  that  God, 
"whose  judgments  are  right:"  the  goodness  of  that  God,  who  "punishes 
us  less  than  our  iniquities  do  deserve."  Let  us  behave  ourselves,  as  having 
to  do  with  none  but  God  in  our  afflictions:  And  let  our  afflictions  make 
us  more  conformable  unto  God :  which  conformity  being  effected,  let  us 
then  say,  "'Tis  good  for  me  that  I  have  been  afflicted."  Sirs,  what  were 
this,  but  a  pitch  of  holiness,  almost  angelical !  Oh !  Mount  up,  as  with  the 
wings  of  eagles,  of  angels :  be  not  a  sorry,  puny,  mechanick  sort  of  Christians 
any  longer;  but  reach  forth  unto  these  things  that  are  thus  before  you. 

But,  in  fine,  'tis  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  the  face  of  God.  That  is 
his  name,  frequently  in  the  Old  Testament;  and  in  this  hint,  I  have  given 
you  a  golden  key  to  come  at  the  sense  of  many  passages  in  the  sacred 
pages,  about  "the  face  of  God,"  and  "the  light  of  that  face:"  'Twas  the 
Messiah.  'Tis  then  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  to  be  the  more  immedi- 
ate object  of  our  apprehensions  when  we  would  become  angelical:  'tis 
God  in  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  Whenever  we  entertain  any  thing  of  God 
in  our  minds,  it  should  be  with  a  Christ,  and  through  a  Christ.  Those 
who  do  all  they  can  to  forge  a  Christianity  without  a  Christ,  are  so 
far  from  being  like  angels  of  the  Lord,  that  they  are  traitors  to  the  King 
of  heaven. 


II 


il 


m 
pi 


182 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


II.  We  may  render  our  selves  angelical,  by  our  endeavours  of  a  present, 
and  a  pleasant,  and  an  universal  ohedicnce  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the 
Lord  of  angels.  Whose  are  the  angels,  but  the  angels  of  the  Lord!  And 
(in  1  Kings  xviii.  12,  and  Aets  viii.  39,)  "the  spirits  of  the  Lord."  Our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Lord  General  of  all  the  angels:  He  is  the  Lord  of 
hosts;  and  all  those  hosts  of  heaven  are  under  his  command;  we  read  in 
Psal.  ciii.  20,  21,  "They  do  his  commandments,  hearkening  unto  the  voice 
of  his  word:  They  are  his  ministers,  which  do  his  pleasure."  The  very 
highest  angel  in  heaven  desires  and  studies  to  be  a  servant  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ:  The  great  God  would  soon  strike  him  down  from  heaven 
with  hot  thunder-bolts  if  he  did  not  so.  Even  Michael  the  archangel  has 
received  that  charge  from  God,  concerning  our  Lord  Redeemer:  "do  thou 
worship  him !"  Gabriel  himself  must  give  this  account  of  himself,  "  I  stand 
in  the  presence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;"  namely,  as  a  servant  standing 
in  the  presence  of  his  Master. 

Come,  then;  let  every  one  of  us  become  the  servants  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  By  consenting  to  the  methods  of  grace  in  the  new  cov- 
enant, let  us  yield  our  selves  unto  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  unto  our 
Lord;  and  say  with  him  in  Psal.  i.  19.  38,  "Lord,  I  am  thy  servant, 
devoted  unto  thy  fear."  Let  us  reckon  it  the  highest  pleasure  unto  our 
selves  to  be  always  pleasing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  Let  us  esteem  it 
the  highest  honour  unto  our  selves,  to  be  always  honouring  of  him.  To 
be  a  man  of  God,  is  to  be  like  an  angel:  an  angel  was  called  in  Judg.  xiii. 
8,  "The  man  of  God."  We  are  men  of  God,  when  wc  become  the  devoted 
servants  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Sirs,  the  bright  angels  of  heaven 
invite  us  to  become  their  fellow  servants,  by  giving  our  selves  up  unto  the 
work  of  witnessing  to  the  truth  and  ways  of  their  heavenly  Lord.  When 
we  have  solemnly  consecrated  ourselves  unto  this  work,  then  whatever 
commands  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  lays  upon  us,  let  us  readily,  joyfully, 
universally  yield  obedience  there  unto.  Be  upon  the  wing  as  the  angels, 
to  do  every  thing  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  would  have  to  be  done. 
Delay  none,  despise  none,  refuse  none  of  the  commandments  which  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  shall  give  unto  us;  but  say,  ac  in  1  John  v.  3,  "His 
commandments  are  not  grievous."  And  whatever  we  shall  know  to  be 
acceptable  unto  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  let  us  immediately  do  what  we 
know:  Let  this  be  argument  enough  unto  us  for  any  thing,  though  flesh 
and  blood  [bod}'^  and  soul]  be  never  so  much  against  it:  "My  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  woull  have  me  to  do  this  thing!"  Thus  our  labour  shouid  be 
according  to  our  prayer,  that  "the  will  of  God  may  be  done  on  earth  as  it 
is  in  heaven." 

III.  To  be  very  eciviceable  is  to  be  angelical:  To  do  good,  is  the  dis- 
position of  a  good  angel.  Those  men,  whose  perpetual  business  'tis,  "to 
go  about  for  the  doing  of  good,"  as  they  are  like  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
(Acts  X.  38,)  so  they  are  I'kc  the  angels  that  wait  upon  our  Lord  Jesus 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


133 


)e  dis- 

is,  "to 

jhrist, 

Jesus 


Christ.  The  angels  are  always  employ'd  in  some  service  for  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  and  for  those  that  belong  unto  him.  'Tis  said  in  Heb.  i.  14, 
"Are  they  not  all  ministering  spirits?"  Oh  I  let  it,  in  like  sort,  be  our 
ambition  to  minister  some  way  or  other  for  the  good  of  them  that  are  to 
be  the  "heirs  of  salvation;"  and  let  us  be  much  and  oft  in  studying  with 
our  selves,  "  What  good  may  I  do  with  those  talents,  wherewith  my  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  has  betrusted  me?"  How  many  good  offices  does  the  Bible 
report,  as  done  by  the  angels  of  God  for  the  people  of  God?  And  how 
many  such  good  offices  are  still  done  for  the  people  of  God  by  the  angels 
of  God,  which  "encamp  as  a  host  about  them  that  fear  him?"  Christians, 
if  we  are  advised  of  any  opportunity  to  do  good,  let  us  be  as  ready  to  do  as 
the  angel  that  came  down  to  the  pool  of  Bethesda  was  to  help  the  miser- 
ables  assembled  there.  Yea,  though  they  should  be  never  so  poor,  neVer 
so  small,  never  so  mean  people,  that  we  may  do  good  unto,  let  us  be  ready 
to  do  it  with  all  our  hearts.  The  first  apparition  of  an  angel  that  we  read 
in  Scripture,  was  to  relieve  a  poor  maid  in  trouble  of  spirit.  The  Martyr 
Bradford,  that  man  had  the  face  of  an  angel,  concerning  whom  it  was 
noted,  "he  was  always,  either  with  purse  or  tongue,  or  pen,  doing  of  good." 
Whatever  company  we  fall  into,  'tis  easie  for  us  ordinarily  to  think, 
"What  good  may  I  do  in  this  company  before  I  leave  it?"  That  man 
"speaks  with  the  tongue  of  angels,"  who  will  never  dismiss  his  company 
without  some  conscientious  essay  to  speak  what  shall  be  profitable  unto 
them.  And  inventions  to  do  good,  and  be  benefactors  to  all  that  are  about 
us,  the  more  upright  we  are,  the  more  we  shall  "seek  out  many  such 
inventions."    There  is  an  angelical  air  upon  them ! 

IV.  Near  approaches  to  God  in  devotions  and  communions,  full  of  inti- 
macy with  him,  will  give  a  man,  if  not  the^iwe,  yet  the  heart  of  an  angel. 
— When  was  it  that  the  flice  of  Moses  had  an  angelical,  and  an  extraordi- 
nary lustre  upon  it?  It  was  when  he  had  been  wifh  "God  in  the  mount." 
We  read  in  Exod.  xxxiv.  29,  "When  Moses  came  down  from  Mount 
Sinai,  with  the  two  tables  of  testimony,  the  skin  of  his  face  shone."  They 
that  are  very  much  with  God  in  those  exercises,  wherein  the  "power  of 
godliness"  does  mainly  consist,  will  contract  a  lustre  therefrom,  and  be 
somewhat  like  the  angels,  made  "partakers  of  the  divine  nature."  To  be 
ol'ten  in  secret  prayers  and  secret  praises,  with  raised  strains  of  heavenly 
zeal  before  the  Lord,  this  is  to  be  as  it  were  of  the  angelical  fraternity !  Yea, 
'tis  a  golden  passage  of  Chrysostom,  that  "  the  very  angels  themselves  cannot 
but  honour  the  man  whom  they  see  familiarly  and  frequently  admitted  unto 
the  audience,  and  as  it  were  discourse  with  the  divine  Majesty."  Truly, 
whether  the  angels  may  reverence  these  men  or  no,  these  men  do  resem- 
ble the  angels.  It  becomes  more  notably  thus,  when  men  do  often  set 
apart  whole  days  for  their  prayers  and  their  praises,  and  are  with  God  in 
the  mount  for  whole  days  together.  Great  things  did  the  angels  do  for 
Moses,  great  things  for  Elias,  who  often  spent  whole  days  alone  with  the 


/.'. 


m 


134 


MAONALIA    CHKI8TI    AMEKICANA; 


Lord;  and  what  said  an  angel  unto  Daniel,  when  he  had  been  spending 
whole  days  at  such  a  rate? — "Thou  art  a  man  of  desires,  and  an  angtjl 
thinks  not  much  to  fly  down  from  heaven  unto  thy  conversation !"  Such 
days  do  leave  an  angelical  savour  upon  the  souls  of  men;  they  leave  our 
souls,  for  many  days  afterward,  under  such  a  gracious,  and  generous,  and 
serious,  and  watchfiil,  and  useful  bias,  as  has  the  face  of  an  angel  thereupon. 
And  therefore  the  Lord's  days;  let  us  keep  them  with  a  peculiar  solici- 
tude— a  singular  elevation  of  sanctity.  It  was  the  priviledge  of  John  in 
Kev.  i.  10,  "to  be  in  the  spirit  on  the  Lord's  day."  Sirs,  if  we  are  so,  we 
shall  be  with  the  anerels  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  if  with  them,  then  like 
them.  To  be  wholly  under  the  confinement  [I  mistook  the  word,  I  should 
say  liberty  f^  of  religious  applications,  throughout  our  wbvole  Christian 
Sab'bath,  let  us  not  count  it,  as  a  ceremonious  person  once  call'd  it,  "a 
being  on  the  rack  an  whole  day  together."  Angels  have  strangely  visited 
and  comforted  some  on  the  rack,  but  never  such  as  complain'd  that  a  strict 
Lord's  day  put  'em  on  a  rack.  During  the  whole  day  let  our  thoughts 
be  full  of  God,  and  Christ,  and  heaven :  during  the  whole  day  let  our 
words  be  few,  and  fit,  and  savoury,  and  such  as  may  "minister  grace  unto, 
the  hearers:"  during  the  whole  day  let  our  earthly  defilements  be  banished 
from  us;  let  our  hearts  be  every  hour  sallying  forth  with  numberless  ejac- 
ulations to  the  Lord.  Such  Lord's  days  will  ripen  men  into  angels  at  the 
laatl  But  on  the  Lord's  day  there  sometimes  does  recur  a  most  special 
and  signal  opportunity  to  "draw  near  unto  God,"  namely,  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per; an  ordinance  of  the  nearest  fellowship  with  heaven;  an  ordinance 
wherein  a  Christ  suffering  for  us  is,  by  the  symbols  of  bread  and  wine, 
so  tendered  unto  the  faithful,  that  in  their  obeying  his  appointment  thereof, 
they  do  with  ineffable  advantage  partake  of  him.  Well,  then,  let  our 
preparations  for  this  great  ordinance  be  with  as  much  of  solemnity,  as  if 
we  were  to  dye  ourselves  at  the  time  when  we  do  annunciate  here  the 
death  of  our  Lor''.  Let  us  examine  ourselves,  and  supplicate  our  God 
before  we  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  as  if  we  were  to  dye  when  we 
some.  And  at  this  holy  table,  where  "  man  eats  angels'  food,"  let  us  fix 
our  meditations  on  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  all  possible  attention,  with 
all  suitable  affection.  Thus,  "beholding,  as  in  a  glass,  the  glory  of  the 
Lord,  we  shall  be  changed  into  the  same  image,  from  glory  to  glory,  as 
by  the  spirit  of  the  Lord."    Now,  'tis  that  glory  that  makes  an  angel/ 

V.  An  heart  much  affected  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  procure 
the  "face  of  an  angel "  unto  the  man  who  hath  an  heart  so  affected.  Unto 
the  angels  there  is  nothing  so  precious,  and  nothing  so  glorious,  as  the 
Lord  Jksus  Christ;  yea,  'lis  our  Christ  that  makes  the  best  part  of  thi'ir 
heaven  for  them.  Our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is,  as  the  Apostle  enumerates 
it  among  the  mysteries  and  evidences  of  our  faith,  in  1  Tim.  iii.  IB,  "S«'en 
of  angels."  But  how  seen?  Truly,  seen  with  wonders,  and  seen  with 
raptures,  and  seen  with  endless  halleluiahs.    Would  we  be  like  the  angels? 


ml 


OR,    THE    HISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


135 


Then  let  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  seen  by  us,  as  the  best  Hiing  in  heaven 
and  earth,  and  as  infinitely  better  than  the  very  angels  themselves.  At 
the  incarnation  of  our  Lord  Jbsus  Chbist,  what  were  the  songs  of  angels? 
In  Luke  ii.  14,  "There  was  a  multitude  of  the  heavenly  host,  praising  of 
God,  and  saying,  glory  to  God  in  the  highest  I"  Would  we  be  like  the 
angels?  Let  us  then  join  in  a  concert  with  those  "morning  stars,"  and 
"sons  of  God."  Tt  was  with  "joy  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory,"  that 
the  angels  attended  upon  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  first  throughout  his 
humiliation,  and  then  unto  his  exaltation.  Let  the  whole  of  that  be  the 
most  ravishing  subject  of  our  contemplation ;  let  us  love  to  see  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  first  suflfering,  and  then  entering  into  his  glory.  And  let 
our  acclamations  be  like  those  of  the  angels  upon  those  marvellous  dis- 
pensations of  the  grace  of  God  I  When  the  angels  do  look  on  ^  Jesus 
Christ,  they  are  covered  with  astonishment,  and  cry  out,  "O,  holy,  holy, 
holy  Lord  of  hosts,"  all  "heaven  is  full  of  thy  glory  I"  And  shall  not  ice 
so  look  on  that  our  "Lord  of  glory?"  When  the  angels  do  speak  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  they  make  a  most  reverent  mention  of  his  holy  and 
reverend  name,  and  say,  "Oh!  there  is  none  among  the  sons  of  the 
Mighty,  that  may  be  compared  unto  this  Lord."  And  shall  not  w6  so 
speak  of  that  great  King,  with  a  "tongue  like  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer?" 
Something  of  Christ  the  angels  must  have:  they  would  think  themselves 
to  be  starved,  if  they  had  not  this  manna  to  feed  upon !  Sirs,  let  the  meat 
of  our  souls  be  the  fruit  growing  on  this  tree  of  life;  and  let  the  ^riiilc  of 
our  souls  be,  the  honey  of  this  rock:  this  is  the  daily  repast  of  angels;  this 
nourishment  will  angelifie  us  in  a  little  while.  What  shall  I  say?  The 
mystery  of  Christ  is  the  most  grateful  contemplation  of  the  angels:  Those 
cherubims  about  the  ark  of  God,  we  are  told  in  1  Pet.  i.  12,  "They  desire 
to  look  into  these  things."    I  say  then,  "go  and  do  likewise."  ' 

VI.  If  we  would  always  behave  ourselves  as  before  the  face  of  angels, 
we  should  at  length  obtain  the  face  of  an  angel  by  the  exactnp=i,  the  cir- 
cumspection, the  accuracy  of  our  behaviour.  It  was  z  good  memento,  writ- 
ten upon  a  study  wall,  angeli  adstant;  or  "the  angels  of  God  stand  by  I" 
Did  men  remember  the  eye  of  the  invisible  angels  upon  them  in  all  their 
ways,  how  grave,  how  cautious,  how  pious  would  they  be?  and  at  last, 
how  like  unto  those  angels?  If  a  man  were  as  bad  as  Balaam  himself, 
yet  the  bare  suspicion  of  having  the  eye  of  some  angel  upon  him  would 
be  enough  to  stop  him  from  rushing  on  to  bm.  "Why  shouldest  thou  sin," 
says  the  wise  man,  in  Eccl.  v.  6,  "before  the  angels?"  If  we  are  wise,  we 
should  often  think,  "I  am  now  before  some  angel !'^  and  that  thought  would 
make  us  wide.  The  aged  Apostle  said  unto  a  younger  minister,  "I  charge 
thee  before  the  elect  angels:"  from  whence  'tis  infallibly  sure  that  the  elect 
angels  take  notice  how  we  acquit  ourselves,  e.ich  one,  in  his  charge.  Snid 
the  Psalmist,  in  Psal.  cxxxviii.  1,  "Before  the  gods  I  will  sing  praise 
unto  thee:"    The  LXX.  translate  it,  "I  will  sing  praise  unto  thee,  before 


:!  ;   -li 


1  '^ 

;            -'  |--' 

186 


MAGNA  LI  A    CHUIRTI    AMEUKJANA; 


tho  nngcls."  ChriHtiaiis,  tho  niigols  take  notice  of  ua  in  all  our  ctnploy- 
menls;  yea,  in  our  closost  retirctnents.  Wo  give  no  jyraiM's  to  God,  wo 
perlorni  no  duties,  wo  endure  no  twublcn,  wo  resist  no  temptations,  but  the 
angels  of  Clod  are  tho  witnossca  of  what  wo  do;  wo  are  a  apcetacle  to 
angola  in  all  our  encounters.  Well,  now  let  our  deportment  bo  might  ly 
under  the  iniluenee  of  this  consideration:  "the  angels  take  notice;  wlat 
report  will  tho  angola  of  God  give  of  my  behaviour?"  It  has  been  pj'o- 
pounded  oa  a  ritle  of  prudence  for  a  man,  wherever  ho  comes,  to  imagine 
that  there  is  present  aomo  eminent,  wise,  and  good  man,  to  aeo  and  hear 
all  that  passes.  Man,  titerc  is  an  angel  to  see  aiul  hear  all  that  passes, 
wherever  thou  eomest;  this  is  no  meer  inuigi nation.  Could  wo,  like  tho 
servant  of  the  prophet  in  the  mount,  sec  the  unseen  regiment  of  the  world 
by  the  subordinate  governnjent  of  angels,  what  an  awe  wouhl  it  strike  us 
with!  The  angels  of  the  Jiord  see  how  men  are  disposed  and  employed 
for  tho  service  of  their  Lord,  and  gladly  contribute  their  unknown  ivssist- 
anees  unto  that  service.  Jkit  it  cannot  be  any  other  than  a  grief  \into 
those  angels  to  see  enormities  in  those  for  whose  welfare  they  are  con- 
cerned.  If  they  have  joy  over  a  penitent,  they  must  needs  have  soino 
sort  of  (jricf  over  a  transgressor.  Yea,  in  all  probability,  tho  miscar- 
riages of  such  olVenders  work  in  them  a  sort  of  distaste,  which  inclinea 
them,  on  many  nccants,  to  withdraw  from  tho  ollendcrs,  \mtil  they  havo 
washed  themsolves  over  again,  in  tho  fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  for 
uncleanncss.  Now,  let  this  consideration  accomimny  us  in  all  our  walk; 
and  let  the  ei/e  of  an  amjd  be  more  to  us,  than  the  ci/e  of  a  Cuto  could  bo 
to  any  Konum.  Tho  "face  of  angels"  will  at  last  bo  gain'd  by  such  a 
consideration. 

VII.  Let  us  beware  of  every  sin;  for  sin  will  turn  a  vian  into  a  deril. 
Oh!  vile  sin,  horrid  SIN,  cursed  sin!  or,  to  speak  a  more  pungent  word 
than  all  of  that.  Oh,  sinful  sin!  how  pernicious  art  thou  unto  the  souls 
of  men!  'Tis  said,  in  1  John  iii.  8,  "lie  that  eonunitteth  sin,  is  of  the 
devil."  Holiness  will  make  men  incarnate  angels;  but  wickedness  will 
make  them  devils  inearnatc.  An  impenitent  sinner,  hath  he  the  face  of 
an  angel?  No,  but  the  heart  of  a  devil  in  him.  Let  your  zml  against  all 
sin  then  be  like  that  of  the  sera[»him.  The  angels  are  seraphims,  or  burn- 
ing ones;  they  hum  (and  so  let  us!)  agair.st  all  sin,  because  of  its  being  so 
contrary  and  provoking  to  their  most  holy  Lord.  Sirs,  mark  it:  if  any 
of  you  wittingly  and  willingly  sin  against  God,  you  do  as  the  devils  do, 
and  as  the  devils  wouhl  havo  vou  to  do,  and  as  our  Lord  Jesus  Chri^it 
speaks,  in  John  viii.  44,  "Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and  the  lusf? 
of  your  father  ye  will  do."  Dreadful  words!  There  is  the  /»)<»//<;  of  the 
devil,  and  there  is  the  practice  of  the  devil  in  every  siN.  To  commit  six, 
is  huinn7ic;  to  indulge  it,  will  be  diahvlival.  But  espeeially  there  is  much 
of  the  devil  in  apostaci/  from  good  beginnings.  Of  the  devils,  we  Hnd,  in 
Judc  vi.  "They  kept  not  their  first  estate:"  they  once  joined,  it  seems,  iu 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


137 


WO 


any 
do, 

lists 
Ihc 

SIX, 

in 

',  iu 


prnlsing  of  Ood  with  the  angels  of  the  blcsacd  regions;  but  they  left  it  all. 
Y(ju  that  have  left  the  societies,  and  the  exorcises  of  Christianity,  wherein 
you  y/CYQutJirst  engag<;d,  behold,  v.'ho  your  leader  is!  The  first  and  great 
apostate,  the  devil,  is  your  leader  in  this  desertion;  and,  alasl  whither 
will  ho  kail  you?  There  is  much  of  the  devil  also  in  hypocrisie  under 
good  professions.  When  there  was  a  secret,  rotten  hypocrite  among  the 
disciples  of  our  Lord,  our  Lord  said,  in  John  vi.  70,  "He  is  a  devil." 
1  ndcod,  the  devil  is  never  so  much  a  devil,  as  when  transformed  into  an 
angel  of  light.  When  strict  pretenders  and  pleaders,  and,  it  may  be, 
preachers  of  the  gospel,  shall  yet  cloak  "some  hidden  practices  of  dishon- 
esty "  under  their  fair  pretences,  behold,  men  playing  the  devil  horribly. 
What  shall  I  say  more  ?  The  devil  is  an  unclean  spirit,  a  lying  spirit,  a  ■proud 
spirit,  a  spirit  full  of  envy.  Oh  I  take  heed  lest  you  be  of  such  a  spirit,  and 
so,  lest  you  porish  "with  the  devil  and  his  angels"  throughout  eternal  ages. 

MMuis,  the  ndcs  of  becoming  aufjelical  have  been  set  before  us. 

But  if  we  do  now  humbly  reflect  upon  ourselves,  for  our  not  living  up 
to  these  rules,  we  cannot  easily  bo  more  humble  in  such  reflections,  than 
was  that  man  of  God,  the  lleverend  Joshua  Moodev,  who  from  his  essays 
to  obtain  the  face  of  angels,  is  now  gone  unto  the  place  of  angels. 

All  the  churches  of  New-England  considered  him  as  a  person  whom 
an  oniinenc)',  both  in  sense  and  in  grace^  had  made  considerable.     All  the 
cluirchcs  of  Boston  enjoy'd  and  admired  his  accomplishments  for  the 
evangelical  ministry  many  years  together.    The  church  of  Portsmouth 
(a  part  of  the  country  that  very  m.uch  ow'd  its  life  unto  him!)  crys  out 
of  a  deadly  toound  in  his  death;  and  is  ready  to  cry  out  "Our  breach  is 
groat  like  tho  sea;  who  can  heal  it?"     His  labours  in  the  jp^ospel  were 
frequent  and  fervent;  whereof  the  press  hath  given  some  lasting,  as  the 
pti/pit  gave  many  lively  testimonies:  yea,  if  it  were  counted  one  of  the 
most  memorable  things  in  8t.  Francis  do  Sales,  that  he  made  four  thousand 
sermons  to  the  people,  I  can  relate  as  memorable  a  thing  of  our  Moodey: 
at  tho  beginning  of  his  sermons  he  still  wrote  in  his  notes  (which  were 
fairly  and  largely  written)  how  the  number  of  them  advanced;  and  before 
ho  died,  he  had  numbered  some  hundreds  more  than  four  thousand  of 
them.     And  unto  his  cares  to  edifie  his  flock  by  sermons,  he  added  more 
than  ordinary  cares  to  do  it  by  visits:  no  man  perhaps  being  a  kinder 
visitant.     He  was  not  only  ready  to  do  good,  but  also  to  suffer  for  doing  it; 
and  as  he  was  exemplarily  zealous  for  a  scriptural  purity  in  the  worship 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  so  he  cheerfully  submitted  unto  an  imprison- 
inent,  for  that  "cause  of  God  and  this  country;"  wherein,  like  Stephen, 
he  had  the  honour  to  be  the  first  that  suffered  in  that  way  for  that  cau^e 
in  these  parts  of  the  world.     Briefly,  for  piety,  for  charity,  and  for  faith- 
fulness to  the  main  interests  of  our  churches,  all  that  knew  him,  and 
know  the  worth  of  these  things,  wish  that  among  the  survivors  he  may 
have  inimy  foUoicers. 


/ 


IM   m 


i\ 


188 


MAONALIA    CnRIBTI    AMEBICANA; 


\. 


He  was  of  a  very  robust  and  hardy  constitution,  and  a  notable  excep- 
tion to  the  general  remark,  raro  solent  ingenia  insigniter  foelicia,  robuata 
sortiri  corpora;*  and,  it  may  be,  too  prodigal  of  his  athletick  strength,  in 
doing  the  service  whereto  a  good  Master  called  him.  Nevertheless,  wlien 
a  complicuaon  of  distempers  was  divers  months  before  his  dissolution 
brought  thereby  upon  him,  he  exceedingly  lamented  "his  neglect  [as  he 
accounted  it]  of  his  past  opportunities  to  be  serviceable."  At  length, 
coming  to  Boston  for  advice  about  the  recovery  of  hia  lost  health,  his  dis- 
tempers here  so  grew  upon  him,  as  to  threaten  a  quick  period  unto  his 
pilgrimage.  His  distressed  church  at  Portsmouth  now  importunately  made 
their  prayer  with  fasting  before  the  "  Great  Shepard  of  the  sheep,"  that 
they  might  not  be  deprived  of  so  rich  a  blessing;  and  he  was  himself 
exceedingly  desirous  to  have  returned  unto  Portsmouth,  that  he  might 
establish  his  flock  yet  further  against  all  temptations  to  forsake  the  "right 
ways  of  the  Lord."    But  Heaven  determined  otherwise. 

When  the  last  summons  of  death  came  to  be  servec'.  upon  him,  he  had 
neither  time  nor  strength  to  speak  very  much ;  and  they  that  have  spoken 
much  while  they  live^  sometimes  must  not  speak  very  much  at  their  death. 
His  discourses  were  generally  full  of  self-condemnation;  and,  indeed,  that 
man  knows  not  how  to  dye,  who  thinks  to  dye  otherwise  than  condemning 
of  /iinwe^ exceedingly.  The  most  of  what  he  said  was,  I  suppose,  unto  a 
minister  who  visited  him  the  day  before  his  expiration.  Unto  that  minis- 
ter he  signified,  that  he  was  "rejoycing  in  the  hope  of  the  glory  of  God;" 
that  he  was  "longing  to  go  to  the  precious  Christ,  whom  he  had  chose 
and  serv'd;"  that  "the  Spirit  of  Christ  had  comfortably  taken  away  from 
him  the  fear  of  death."  When  that  minister  urged  him  to  leave  with 
him  any  special  desire  that  he  should  judge  proper  to  be  mentioned,  he 
said,  "The  life  of  the  churches!  the  life  of  the  churches!  and  the  dying 
power  of  godliness  in  them;  I  beseech  you  to  look  after  that;"  the  minis- 
ter at  last  said,  "The  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  now,  sir,  going  to  do  for  you, 
as  once  for  Joshua  (your  names-sake!)  He  is  just  going  to  take  from  you 
you  old,  sorry,  ragged  garments,  those  of  your  flesh,  and  cloath  you  with 
change  of  miment,  with  the  garments  of  heavenly  glory,  and  give  you  a 
place  among  his  angels:"  whereto  he  replied,  with  some  transport,  "I 
believe  it!  I  believe  it!"  After  this,  he  said  little,  but  lay  in  an  uneasie 
drowsiness  until  the  afternoon  of  the  day  following;  which  was  the  Lord's- 
day;  and  then,  even  on  the  day  whereon  he  had  so  often  been  "in  the 
spirit,"  he  went  unto  the  blessed  "world  of  spirits;"  on  the  day,  which 
he  had  so  often  sanctified  in  a  sacred  rest,  he  went  unto  his  eternal  rest. 
A  fatal  day  was  this  unto  our  land!  It  is  an  omen  of  a  sad  fate  to  a  land, 
when  the  angels  do  say,  migremus  hinc — "let  us  lae  gone!"  How  far  he 
had  the  face  of  an  angel  while  he  sojourned  here,  no  doubt  envy  may 
cavil;  and  I  have  sometimes  with  wonder  seen  it,  in  thf>  i:ot  IJnergumens 

*  Extraordinary  mental  endowments  are  seldom  associated  with  a  robust  (Vume. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


139 


among  us,  that  when  the  minister,  who  might  be  the  most  likely  to  do 
them  good,  came  unto  them,  the  fiends  that  possessed  them  would  make 
the  minister's /ace  look  so  dirty  and  swarthy,  that  they  must  by  no  means 
acknowledge  him.  This  I  may  venture  to  say  without  flattery :  it  is  long 
ago  that,  in  another  sense  than  Aquinas,  we  call'd  him  "an  angelical  doc- 
tor;" hnd  he  has  now  attained  the  "face  of  an  angel,"  without  the  least 
wnnkt',  in  it  He  is,  with  Stephen,  and  the  angels  of  God,  gone  to  behold 
the  glory  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  bear  a  part  with  the  "many 
angels  round  about  the  throne,  saying,  'Worthy  is  the  Lamb  tliat  was 
slain  1'"  I  cannot  but  recommend  him  to  you,  as  one  that  was,  "a  candi- 
date of  the  angelical  life ;"  and  solicit  you  to  remember,  not  only  the  les- 
sons, and  counseb,  and  warnings,  which  you  have  had  from  him,  in  private 
or  publick  dispensations,  but  also  his  example,  to  follow  him  wherein  he 
followed  (and  in  many  things  he  followed  I)  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ. 

FINIS. 


\j     (LtL     bCdi     Ji        X      Jj     JjO  Y       w     Of     X  o  , 

OEMINI.*— TiIE   LIFE   OF   THE   COLLINS'S. 

§  1.  When  several  sons  of  Diagoras  had  so  acquitted  themselves  as  to 
merit  and  obtain  applause  in  their  publick  actions,  he  that  brought  the 
old  man  the  report  of  it,  gave  him  that  salutation,  "iJye  quickly,  or,  I 
am  going  to  tell  you  that  which  will  keep  you  out  of  heaven  1"  There 
was  a  good  old  man,  called  Collins,  the  deacon  of  the  church  at  Cam- 
bridge, who  is  now  gone  to  heaven ;  but  before  he  went  thither,  hud  the 
satisfaction  to  see  several  most  worthy  sons  become  very  famous  persons 
in  their  generation ;  sons  that,  having  worthily  served  their  generation, 
are  now  gone  thither  as  well  as  he;  two  of  them  are  found  among  the 
graduates  of  Harvard- CoUedge. 

§  2.  Mr.  John  Collins  in  his  youth  received  a  wound  by  a  fall,  which 
had  like  to  have  cost  him  his  life;  but  whilst  he  lay  gasping,  the  renowned 
Mr.  Thomas  Shepard  came  to  him  with  this  consolation:  "I  have  just 
now  been  wrestling  with  the  Lord  for  thy  life,  and  God  hath  granted  me 
my  desire;  young  man,  thou  shult  not  dye,  but  live;  but  remember,  that 
now  the  Lord  says,  surely,  thou  wilt  now  fear  him,  and  receive  instruction." 
The  life  then  continued  unto  that  young  man,  afterwards  proved  so  very 
considerable  among  the  congregational  divines  of  Great  Britain,  and  espe- 
cially in  the  great  city  of  London,  where  he  mostly  spent  his  days  of 
publick  service,  that  it  well  deserves  a  room  in  our  account  of  worthies. 

•  Twins. 


140 


MAQNALIA    CUKISTI    AMEKICANA; 


ivX 


\:^ 


Ilis  abilities  as  he  was  a  preacher,  did  chiefly  aignnlisse  him;  for  such  vas 
the  lil'e  and  charm  which  accompanied  his  exercises  in  the  pulpit,  that 
none  but  persons  of  the  same  humour  with  him  who  wrote  certain  things 
like  books  to  prove  that  "  Cicero  wanted  eloquence,"  went  away  unmoved 
or  unpleased  from  them.  Nevertheless,  being  under  disadvantages  to 
come  at  the  more  perfect  story  of  his  lij'e^  my  reader  shall  have  only  the 
contracted  report  which  his  epitaph  has  thus  given  of  it.  Header,  the  stones 
will  sj)eak,  if  his  friends  do  not  celebrate  him  1 


JOHANNES  COLLINS. 
IndoUi  optima  pueruliti,  patrent  pietate  imignem, 
Caitiorem  Dii  ciUtam,  tt  limatiortm 
Kcc/mic  ditciplinttiHt  ankelantem, 
In  .^ipericaNNM  JlHghrum  lecutut  eil  culonlum. 
Vlii  f  ud  ^miia«iM|  qui  Catttahrigienai  ittkic  Cotltgiuy 
{Deo  inde/ttiit  ailipirante  stiidiit) 
Scriba  factii$  ad  regnum  celorum  itulructitBimutf 

.Intifum  cum  ftnore  rtpcnditur  Jlnglia, 
Scotia  etiam  cdibrium  miHittrorum  gena  fcrtiliif 
£(  audivitj  ct  mirata  ttt  coHcionantem. 


Vtrobiqui  multot  Chriito  luerifteit ; 
Plurtt  in  Chriilo  <id\ftcavit. 
Prtiiertin  hue  in  Mttropoli,  grtgi$  gratiMiim  pattor, 
AY/  legnit  otii  gnnvo  indulgent  anitno, 
AVc  laboribut  inorbinque  fraclo  parcent  torpori  ; 
Meditando,  pradicando,  conferendo,  votaque  faciendo, 
Vitam  ineumpiit  fragileiHf 
Ut  aterna  aliorum  vitit  cuniulerel ; 
Qua  eeclesiarum  vilaque  nulla  paitorem  upti'mHin, 
.lut  vivum  magit  venerata  est, 
^ut  magit  induluit  morienti. 


M.  Drls  Die  III".  Anno  JEve  ChrisiinnB  M  DC  LXXXVII.' 

This  is  the  language  of  the  epitaph,  the  truth-speaker. 

And  as  I  have  thus  found  the  story  of  his  life,  so  I  can,  in  a  yet  more 
unsuspected  quarter,  now  find  a  sermon  on  his  death.  In  the  third  volume 
of  the  ^^Morning-Exercises,''^  published  by  that  good  man,  the  very  Barna- 
bas of  London,  that  very  reverend  and  excellent  man,  i  t.  Annesly ;  there 
is  a  sermon,  wearing  the  name  of  no  other  author,  but  N.  N.  on  that  case, 
"how  the  religious  of  a  nation  are  the  strength  of  it?"  Now,  the  author  of 
that  sermon  was  this  Mr.  John  Collins,  who  tho'  he  thus  reckoned  himself  a 
no  body,  yet  was  by  others  esteemed  so  considerable  a  part  of  the  "strength 
of  the  nation,"  that  at  the  affectionate  prayer  of  the  reverend  Mr.  Mead, 
poured  out  before  God  for  his  recovery  when  he  lay  sick,  I  have  been  told 
there  was  hardly  one  dry  eye  to  be  seen  in  the  great  congregation  of  the 
lecture  at  Pinner's-Hall,  where  he  also  had  been  a  lecturer.  Let  the 
reader  but  make  the  application  of  that  sermon  to  the  author  of  it ;  and 
read  this  as  the  running  title,  "  The  English  nation  xceaJcened  by  the  death 
of  Mr.  John  Collins-'^  thus  a  funeral  sermon  upon  him  will  not  be  wanting! 

§  3.  A  younger  brother,  but  yet  a  brother  to  him,  was  Mr.  Nathanifel 
Collins,  at  whose  death,  December  28, 1684:,  in  the  forty-third  year  of  his 
age  (wherein  he  got  the  start  for  heaven  1)  there  were  more  wounds  given 

*  JouN  CoLLiNi ;  while  yet  an  Ingenuous  boy,  he  I'ollowed  to  England'H  American  coluniea  his  pious  father, 
vho  was  then  panting  fur  n  purer  worship  uf  God  and  a  more  exact  church  discipline.  Hero  the  youtu,  burning 
wilh  undiminished  zeal  for  God's  service,  became  fitted,  at  school  and  at  Harvard  College  to  be  a  shining  light  Id 
the  kingdom  ot  heaven,  and  ^as  then  given  back  with  usury  to  Old  England.  Hcotlund,  though  prolific  in  eminent 
divines,  hoard  and  wondered  at  his  public  minhlnitlons.  Every  where  ho  gained  many  tu  Christ ;  more  he  built 
up  In  Christ.  Especially  in  this  metropolis,  did  he,  as  a  pastor  of  a  loving  flock,  refrain  from  Indulging  his  great 
intellect  in  alugglshne!>s  or  ease,  and  bore  up  against  toil,  disease,  and  a  shuttered  frame.  In  meditation,  in  preach- 
ing, ill  personal  remonstrance  and  in  prayer,  he  spent  his  own  fruil  existence,  that  ho  might  secure  the  eternal  life 
pf  his  fellow-mortals.  No  pastor,  however  great  his  excellences,  ever  called  forth  from  the  living  church  more  ven- 
eration in  life  or  dee|iflr  grief  for  his  death. 
Hu  died  December  3d,  in  the  one  thousand  six  hundred  and  eighty-seventh  year  uf  the  Christian  Era. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


141 


given 


to  the  whole  colony  of  Connecticut  in  our  New-England,  than  the  body  of 
CiEsnr  did  receive,  when  he  fell  wounded  in  the  senate-house.  Reader,  1 
would  have  made  an  essay  to  have  lamented  the  fate  of  this  our  Collins  in 
verse,  were  it  not  for  two  discouragements:  not  because  Annatus  the 
Jesuite  reckon 'd  it  a  thing  worthy  of  a  scoff  in  our  Dr.  Twiss,  to  bo  guilty 
of  a  little  flight  at  poetry — for  the  noblest  hands  have  scann'd  poetical 
measures  on  their  fingers — but  because  my  mean  faculties  would  not  carry 
me  beyond  the  performances,  whereof  the  gentleman  in  Thuanus  was 
afraid,  when  he  made  it  a  clause  in  his  last  will,  that  "they  should  not 
burden  his  hearse  with  bad  funeral  verses;"  and  because  that  sacred 
thing,  verse,  hath  been  by  the  licentious  part  of  mankind  so  prostituted, 
that  now  the  tndh  of  whatever  is  therein  offered,  therefore  thus  becomes 
suspected.  Nevertheless,  his  merits  were  such,  that  his  life  must  bo  writ- 
ten, or  at  least  so  much  of  it  as  this,  that  he  merited  highly  to  have  his 
life  written.  But  our  history  of  him  is  to  be  abridged  into  this  brief 
account,  that  the  church  of  Middletown  upon  Connecticut-river,  was  the 
golden  candlestick  from  whence  this  excellent  person  illuminated  more 
than  that  whole  colony;  and  that  all  the  qualities  of  most  exemplary 
piety,  extraordinary  ingenuity,  obliging  affability,  join'd  with  the  accom- 
plishments of  an  extraordinary  preacher,  did  render  him  truly  excellent. 
In  saying  this  of  him,  I  may  confirm  what  I  say,  in  words  like  those  of 
Jerom  on  a  like  occasion,  Testor,  Ghristanum  de  Christiano,  vera  2)roferre:* 
and  for  his  character  add  this  epitaph : 

Ille  piuB  paator,  quo  non  prasalnntior  unus, 
Qui  faciendo  docct,  quw  facienda  docet.i 

But  indeed,  as  the  mother  of  Brasidas  bravely  comforted  herself  upon  the 
death  of  her  much  lamented  son,  Vir  bomis  est  Brasidas  et  fortk,  sed  habet 
multos  Sparta  similes. •%  even  such  was  the  consolation  of  Connecticut,  by 
the  special  favour  of  Heaven  to  the  colony;  "that  though  in  the  death  of 
Collins,  they  lost  an  excellent  man,  yet  he  was  not  the  only  excellent  man 
they  had  among  them."  In  the  acknowledgments  of  worth,  there  may 
come  in  for  a  great  share  with  him  several  most  worthy  men,  v/herewith 
the  Connecticut  colony  has  been  singularly  favoured,  Whiting  of  Hart- 
ford, Woodbridge  of  Wethersfield,  Wakeman  of  Fairfield,  will  never  be 
forgotten,  till  Connecticut  colony  do  forget  itself  and  all  religion. 

*  I  bear  witness,  that  a  ChristI  in  is  telling  the  true  story  of  a  Christian's  life, 
I       t  Tho  pastoral  work  with  holy  zpn<  lie  wrought ;         |        Teaching  by  doing— doing  what  be  taughL 
X  Bruidaa  is  a  good  and  brave  man,  but  Sparta  has  many  such. 


142 


IIAUNALIA    CHRISTl    AMERICANA: 


CTTAPTTT'DTY 
THE  LIFE  OF  MR.  THOMAS  SHEPARD. 

•  Cur  prmmaturnm,  Morlemfue  qutramut  Ar*rh«m  ? 

Mora  Matura  Vtnit,  eum  Bona  Viln  fuit.* 

§  1.  If  it  were  accounted  a  great  honor  to  tbo  family  of  the  Curii  in 
Rome,  that  there  arose  from  that  stock  "three  oxcoUent  orators,"  one 
succeeding  another;  we  may  account  it  a  greater  honor  signalizing  the 
family  of  the  Shepards  of  New-England,  that  no  less  than  "three  excellent 
ministers"  have  successively  issued  from  it.  The  eldest  son  of  Mr. 
Thomas  Shepard,  the  ever  memorable  pastor  to  the  church  of  Cambridge, 
was  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard,  the  pastor  of  the  church  of  Charlstown ;  and 
the  only  son  of  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard,  that  pastor  of  Charlstown,  was  our 
last  Mr.  Thomas  Shepard,  Patermn  Virtutis  ex  nsne  lfivrcs,\  his  grandfather's 
and  his  father's  genuine  off-$pring.  The  lives  of  those  his  predecessors  make 
a  figure  in  our  Church-history,  and  though  this  our  third  Mr.  Thomas  Shep- 
ard must  have  it  said  of  him,  "that  he  did  not  attain  to  the  days  of  the 
years  of  the  life  of  his  fathers  in  the  days  of  their  pilgrimage;"  neverthe- 
less his  life  had  that  in  it  which  may  justly  render  it  ohcrvahle  and  exem- 
plary. Yea,  such  a  similitude  of  spirit,  there  was  doaocnding  from  the 
father  to  the  son,  and  from  the  son  to  the  grandson  in  this  holy  generation, 
that  albeit,  they  were  all  of  them  severally  short-livod,  the  two  first  not 
living  much  more  than  forty,  and  tlie  last  not  so  much  as  thirty  years  in 
the  world,  yet  there  might  a  sort  of  jointed  loDijitrity  be  ascribed  unto  the 
generation;  for  when  the  father  went  away,  Non  tvtuii  recemt,"!^  we  had  him 
still  surviving  to  the  life  in  the  posterity.  As  the  name  of  Abner  may  be 
taken  both  ways,  either  Pater  Zwcenm,  or  Ltwenm  Patris;  either  the y«</jer 
was  the  hriyhtness  of  the  son,  or  the  son  was  the  luitjhtncss  of  the  father: 
such  a  lustre  did  father,  and  son,  and  grandson  mutually  reflect  upon  one 
another  in  this  happy  family.  It  might  be  said  of  them  us  Nazianzen,  I 
remember,  speaks  about  the  family  of  a  Basil ;  the  parents  were  such  that, 
if  they  had  not  such  blessed  children,  they  had  been  of  themselves  re- 
nowned; and  the  children  were  such,  that,  if  the  parents  had  not  been  so 
of  themselves,  yet  for  the  sake  of  these  they  had  been  famous  in  the  church 
of  God.  Or,  they  may  make  us  think  of  the  *jlory  with  which  the  most 
illustrious  family  in  the  oracles  of  God  is  usually  set  olT  when  Abraham, 
and  Isaac,  and  Jacob,  are  so  often  together  introduced,  where  the  root 
gives  a  verdure  to  the  branches,  and  the  flourishing  hrunchcs  again  com- 
mend the  root. 

*  Why  shuuld  untimely  death  cvuku  uur  RrU>rT 
Dc'Oth  must  bo  timely,  though  the  lift)  Im)  hrlef, 
Whouu'er  the  lift*  It  holy, 
t  Heir  to  the  entirety  of  bis  hthor'a  virtue*.  I  lie  did  nut  wholly  deport. 


OR,    TUK    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


143 


I 

li 


§  2.  When  Mr.  Thomas  Shopard,  the  aecond  of  New-England,  and  the  flrHt 
of  Charlstown,  died,  he  left  behind  him  such  a  picture  as  that  which  TuUy 
mentions  of  Sextus  Sulpicius:  Nullum  unquam  Afonumcntum  clarius,  S.  Sul- 
picius  relinqucre  potuit,  quam  Effigiem  Morum  auorum,  Virlutis,  Cotistanticc, 
Pietatis^  Ingenii  Filium  ;*  a  son  that  was  the  liveti/  picture  of  his  virtues. 
And  now  that  son  also  is  dead  without  any  male  ofl-spring,  we  will  mako 
an  essay  at  the  drawing  of  his  ^iWttre  after  another  manner;  even  by  such 
a  narrative  of  his  life^  as  may  be  indeed  )\\s  picture  to  the  life:  in  the  doing 
whereof  perhaps  the  children  of  Godly  and  worthy  ancestors  may  find  the 
encouragement  of  a  confirmation  to  that  observation,  that  aa  the  snow-hall, 
the  furlJier  it  rolls,  the  greater  it  grows,  thus  the  further  that  the  grace  of 
God  is  continued,  and  received,  and  valued  in  any  family,  the  greater 
effects  of  that  grace  will  be  still  appearing.  For  there  wore  some  singular 
circumstances  of  early  blessedness,  attending  this  our  youngest  and  latest 
Shepard,  wherein  it  might  be  said  of  him,  as  it  was  of  the  well-known 
grandson,  of  whom  this  was  indeed  a  true  son,  "Ilis  blessings  exceeded 
the  blessings  of  his  progenitors."  And  we  may  the  rather  take  notice  of 
this  matter,  because  there  was  hardly  one  consideration  which  oftner  pos- 
sessed the  mind  of  this  our  Shepard,  or  more  powerfully  operated  upon 
him  to  make  him  eminent,  than  "the  obligations  laid  upon  him  from  his 
ancestors  to  do  worthily."  As  the  famous  Boleslaus  always  carried  about 
with  him  the  picture  of  his  father  in  his  bosom,  upon  which  often  look- 
ing, he  would  say,  "Let  me  never  do  any  thing  unworthy  the  son  of 
such  a  father!"  this  was  the  very  spirit  of  our  Shepard,  who  always  bore 
about  with  him  the  image  of  his  father,  and  as  often  as  perhaps  almost 
any  one  thing,  thought  on  this,  "  how  he  might  approve  himself  the  son 
of  such  a  father." 

§  3.  Descended  from  such  ancestors,  our  Thomas  Shepard  was  born  at 
Charlstown  in  New-England  on  July  5, 1658.  How  he  was  in  his  earliest 
years  disposed,  I  choose  to  relate  by  reciting  some  of  the  words,  after- 
wards used  by  himself,  when  he  addressed  the  church  of  Charlstown  for 
admission  to  their  sacred  communion : 

"As  to  the  thinj^  of  that  which  is  cummonly  called  'first  conversion'  or  'regeneration,'  I 
have  had  many  thoughts  about  it;  but  have  been  afraid,  and  am  still,  to  determine  it  unto 
this  or  that  particular.  What  I  have  found  by  myself,  hath  made  me  oftentimes  to  question 
whether  the  former  operations  of  the  spirit  of  God  about  mc,  were  any  more  than  common; 
or  whether  such  and  such  sins  were  consistent  with  saving  grace;  that  whicn  hath  helped 
me  ill  this  case,  hath  been  partly  what  I  have  heard  from  a  reverend  man  of  God,  'that  such 
as  are  from  time  to  time  disquieted  with  such  thoughts,  the  best,  if  not  the  imly  way  to  put 
it  out  of  doubt  that  they  have  true  faith,  is  by  exercising  faith,  to  convert  again  unto  God. 
And  putUng  my  soul  in  the  way  of  the  breathings  of  God's  spirit,  and  then  observing  the 
actings  thereof,  I  have,  by  the  help  of  the  same  spirit,  found  something  of  relief  under  those 
doubts.    On  my  childhood  and  youth,  I  have  too  much  cause  to  say  (as  Solomon  of  the 

•  Bestui  Bulplcius  couM  not  leave  any  more  notable  monument,  than  that  Image  of  hli  cliarncter,  his  virtue*, 
bii  IhlolUy  and  hia  piety— hi*  own  gon. 


144 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


lii!;^ 


things  of  this  world)  •vanity  of  vanities,  all  is  vanity  I'  Yet,  by  the  blessing  of  God  on  tlie 
faithful  endeavours  and  fervent  prayers  of  my  religious  parents;  especially  on  my  honoured, 
blessed,  and  most  exemplaiy  father,  who,  of  all,  as  the  most  ahk  to  further,  ho  was  most 
solicitous,  studious,  and  tenderly  careful,  always  about  the  everlasting  well-being  of  a  son, 
from  the  very  beginning  of  my  days,  to  the  end  of  his,  I  do  think  I  was,  by  precept  and  holy 
example,  imbued  with  a  natural  love  and  liking  to  the  word  and  ways  of  God;  thougli  not 
saving,  yet  such  as  whereby  a  prgtidice  against  religion  was  prevented." 

Now,  as  God  blessed  the  religious  cares  of  his  father  to  tinge  him  with 
such  a  savour  of  religion  in  his  childhood;  and  he  would  not  only  on  the 
Lord's  days,  while  he  was  yet  a  boy,  so  notably  repeat  by  heart  in  his 
father's  family,  all  the  heads  of  the  longest  sermons  preached  in  the  pub- 
lick,  that  it  might  have  served  for  a  sufficient  repetition,  instead  of  using 
the  notes  usually  pioduced  on  such  occasions,  but  also  his  virtuous  car- 
riage on  the  week  days,  he  show'd  that  the  sermons  had  indeed  their 
impressions  on  his  heart:  so  his  childhood  was  remarkable  for  the  dili- 
gence of  it  and  his  love  of  his  book.  And  such  was  the  effect  of  this 
diligence,  that  though  he  had  not  in  his  attainments  the  prcecocity  of  Jacobus 
Martini,  the  Venetian  boy,  who  not  many  years  agoe,  when  he  was  but 
seven  year's  old,  publickly  disputed  at  Eome  on  Theses  which  he  published 
of  theology,  law,  physic  and  the  other  disciplines,  unto  the  astonishment 
of  all  the  orders  there,  yet  he  did  attain  unto  such  learning,  as  gave  him 
an  early  admission  into  the  Colledge,  and  rais'd  great  hopes  in  good  men 
concerning  him. 

§  4.  Being  admitted  into  the  Colledge,  never  was  father  more  careful 
of  his  Ascanius,  than  the  father  of  this  our  Shepard  was  of  this  his  onlj'^ 
son.  And  the  care  of  his  father  for  his  welfare  caused  him  then,  in  imita- 
tion of  what  the  grandfather  had  once  done  for  him,  to  give  him,  in  writ- 
ing, a  paper  of  golden  instructions,  directing  his  behaviour  while  lie  should 
continue  a  student  in  that  society.     The  sum  of  those  instructions  was — 

"I.  To  remember  the  great  end  of  his  life,  even  the  glorifying  of  God  througli  Christ,  and 
the  end  of  this  turn  of  his  life,  even  the  fitting  him  for  the  most  glorious  work  of  the  Iioly 
ministry.  For  this  end  (wrote  that  excellent  man)  your  father  hath  set  you  apart  witii  many 
tears,  and  luitli  given  you  up  to  God  that  He  might  delight  in  you.  And  (he  proceeded)  I 
had  nither  see  you  buried  in  your  grave,  than  grow  light,  loose,  wanton  or  profiine:  God's 
secrets  In  the  holy  Scriptures  are  never  made  known  to  common  and  profane  sjjirits;  and 
(added  lie)  therefore  be  sure  you  begin  and  end  every  day,  wherein  you  study,  with  earnest 
prayer  to  God;  reading  some  part  of  the  Scripture  diiily,  and  setting  upart  some  time  ev'ry 
day  (i!,,  :gh  but  one  quarter  of  an  hour)  for  meditation  of  the  things  of  God. 

"11.  To  remember  tliat  these  are  times  of  much  hwickihjre,  and  therefore  i/iie  had  almost 
as  good  be  vo  scholar,  as  not  to  excel  in  knowledge;  wlierefore  (said  he)  abhor  one  hour  of 
idleiH'ss,  aa  you  would  be  ashamed  of  one  hour  of  drunkenness.  Though  (as  he  also  said)  I 
would  not  have  you  neglect  seasons  for  recreation  a  little  before  and  after  meals,  and  though 
I  would  not  hfive  you  study  late  in  the  niglit  usunlly,  yet  know  that  God  will  curse  your 
soul,  wiiili'  tlu'  sin  <if  idleness  is  nourished,  which  h:ith  spoiled  so  many  hopeful  youths  in 
first  blossoming  in  the  Colledge.  Hence  (he  siiid  likewise)  don't  content  yourself  to  do 
as  much  as  your  Tutor  sets  you  about,  but  know  that  you  will  never  excel  in  learning,  unless 
you  do  somewhat  else  in  private  hours,  wherein  his  care  cannot  reach  you. 


inqui 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


145 


ilmost 
lonr  of 

Hiiid)  I 
though 
80  your 
uths  in 
f  to  do 
,  unless 


"III.  To  make  his  studies  as  pleasant,  and  as  fruitful  as  could  be,  first  by  singling  out  two 
or  three  scholars,  the  most  godly,  learned,  and  studious,  and  such  as  ho  could  lore  best,  and 
such  ns  would  most  love  him,  of  any  that  he  could  find  among  his  equals,  as  also  some  that 
were  superiours,  and  often  manage  discourses  with  them  on  all  subjects  which  he  had  before 
him ;  and  mark  diligently  what  occurred  remarkable  in  every  one's  conferences,  disputations 
and  other  exercises,  but,  by  no  means  letting  too  much  leak  away  in  visits.  Next,  by  having 
a  variety  of  studies  before  iiim,  that  when  he  should  be  weary  of  one  book  or  theme,  he 
might  have  recourse  to  another.  Then,  by  prosecuting  of  studies  in  some  order  and  method; 
and  therefore,  every  year  at  least,  if  not  often  er,  fixing  the  course  tliereof,  so  as  he  might  not 
allow  himself  to  be  ordinarily  therein  interrupted.  Fourthly,  by  giving  of  difficult  studies 
the  flower  of  his  thoughts,  and  not  suffering  any  difficulty  to  poss  him,  till  by  industry  or 
inquiry,  he  had  mastered  it.  Fifthly,  by  keeping  an  appetite  for  studies,  by  intermixing  med- 
itation, and  at  fit  seasons  recreation,  but  by  such  as  might  moderately  stir  the  Itody,  and 
render  the  spirit  more  lively  for  its  duties.  Sixthly,  by  making  of  choice  collections  from 
what  authors  he  perused,  and  having  proper  indices  to  his  collections;  and  therewithal  con- 
triving still  how  to  reduce  nil  unto  his  own  more  peculiar  service  in  his  exercises  or  otherwise. 
Seventhly,  by  taking  pains  in  preparing  for  his  racitations,  declamations,  disputations,  and 
not  upon  any  pretence  whatever  hurry  them  off  indigcstcdly.  (Said  he,)  reading  without 
meditation  will  be  useless;  meditation  without  reading  will  be  barren.  But  here  I  would 
not  have  you  forget  a  speech  of  your  blessed  grandfather  to  a  scholar  that  complained  to 
him  of  a  bad  memory,  which  discouraged  him  from  reading,  Lege,  lege,  aliquid  hwrebit.* 
That  sentence  [he  .tdded]  in  Prov.  xiv.  23,  deserves  to  be  written  in  letters  of  gold  on  your 
study-table,  'In  all  labour,  there  is  profit.'  But,  lastly,  by  praying  much  not  only  for  hea- 
venly, but  also  humane  learning;  For  (said  he)  remember  that  prayer  at  Christ's  feet,  for  all 
the  learning  you  want,  shall  fetch  you  in  more  in  an  hour,  than  possibly  you  may  get  by  all 
the  books  and  helps  you  have  otherwise  in  many  years. 

"IV.  To  be  grave  and  kind  in  his  carriage  towards  all  the  scholars;  but  be  watchful 
against  the  two  great  sins  of  many  scholars.  Whereof  his  words  were  these:  'The  first  is 
youthful  lusts,  speculative  wantonness,  and  secret  filthiness,  for  which  God  hardens  and 
blinds  young  men's  hearts,  his  Holy  Spirit  departing  from  such  unclean  styes.  The  second 
is,  malignancy  and  secret  distaste  of  holiness,  and  the  power  of  godliness,  and  the  professors 
of  it.'  Both  of  these  sins  (said  he)  you  will  quickly  fall  into,  unto  your  own  perdition,  if 
you  be  not  careful  of  your  company:  For  there  are  and  will  be  such  in  every  acholastical 
society,  for  the  most  part,  as  will  teach  you  how  to  be  filthy,  and  how  to  jest,  and  scoff,  and 
scorn  at  godliness,  and  at  the  professors  thereof;  \yhose  company,  I  charge  you  to  fly  as 
from  the  devil,  and  abhor:  And  that  you  may  be  kept  from  these,  read  often  that  scripture, 
Prov.  ii.  10,  11,  12.  16. 

"V.  Remember  (so  wrote  he)  to  intrcatGod  with  tears  before  you  come  to  hear  any  ser- 
mon, that  thereby  God  would  powerfully  speak  to  your  heart,  and  make  his  truth  precious 
to  you.  Neglect  not  to  write  after  the  preacher  always  in  handsom  books,  and  be  careful 
always  to  preserve  and  peruse  the  same.  And  upon  Sabbath  days  make  exceeding  con- 
science of  sanctification ;  mix  not  your  other  studies,  much  less  vain  and  carnal  discourses, 
with  the  duties  of  that  holy  day,  but  remember  that  command,  Ixjv.  xix.  30:  'Ye  shall  keep 
my  Sabbaths,  and  reverence  my  sanctuary,  I  am  the  Lord.' 

"VI.  Remember  (so  likewise  wrote  he)  that  whensoever  you  hear,  read,  or  conceive  any 
divine  truth,  you  study  to  affect  your  heart  with  it,  and  the  goodness  of  it.  Take  heed  of 
receiving  truth  into  your  head,  without  the  love  of  it  in  your  heart,  lost  God  give  you  to  strong 
delusions.    If  God  reveal  any  truth  to  you,  be  sure  you  be  humbly  and  deeply  thankful." 

These  excellent  instructions  his  father  concluded  with  these  words: 
"My  son,  if  thine  heart  be  wise,  my  heart  shall  rcjoyce  even  mine." 


1         !, 


^ 


Vol.  II.— 10 


Road,  rend !  sumotliing  will  remain  in  th?  raomory. 


:: 


146 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


And  I  may  now  abridge  the  whole  accademical  life  of  our  young  Shep- 
ard,  even  until  he  proceeded  Master  of  Arts,  into  this  brief  account  of 
him,  that  he  did  make  the  heart  of  his  worthy  father  to  rejoice  by  his  con- 
scientious and  exemplary  attendance  unto  these  instructions.  Yea,  when 
he  had  occasion  to  mention  them,  it  was  in  these  terms:  "My,  next  to 
Christ,  most  beloved  father's  advice."  Nor  was  there  any  one  part  of  I'.is 
character  more  conscientious  than  this,  "A  reverence  for  the  person  and 
advice  of  his  father." 

§  5.  But  before  he  could  proceed  Master  of  Arts,  a  terrible  hand  of  God 
upon  (more  than)  Charlstown,  put  an  end  unto  the  days  of  his  father  in 
the  world.  And  albeit  that  very  considerable  church,  under  this  bereave- 
ment, had  now  a  prospect  of  a  supply  from  several  quarters,  yet,  after 
much  praying  and  fasting  before  the  "Great  Shepherd  of  the  sheep"  for  his 
direction,  they  could  fix  no  where  but  upon  this  hopeful  son  of  their  former 
pastor.  Indeed,  for  the  most  part,  "a  prophet  is  without  honour  in  his 
own  country;"  nevertheless,  in  this  country,  as  well  as  among  some  of  the 
primitive  churches,  there  have  been  more  than  two  or  three  instances  of 
sons  that  have  happily  succeeded  (yea,  and  assisted)  their  fathers  in  the 
evangelical  prophesie.  And  Charlstown  particularly  (not  altogether  unlike 
the  magistrates  of  Basil,  who,  from  their  esteem  of  he  excellent  Buxtorf, 
chose  his  very  young  son  to  succeed  him  in  the  .  :•  w  Professorship) 
knowing  the  prayers,  the  tears,  the  faith,  which  !•  .h  iirst  Shepard  had 
used  for  this  only  son,  concluded  that,  like  the  son  of  Monica,  "it  was 
impossible  that  he  should  not  be  blessed,  and  made  a  blessing;"  and 
seeing  also  the  early  disposition  of  our  young  Shepard,  in  all  things  to 
imitate  his  excellent  father,  they  believed  that  nothing  would  more  con- 
tinue "day-light  .ifter  sunset"  unto  them,  than  for  them  here  to  make  their 
choice.  Accordingly,  at  their  desire,  he  preached  his  first  sermon  among 
them,  while  he  was  yet  little  more  than  twenty  years  of  age;  and  with  a 
very  charming,  solid  and  serious  gravity,  he  discoursed  on  Exod.  xv.  2: 
"He  is  my  father's  God,  and  I  will  exalt  him."  Upon  this,  and  other  such 
experiments  of  his  abilities,  his  father's  flock  were  at  no  rest  until  they  had 
obtained  his  establishment,  with  ordination,  to  be  their  feeder;  which  was 
consummated  on  May  5, 1680,  and  the  last  words  used  in  the  sermon  by  a 
reverisnd  person,  who  then  preached  on  that  passage  in  E/ek.  xxxiii.  7, 
"Son  of  man,  I  have  set  thee  a  watchman,"  will,  by  being  here  transcrib'd, 
help  to  finish  the  picture  which  we  have  undertaken: 

"Be  much  in  prayer  for  your  watchmen,  and  particularly  for  him  who  is  this  day  to  bo 
established  in  the  work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  among  you;  You  have  honoured  yourselves 
in  thus  expressing  the  love  and  honour  which  you  had  for  his  excellent  father;  and  as  it  was 
siiid  in  Ruth  ii.  20,  'Blessed  be  he  of  the  Lord,  who  hath  not  left  off  his  kindness  to  the 
living  and  to  the  dead;*  so  I  will  say  to  you,  'Blessed  be  this  church  of  the  Lord,  that  you 
sliow  kindness  unto  your  dead  pastor  and  to  his  living  son.'  As  for  him  that  is  now  to 
become  your  watchman,  he  needs  your  prayers;  I  may  say  of  him,  as  David  of  Solomon,  'My 
son  is  young  and  tender,  and  the  house  is  magnificent  1'   I  know  not  whether  any  so  young 


CO, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


147 


as  he,  was  ever  left  alone  with  auch  a  charge.  Now,  though  the  '  work  be  great,'  yet  the 
liOi'd  Jesus  Christ  is  able  to  carry  him  well  through  it  all;  but  it  must  be  through  the  help 
of  your  prayers  that  he  comes  to  have  such  a  'supply  of  the  Spirit;'  pray  for  him  in  particular, 
and  that  evVy  day!  Who  knows  what  God  may  do  for  you,  in  him,  and  by  him,  as  in  and 
by  his  father  before  him  ?  Let  it  be  your  prayer  that  he  would  tike  of  the  spirit  that  was  in 
hia  father  and  his  grandfather;  who  were  both  of  them  great  men  in  their  generation,  and 
bestow  thereof  a  double  portion  upon  him.  And  let  that  word  encourage  you,  'My  Spirit 
which  is  upon  thee,  and  my  word  which  I  have  put  in  thy  mouth,  shall  not  depart  out  of  thy 
mouth,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed,  nor  out  of  the  mouth  of  thy  seed's  seed ;  suith 
the  Lord.'" 

Thus  did  he  become  the  pastor  of  Charlstown,  and  herein  he  did  not 
leap  from  a  vain,  lewd  and  unsanctified  youth  into  the  pulpit,  as  into  a 
shop,  where  to  earn  a  living,  and  there  suddenly  put  on  just  so  much 
external  devotion  as  may  serve  to  recommend  one's  performances  unto  an 
auditory  of  the  faithful.  Evan,  the  heathen  moralist,  observed  the  great 
mischief  done  in  the  world  by  the  mercenary  masters  of  precept,  who 
endeavoured  more  to  talk  just  things,  than  to  do  them:  ra  (JixaiajAsv  Xiysiv 
ifparleiv  Ss  uSaiiug.*  Our  Shepard  was  none  of  these.  But  after  long  prepar- 
ations of  a  renewed  heart  and  a  religious  life,  and  with  awful  apprehensions 
of  the  account  which  he  was  to  give  unto  the  "Lord  of  the  flock,"  and  of 
the  ivorth  and  charge  of  the  immortal  souls  in  his  flock,  he  was  thrust  forth 
into  public  labours.  And  the  Lord  encouraged  his  holy  labours  by  making 
of  such  additions  unto  his  church,  as  few  churches  in  the  country  for  the 
time  had  the  like;  but  yet,  as  when  Peter  had  a  mighty  draught  of  Ji^hes, 
he  cryed  out,  "Lord!  I  am  a  sinful  man!"  thus  the  mighty  draught  of 
souls,  which  this  young  disciple  found  in  his  gospel-net,  was  indeed  so  far 
from  lifting  of  him  up,  that  he  sensibly  gi-iw  in  his  humility,  and  in  his 
low  and  vile  thoughts  of  his  own  attainments. 

§  6.  Although  he  were  a  young  man,  yet  might  be  applied  unto  him  a 
stroke  in  the  epitaph  on  one  of  Mr.  Henries  children :  Prmterquam  cctatem, 
nil  puerile  fuit:\  And  he  made  the  most  judicious  of  his  people  pass  this 
judgment  on  him,  that  he  was  no  novice:  And  such  an  example  was  he 
in  word,  in  conversation,  in  civility,  in  spirit,  in  faith,  in  purity,  that  he 
did  "let  no  man  despise  his  youth."  Such  indeed  was  his  whole  conduct 
of  him,  that  he  made  one  think  of  those  words  of  Origen:  Senum  est  pro- 
phctare;  etiamsi  videas  aliquando  jxweyxeni piropthetantem,  non  duhites  dicerede 
CO,  quia  secundum  interiorem  hominem  senuil,  proptered  p)ropheta  est.^  By 
the  gravity  of  his  deportment  he  kept  up  his  authority  among  all  sorts  of 
persons,  and  by  the  courtcsie  of  it  he  won  their  affection.  He  set  himself 
to  do  good  unto  all  among  his  people,  and  the  charity  of  his  purse,  as  well 
as  of  his  tongue  and  heart,  was  felt  on  all  just  occasions.  But  there  were 
none  dearer  to  him  than  the  "good  old  people;"  those  holy,  devout,  aged 
souls,  who  bad  grown  well  towards  "ripe  for  heaven"  under  his  blessed 

*  Ti>  say  what  is  Just,  but  by  no  means  to  ilo  It,       f  Tliero  mm  nothing  youthful  In  him,  except  his  years. 
X  It  is  Tor  old  men  to  prophecy ;  and  yet  you  may  at  timer  noe  a  youth,  or  whom  you  do  not  hesitate  to  nay, 
that  he  is  old  inwardly,  nnd  therefore  Is  a  prophet. 


mkr  - 


i'fn.ii  '  ';,Ki 


148 


MAONALIA    CnBISTI    AMEBIGANA. 


father's  ministry:  He  was  much  in  their  company,  and  he  valued  their 
prayers  for  him,  and  their  serious  and  savoury  and  heavenly  communica- 
tions at  no  ordinary  rate.  Nor  shall  I  ever  forget  the  consolation  which 
he  told  me  he  had  received  from  the  words  which  one  of  those  plain  old 
saints  used  unto  him,  when  he  was  under  discouraging  fears  how  he  should 
go  through  his  work:  "Sir  (said  he)  if  you'll  give  up  yourself  to  do  the 
work  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  never  fear  but  he  will  help  you  to  do 
yours."  When  he  came  to  have  a  family  of  his  own,  it  was  a  well-ordered 
one:  He  morning  and  evening  read  in  it  a  portion  of  the  Scripture,  and 
then  pray'd  out  of  what  he  i  ;ad:  But  on  the  Saturday  nights,  he  chose 
to  repeat  a  sermon,  commonly  whjit  had  been  preached  on  some  Lecture 
the  foregoing  week,  or  one  of  his  deceased  father's;  and  on  Lord's-day 
nights  he  repeated  the  sermon  of  the  day  foregoing.  And  while  he  made 
his  house  a  Bethel,  for  the  devotion  therein  performed,  he  made  it  a 
Bethesda,  for  the  hospitable  entertainment  v,'hich  he  gave  unto  those  that 
repaired  unto  him :  And  munerarius  pauperum  et  egentium,  candidatus  sic 
festinavit  ad  codum.*  For  all  other  things  he  so  made  the  hundred  and  first 
Psalm  the  rula  of  his  house,  as  to  give  therein  a  demonstration  of  his 
ability  to  "rule  the  church  of  God."  From  hence,  if  we  follow  him  unto 
his  beloved  study,  there  we  shall  find  him  affording  yet  a  more  notable 
and  eminent  instance  of  an  holy  walk.  Here,  besides  his  daily  supplica- 
tions, he  did  one  thing  which  had  a  mighty  tendency  to  keep  his  own 
spirit  in  an  healthy,  vigorous,  thriving  temper,  and  bring  down  the  mani- 
fold blessings  of  God  upon  all  the  weighty  concerns,  which  he  had  in  his 
hands;  nnd  a  thing  it  was,  without  which  he  thought  he  could  never 
prove  either  a  ivatchful  Christian  or  a  very  useful  minister;  this  was  that 
he  scarce  permitted  one  month  to  pass  him,  without  spending  at  least  one 
day  in  the  exercises  of  a  secret-fast  before  the  Lord.  It  is  remarkable 
that  ev'ry  one  of  those  three  who  are  famous  in  the  book  of  God  for  mira- 
culous fasting,  were  honoured  by  God  with  the  miraculous  feeding  of  other 
men.  Our  Shepard  thought  that  he  should  never  do  any  great  things  in 
feeding  of  his  flock,  if  he  did  not  great  thing  in  fasting  by  himself.  The 
commendations  given  to  fasting  by  Basil  and  Cyprian,  in  their  orations 
about  it,  and  by  Ambrose  in  his  book  of  Elias,  were  believed  by  our 
Shepard;  his  holy  heart  could  subscribe  unto  the  words  of  Chrysostom 
concerning  this  duty,  who  in  his  homily  says:  "Fasting  is,  as  much  as 
lies  in  us,  an  imitation  of  the  angels,  a  contemning  of  things  present,  a 
school  of  prayer,  a  nourisliment  of  the  soul,  a  bridle  of  the  mouth,  an 
abatement  of  concupiscence:  it  mollifies  rage,  it  appeases  anger,  it  calms 
tlie  tempests  of  nature,  it  excites  reason,  it  clears  the  mind,  it  disburthens 
the  flesh,  it  chases  away  night-pollutions,  it  frees  from  head-ach.  By  fi^^t- 
ing,  a  man  get3  composed  behaviour,  free  utterance  of  his  tongue,  riglit 
apprehensions  of  his  mind."     Wherefore  he  still  would  set  apart  a  day 

*  Abounding  in  chnrity  to  tho  poor  and  ncviy,  ho  became  a  (It  coiiddatc  for  the  heaven  to  which  he  hastened. 


OR,    THE    niSTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


149 


every  month,  wherein  he  would  strictly  examine  the  error  of  his  heart  and 
life,  and  confess  and  bewail  those  errors,  and  obtain  the  "sealed  pardon" 
thereof,  by  a  "renewed  faith"  in  the  obedience  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
and  then  wrestle  with  Heaven  for  new  supplies  of  grace,  to  carry  him  well 
through  the  whole  service  incumbent  on  him;  and  therewithal  implore  the 
Bmiles  of  Heaven  on  all  the  souls  that  were  under  his  charge,  and  on  the 
land  and  world.  And  this  his  piety  was  accompanied  with  proportionable 
industry,  wherein  he  devoured  books  even  to  a  degree  of  learned  gluttony ; 
insomuch  that,  if  he  might  have  changed  his  name,  it  must  have  been 
into  Bibliander.  Whence,  tho'  he  had  a  fine,  and  large,  and  a  continually 
growing  library,  yet,  that  he  might  avoid  the  disgrace  of  that  salutation, 
salvete,  libri  sine  doctore*  he  took  a  very  particular  course,  to  make  himself 
master  of  the  learning,  which  was  lodg'd  in  so  rich  a  treasury :  for  so  little 
did  he  deserve  to  be  numbered  among  the  chaplains  of  K.  Lewis  XI.  the 
French  king,  who,  seeing  their  learning  to  bear  no  proportion  unto  their 
libraries,  wittily  said  of  them,  "they  were  like  such  as  had  crooked  backs, 
carrying  a  burden  about  with  them,  which  they  never  saw  in  their  lives," 
that  he  had  hardly  left  a  book  of  consequence  to  be  so  ^used,  in  his  library 
(shall  I  now  call  it,  or  his  laboratory)  which  he  had  not  so  perused  as  to  leave 
with  it  an  inserted  paper,  a  brief  idea  of  the  whole  book,  with  memorandums 
of  more  notable  passages  occurring  in  it,  written  with  his  own  diligent  and 
so  enriching  hand.  He  might  say,  with  Seneca,  Nullus  mihi per  otium  exiii 
dies;  partem  etiam  noctium  studiis  vindico;\  and  it  is  well  if  he  were  not  a 
little  too  much  of  a  Seneca,  in  hurting  of  his  health  by  so  spending  his  life. 
§  7.  He  faithfully  set  himself  to  discharge  the  whole  duty  of  a  pastor; 
and  as  he  walked  humbly  under  the  awe  of  that  word  in  Heb.  xiii.  17, 
"They  watch  for  your  souls,  as  those  that  must  give  an  account;"  so, 
methinks,  I  hear  him  give  up  this  account  unto  the  Judge  of  all : 

"  Gracious  Lord,  /  ivatcVd,  tliat  I  might  sec  wliat  special  truths,  from  time  to  time,  were 
most  proper  to  be  inculc:ited  on  my  flock,  and  I  thoronghly  preached  those  truths.  I  watch'd, 
that  I  might  see  whiit  sort  of  temptalions  did  most  tlireaten  my  floclf,  and  I  set  myself  to 
strengthen  them  against  those  temptations.  I  watch'd,  that  I  might  see  what  sort  of  afflic- 
linns  did  most  assault  my  flock,  and  I  set  myself  to  comfort  them  under  those  afflictions. 
I  did  watch,  to  learn  what  sort  of  duties  were  most  seasonable  to  be  recommended  to  my 
flock,  and  I  vigorously  recommended  them  in  the  seasons  thereof.  I  did  watch,  to  see  what 
smils  of  my  flock  did  call  for  my  more  particular  addresses,  and  I  often  address'd  one  or 
other  of  them.    'Yet  not  I,  hut  the  grace  which  was  with  me!'" 

But  if  we  consider  him  yet  more  particularly  as  a  preacher,  he  did  thus 
acquit  himself.  In  the  writing  of  his  discourses  for  the  pulpit,  he  did,  as 
they  say  Aristotle  did  when  he  wrote  one  of  his  famous  books,  "  dip  his  pen 
into  his  very  soul!"  When  he  was  going  to  compose  a  sermon,  he  began 
with  prayer;  thinking,  bene  orasse  est  bene  studuisse.1^    He  then  read  over 

*  All  hail,  books  witliout  u  innster  I 

t  I  loBU  nut  :i  diiy  in  iiidoiencu;  I  oven  devote  n  portion  of  the  night  to  my  itudiea. 

%  Tu  have  priiycd  well,  is  to  have  studied  well. 


!»?! 


II 


'Aid 

f 


I 


150 


[AGNALIA    CHKI8TI    AMERICANA; 


his  text  in  the  original,  and  loeigKd  the  language  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  If 
any  difficulty  occurr'd  in  the  interpretation,  he  was  wary  how  he  ran  against 
the  stream  of  the  most  solid  interpreters,  whom  he  still  consulted,  lie 
was  then  desirous  to  draw  forth  his  doctrines,  and  perhaps  other  headn  of 
his  discourse  in  the  beginning  of  the  week,  that  so  his  occasional  thought^i 
might  be  useful  thereunto.  And  he  would  ordinarily  improve  his  own 
meditations  to  shape  his  discourse,  before  he  would  consult  any  otluT 
authors  who  treated  on  the  subjects,  that  so  their  notions  might  serve  only 
to  adorn  or  correct  his  own.  Lastly,  having  finished  his  composure,  lie 
concluded  with  a  thanksgiving  to  the  Lord,  his  helper.  And  then  for  the 
utterance  of  the  sermons  thus  prepared,  though  his  pronunciation  were  not 
set  off  with  all  the  advantages  that  "itching  ears"  would  have  asked  for, 
yet  he  had  the  divine  rhetorick,  recommended  by  Dr.  Stoughton  in  tlnit 
speech  of  his,  "this  I  know  and  dare  avouch,  that  the  highest  mystery  in 
divine  rhetorick  is,  to  feel  what  a  man  speaks,  and  then  to  speak  what  lie 
felt."  In  thus  "fulfilling  his  ministry,"  he  went  through  a  variety  of  sub- 
jects; but  there  were  especially  two  subjects  that  were  singled  out  by  him 
towards  the  close  of  it:  First,  it  being  a  time  when  a  conjunction  of  ini- 
quity and  calamity  made  but  an  ill  aspect  upon  the  countrey,  he  did  in  one 
part  of  the  Lord's  day  choose  to  insist  upon  the  prayer  of  Jonas;  which 
he  handled  in  forty-five  sermons,  whereof  the  last  was  uttered  about  a 
month  before  his  end.  Secondly,  a  synod  of  churches  having  discovered 
and  condemned  a  number  of  provoking  evils,  by  degenerating  whereinto 
the  land  was  exposed  unto  the  judgments  of  Heaven,  he  did  on  the  other 
part  of  the  Lord's  days  insist  on  \[\o^q  provocations ;  and  having  dispatch'd 
what  he  intended  hereof  also,  he  took  two  texts;  the  one  to  awaken  the 
obstinate — namely,  that  in  Jer.  xiii.  17:  "If  you  will  not  hear,  my  soul  shall 
weep  in  secret  places  for  your  pride."  The  other  to  encourage  the  penitent 
— namely,  that  in  Mat.  xi.  28 :  "  Come  to  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are 
heavy  laden,  and  I  will  give  you  rest."  And  he  was  never  after  heard 
speaking  in  the  name  of  the  Lord. 

§  8.  A  while  before  his  death,  he  preached  thirteen  sermons  on  that  pas- 
sage, Eccles.  xii.  5,  "  Man  goeth  to  his  long  home."  And  he  had  a  strange 
and  strong  prcesage  on  his  own  mind,  that  he  was  himself  to  be  not  long 
from  that  home. 

I  find  the  patriarch  Isaac,  in  Gen.  xxvii.  2,  fill'd  with  many  thoughts 
about  "the  day  of  his  death"  at  hand;  and  enquiring  after  some  special 
reason  for  it,  I  find  that  Isaac  was  now  come  to  that  age  at  which  his  brother 
Ishmael  died,  fourteen  years  before.  This  probably  noio,  above  any  other 
time,  awakened  him  to  think  of  his  own  death  as  near  unto  him.  It  may 
be,  the  jjrcesage  of  our  Shepard,  that  he  should  not  outlive  the  age  of  twenty 
seven,  might  be  somewhat  excited  by  his  calling  to  mind  the  age  at  which 
his  uncle  expired. 

Our  first  Shepard  of  Cambridge  had  three  sons,  whereof,  if  the  eldest — 


ho 


OR,    THE    UI8T0RY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


151 


namely,  Thomas  (the  father  of  our  Thomas  of  Charlstown) — were  one  sin- 
gularly enhrged  in  his  endowments  and  improvements,  I  am  sure  the  second 
was  one  whose  htart  was  a  tent  in  which  the  Lord  remarkably  chose  co 
dwell:  it  was  Mr.  Samuel  Shepard,  of  whose  holy  life  and  death  I  may 
here  interweave  a  distinct  account,  by  but  reciting  the  words  which  I  find 
written  in  a  private  manuscript  of  our  excellent  Mr.  Mitchel  concerning 
liim.    His  words  are  these: 

"On  April  7,  1668,  dyed  Mr.  Samuel  Shepard,  pastor  of  the  church  of  Rowly  (just  two 
ntonths  after  his  wife),  a  very  precious,  holy,  meditating,  able  and  choice  young  man;  one 
<f  the  first  three.  His  attainments  in  communion  with  God,  and  in  daily  meditation  and  close 
walking,  may  shame  those  that  uro  elder  than  he.  He  was  but  twenty  six  years  of  sx^a  in 
October  last.  Ho  was  an  excellent  preacher,  most  dearly  beloved  nt  Rowly,  and  of  all  that 
know  him;  but  just  settled  among  them.  The  people  would  have  'plucked  out  their  eyes' 
for  him,  to  have  saved  his  life.  But  he  was  ripe  for  heaven,  and  God  took  him  thither ;  a 
gain  to  him,  but  an  invaluable  loss  to  us." 

New  this  our  Tliomas  had  an  almost  unaccountable  apprehension  that, 
in  his  early  death,  he  should  be  like  his  uncle  Samuel;  and  under  the 
influence  of  this  apprehension,  he  so  liv'd,  and  so  preach'd,  as  to  avoid  the 
danger  of  a  sudden  death,  by  being  always  prepared  for  it.  Accordingly, 
it  came  to  pass  that  about  June  5,  1685,  on  Friday,  being  indisposed  in 
his  bowels,  he  yet  continued  his  j^^ains  and  hopes,  all  the  Saturday  follow- 
ing, to  be  ready  for  the  exercises  of  the  Lord's  day,  when  the  Lord's-Sup- 
per  also  was  to  have  been  administred.  But  on  the  Saturday  night  his 
illness  grew  so  much  upon  him,  that  he  said  unto  his  wife,  "I  would  gladly 
have  been,  once  more,  at  the  table  of  the  Lord;  but  I  now  see  that  I  shall 
no  more  partake  thereof  until  I  do  it  after  a  new  manner  in  the  kingdom 
of  heaven."  On  Lord's  day  noon  I  visited  him,  and  at  my  parting  with  him, 
he  said,  "  My  hopes  are  built  on  the  free  mercy  of  God  and  the  rich  merit 
of  Christ,  and  I  do  believe  that,  if  I  am  taken  out  of  the  world,  I  shall 
only  change  my  place;  I  shall  neither  change  my  compamj,  nor  change 
my  communion:  And  as  for  you,  sir,  \  beg  the  Lord  Jesus  to  be  with 
you  unto  the  end  of  the  world!"  After  this,  he  spoko  little  to  his  attend- 
ants; but  was  often  over-heard  pouring  out  prayers,  especially  for  the 
widoio-chirch  (as  he  often  expressed  it)  which  he  was  to  leave  behind  him. 
And  in  the  night  following,  to  the  extream  surprize  of  his  friends  on  earth, 
he  went  away  to  those  in  heaven!  If  his  age  be  now  enquired  after,  it  is 
remarked  that,  altho'  the  Scripture  doth  mention  the  particular  age  of  many 
heroes  eternized  in  its  oracles,  yet  after  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  came,  and 
continued  in  this  lower  world  no  longer  than  thirty  two  years  and  a  half, 
the  Scripture  docs  not  mention  the  age  of  any  one  person  whatsoever,  as 
if  the  time  of  any  one's  continuance  in  this  world,  more  or  less,  were  not 
worth  minding,  since  the  Son  of  the  Most  High  tabernacled  so  little  a  while 
among  us.  However,  we  will  here  mention  the  age  of  our  Shepard:  it  was 
a  month  short  of  twenty -seven.    But, 


)l;f 


,■  i\ 

pi 

tli.*,!  <'. 

''  ','■ 

Bi)r 

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ntS'^.^Ti 

ll 

h 

1 ! 

|B'  tillfi 

tl 

»"  "*7"" 

t  i 


A62 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA} 


..  An  miiemm  diee$,  eitd  qudd  terrena  rtliquit .' 

Fcelieem  eerti,  qudd  meliorem  tenet." 

§  9.  "Wisdom,  gravity,  prudence,  temperance  (as  one  speaks)  are  not 
always  confined  unto  them  that  have  wrinkled  faces,  furrowed  brows,  dim 
eyes,  and  palsey  hands,  leaning  on  a  staff;"  nor  is  a  young  man  uncapable 
of  being  a  divine.  Although  our  Shepard  had  not  outlived  the  years  of 
youth,  when  he  went  from  hence,  yet  he  had  outgrown  the  airs  of  it;  and 
among  all  the  vertues  of  an  old  man  which  adorn'd  him,  not  the  least  of 
his  ornaments  was,  his  being  well  established  in  the  study  of  divinity.  To 
accomplish  himself  in  that  study,  he  did  not  apply  himself  unto  the  read- 
ing of  those  authors  who,  pretending  to  describe  unto  us,  '*  the  whole  duty 
of  man,"  and  the  "condition  of  our  obtaining  the  benefit  purchased  by 
Christ,"  are  careful  to  insist  on  any  thing  rather  than  that  a  reliance  on  the 
righteousness  of  the  obedience,  yielded  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  our  surety 
x^iito  God  for  us,  which  is  the  "one  thing  needful,"  or  that  faitJi,  whereby 
we  come  to  have  the  union  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  from  which  alone 
all  good  works  arise :  and  those  who,  amidst  their  voluminous  harangues 
upon  moral  virtue,  are  very  careful  to  avoid  the  least  insinuation  that  a  man 
cannot  be  truly  virtuous,  until  the  Spirit  of  God,  by  a  supernatural  opera- 
tion, infusing  a  new  principle  into  him,  hath  regenerated  him,  and  that  a  man 
can  do  nothing  truly  virtuous  without  the  supernatural  aids  of  that  spirit. 
He  look'd  upon  many  late  books,  written  to  undermine  the  orthodox 
"  articles  of  the  church  of  England,"  in  these  matters,  by  persons  who  per- 
haps had  got  into  preferment  by  subscribing  those  very  articles,  as  books 
that  indeed  betray'd  the  Christian  religion,  under  the  pretence  of  upholding 
it.  And  the  mercy  of  God  having  preserved  the  mind  of  this  our  young 
student  from  the  wrong  schemes  which  might  have  afterwards  entailed 
such  an  eternal  unsiu:cessfulness  upon  his  ministry,  as  uses  to  attend  the 
ministry  wherein  the  "grace  of  the  gospel"  is  not  acknowledged,  he  chose 
to  read  those  authors  which  have  the  truer  "spirit  of  the  gospel"  in  them. 
I  find  therefore,  under  his  own  hand,  a  list  of  such  authors  as  these,  to  be 
considered  by  him,  as  indeed  worthy  to  be  perused  and  considered:  Mr. 
Perkins,  Dr.  Preston,  Dr.  Usher,  Dr.  Manton,  Mr.  Jeans,  Mr.  Strong,  Mr. 
Caryl,  Mr.  Swinnock,  Dr.  Jacomb,  Dr.  Owen,  Mr.  Polbill.  And  however 
he  saw  a  Sherlock,  after  a  very  unevangelical  manner,  abusing  the  writings 
of  his  grandfather  Shepard,  his  value  for  those  writings,  and  the  writings 
of  such  men  as  Mr.  Hooker  or  Dr.  Goodwin,  was  thereby  not  abated ;  but 
his  detestation  of  the  new-divinity,  wherein  he  .saw  the  mysteries  of  "union 
with  Christ"  confounded,  "acquaintance  with  Christ"  reproached,  and 
"living  by  faith"  and  "coming  to  Christ  with  nothing  for  all  things,"  made 
a  ridicule,  was  more  than  a  little  augmented.  And  as  it  was  u  i)rinc'ipal 
endeavour  with  him  to  settle  himself  in  the  true  "protestant,  New-Kiiglish 
Anti-Arminian  points  of  truth,"  so  on  all  occasions  he  prov'd  himself  one 

*  Cult  him  nut  wri-tchcd ;  thoiigh.he  thus  resign        |        Thceo  enrthly  things— to  speed  tu  Juys  di>iiiu. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


153 


able  to  maintain  the  truth  against  all  opposera:  Whence  the  immature  death 
of  80  accompliah'd  a  divine,  cannot  but  be  a  sensible  wound  unto  our 
churches.  But  he  that  "holds  the  stars  in  his  right  hand,"  can,  if  we 
address  him  for  it,  upon  the  setting  of  soine,  cause  others  to  rise;  yea,  it  is 
possible,  and  it  is  indeed  proposed,  that  by  writing  the  lines  of  so-no  such, 
others  may  be  excited  and  assisted,  in  shining  like  unto  them. 

This  was  the  short  life  of  my  dear  Shepard.  I  confess  my  affection  unto 
him  to  have  been  such,  that,  if  I  might  use  the  poet's  expression  of  his 
friend,  animce  dimidium  wece,  I  must  say,  "I  am  half  buried,  since  he  is 
dead,"  or,  "  he  is  but  half  dead,  since  I  am  alive."  Nevertheless,  this  affec- 
tion hath  not  bribed  my  veracity  in  any  part  of  the  character  which  I  have 
given  of  him ;  for  as,  on  the  one  side,  I  count  it  base  to  throw  dirt  on  the 
face  which  dust  hath  been  cast  upon ;  so,  on  the  other  side,  I  think,  that 
painting  becomes  dead  people  worse  than  living. 

A  line  or  two  of  Emanuel  Thesaurus,  upon  that  first  and  young  Shepard 
Abel,  we  may  now  leave  upon  him  for  his 

EPITAPH. 

Conditur  tub  hoc  respite,  virgineua  pastor, 
Qui  mortem,  omnibua,  vitam  nemini  ftendam  tranaegit.* 

OR  this: 
Oreai  minds  must,  like  ftete  itari,  bat  louk  about,     I    Dear  Shepard,  sure  we  dare  not  call  thee  dead: 
Be  woiidred  at  a  little,  and  go  out.  |   Tho*  gone,  thou'rt  but  uuto  thy  kindred  fled. 


EARLY   PIETY, 

EXEMPLIFIED  IN  THE  LIFE  AND  DEATH  OF  SIR.  NATHANIEL  MATHER; 

WHO  HAVING  BECOME,  AT  THE  AGE  OF  NINETEEN,  AN  INSTANCE  OF  MORE  THAN  COMMON 
LEARNING  AND  VIRTUF^  CHANGED  EARTH  FOR  HEAVEN,  OCTOBER  17,  lUaS. 

Si  apectea  Annua,  Annia  Puer  tile  videtur: 
Si  Morea  apectea,  Moribua  ease  Senex.i 

THE  FOURTH  EDITION. — WITH  A  PREFATORY  EPISTLE  BY  MATTHEW  MEAD. 

TO    THE    READER. 

Of  all  reading,  history  hath  in  it  a  most  taking  delight,  and  no  history  more  delightful 
than  the  lives  of  good  men,  it  being  not  only  pleasant,  but  profitable;  and  so  while  other 
pleasures  become  a  bait  to  vice,  this  becomes  u  motive  to  virtue.  It  may  be  said  of  such 
lives,  us  that  excellent  Mr.  Herbert  said  of  Verses, 

A  life  may  And  him  who  a  sermon  flies, 
And  turn  delight  into  a  sncriflce. 

Thou  hast  here  a  rare  history  of  a  youth,  that  may  be  of  great  use  and  advantage  both 
to  old  and  young;  that  the  aged,  seeing  themselves  out-done  by  green  years,  may  "gird  up 


•  Here  lhn  y<nini?  Sliophcrd  lies,  with  life  o'erworn : 
Wluise  duutti,  we  all— whose  life,  not  one  can  mourn. 


t  Look  at  hia  flice;  'tis  childhood's,  >onnp;  and  fair: 
Look  at  his  suul ;  and  manhood's  strength  is  there. 


<J|^^ 

;4r;i- 

jiAHH^ 

'   ij:',-'. 

^^m 

1 

^S| 

1      •/• 

|u^^ 

I  •; 

yn^^ 

'•M- 

^^^u 

'^^ 

i'  I ', 


;  ,1 


154 
their  It 


MAUNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMEKICANA; 


and  mond  thoir 


for  heaven ;  and  thut 


young  ones  mny  be  so  wrought  into 
the  love  of  religion,  ns  it  is  exemplified  in  this  holy  person,  as  to  endeavour  with  all  diligence 
to  write  after  his  excellent  copy. 

It  is  n  great  work  to  dye,  and  to  dye  well  is  a  greater;  and  no  work  calls  for  greater  dili- 
genee  thon  this,  because  the  errours  of  the  first  work  can  never  be  corrected  in  a  second. 
One  great  reason  why  this  duty  is  seldom  well  done,  is  because  we  grudge  time  to  do  it  in, 
and  le:tvo  it  to  be  done  at  once.  It  is  never  like  to  be  well  done,  unless  it  be  always  doing ; 
and  therefore  wc  should,  in  conformity  to  that  great  Apostle,  die  daily. 

This  was  the  prartico  of  this  young  disciple,  who  among  all  his  other  learning  (wherein 
for  his  time  ho  cxccllod  most)  hud  in  nineteen  years  so  perfectly  learned  his  lesson,  thot  the 
wise  God  saw  it  fit  ho  should  take  nut. 

About  fourteen  years  old  he  did  dedicate  himself  wholly  to  God  and  his  service,  and 
entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  with  God  to  that  purpose;  which  os  he  did  not  begin  rmhly, 
and  without  great  deliberation,  so  he  did  not  tronssict  it  slightly,  but  with  great  sense  and 
seriousness;  the  matter  and  form  of  which  covenant  you  have  in  this  ensuing  narrative,  signed 
with  his  own  hand,  according  to  that  word  of  the  prophet,  (Ih.i.  xliv.  5,)  "One  shall  say,  I 
am  the  Lord's,  and  another  shall  call  himself  by  the  name  of  Jacob,  and  another  shall  sub- 
scribe with  his  hand  to  the  Lord."  And  with  what  care  and  conscience  he  performed  this 
covenant  in  fasting,  in  prayer,  in  watchings,  in  self-examination,  in  meditation,  in  thanksgiv- 
ing,  in  walking  with  God  in  all,  is  fully  witnessed  in  what  follows,  which  shows  that  he  is  a 
true  Nathanael,  "an  Israelite  indeed,  in  whom  is  no  guile."  Not  like  those  Israelites  which 
the  prophet  reproveth,  for  that  "they  flattered  God  with  their  mouth, — lied  to  him  with  their 
tongues,  their  hearts  not  being  right  with  him,  nor  stedfast  in  his  covenant."  For  having 
once  given  up  himself  to  God,  "he  kept  the  ways  of  the  Lord,  and  did  not  wickedly  depart 
from  Ills  God." 

When  his  worthy  father  (my  dear  friend)  was  pleased  to  send  this  narrative  to  me,  I  con- 
fess I  could  not  read  it  without  gre.it  reflection  and  shame:  thought  I,  God  will  not  gather 
his  fruit  till  it  is  ripe,  and  therefore  I  live  so  long;  nor  will  he  let  it  hang  till  it  is  rotten, 
therefore  Nathanael  dyed  so  soon.  Wo  are  not  sent  into  the  world  meerly  to  fill  up  a  num- 
ber of  years,  but  to  fill  up  our  measures  of  grace,  and  whenever  that  is  done,  our  time  is 
done,  and  we  have  lived  to  maturity,  and  so  did  this  youth,  and  therefore  "came  to  his  grave 
in  a  full  age  [though  at  nineteen]  like  as  a  shock  of  corn  comes  in  his  season." 

The  following  history  is  written  by  his  own  brother,  (a  worthy  minister)  the  fittest  of 
any  for  such  a  province,  the  nearness  of  relation  occasioning  that  intimacy  which  others 
could  not  easily  have.  In  what  he  hath  done  herein,  he  hath  deserved  highly  of  all  who  love 
goodness  and  virtue,  having  used  great  faithfulness  and  great  modesty:  great  faithfulness, 
and  that  both  to  the  dead  and  to  the  living;  to  the  dead,  in  raising  up  the  name  of  such  a 
brother;  and  to  the  living,  in  giving  us  a  narration  of  his  life,  without  an  oration  in 
his  praise;  which  indeed  was  altogether  needless,  when  it  was  so  fairly  written  by  himself, 
for  his  own  works  praise  him  in  the  gates.  And  he  hath  used  great  modesty,  in  speaking 
for  the  most  part  out  of  the  Journal  of  the  deceased,  so  th.it  it  is  the  dead  who  speaks  while 
the  living  writes.  And  since  his  end  is  more  to  provoke  to  imitation  than  to  bespeak  admi- 
ration, how  greatly  doth  it  concern  them  in  whose  hands  this  narrative  shall  happily  fall,  tt 
joyn  earnest  prayer  and  diligent  endeavour  together  in  following  this  great  example ;  other- 
wise he  th.it  gave  it,  and  he  that  writes  it,  will  both  rise  up  in  judgment  against  an  unteach- 
able  generation.  Matthew  Mead. 

London,  Jme  17, 1680. 


OR,    TUE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


156 


TO    THE    READER. 

It  is  not  for  mo  to  say  much  of  the  person  who  is  the  subject  of  the  ensuing  history,  for 
thiit  I  nm  his  younger  brother.  I  have  read  a  letter  (dated  October  26,  1688,)  written  to 
/ij.s  »nd  my  ever  honoured  father,  wherein  are  these  expressions: 

•■  Never  could  parent  have  cauio  of  mure  comfort  in  a  child,  than  you  have  in  that  son  of  yours. 
I  liavo  aeen  his  private  papcri,  and  in  them  such  an  instance  of  a  walk  with  Oud,  as  few  ancient 
mi.-ii*ters  perhaps  have  experience  of,  especially  for  the  three  last  years  of  his  life.  I  find  that  ho 
maintained  a  course  of  wonderful  devotion,  supplication  and  meditation  every  dayi  that  solemn 
humiliations  and  thanksgiving'  in  secret,  were  no  strangers  to  his  practice  i  that  ho  would  lie  often 
thinking  with  himself,  ■  what  shall  I  do  fur  Oud  T  And,  in  a  word,  that  Dr.  Owen's  bo..k  about 
'spiritual  inindedness,'  has  been  in  a  very  rare  manner  transcribed  into  his  convorsatiuii, 

"  He  has  bin  fur  his  years  a  great  scholar,  but  a  better  Christian.  The  life  of  the  faiiuius  young 
Jancway,  I  think,  has  nut  more  uf  holiness  illustrious  in  it,  than  that  of  your  dear  Nathanoel's. 

"  I  write  these  things,  because  I  judge  you  have  no  greater  joy.  Some  eminent  ministers  here, 
have  maintained  a  pleasant,  intimate,  familiar  conversation  with  him,  and  the  character  which 
they  gave  him,  is  very  extraurdinary." 

Tiius  that  letter. — I  have  likewise  heard  my  father  s.ty,  that  he  was  more  grieved  for  the 
loss  which  the  church  of  God  has  sustuinud  in  the  death  of  that  my  brother,  than  for  his  own 
loss  thereby. 

When  I  parted  from  him,  not  a  year  ago,  I  hoped  that  would  not  have  been  my  Ultimum 
Vale;*  but  I  now  lament  my  unhappiness,  in  that  I  gained  no  more  by  him:  and  yet  must 
acknowledge,  tliat  tlie  little  understanding  wliich  God  has  given  me  in  the  Hebrew  or  Greek 
tongues  w.'is  by  that  my  brother  as  the  instrument:  so  that  I  have  cause  whilst  I  shall  live 
to  honour  his  memory.     His  death  makes  me  remember  the  poet's  words: 

Ov  9iXsr  ©SOf  XifodvrjffxSi  VeOff.f 

I  cannot  but  know,  that  if  I  should  not  fear  and  servo  the  God  of  my  brothers,  and  of  my 
fathers,  and  of  my  grand-fathers,  the  nearest  relations  I  ever  hod  in  the  world  will  be  wit- 
nesses against  me  at  the  lust  day.    The  Lord  give  us  a  joyful  meeting  in  the  d.iy  of  Christ! 


London,  February  Stii,  1089. 


Samuel  Mather. 


THE  INTRODUCTION. 


My  render  will  quickly  discern  what  it  is  that  I  attempt  the  doing  of;  and  I  suppose  he  will  then 
see  no  occasion  of  enquiring  why.  The  opology's  wherewith  writers  usually  fill  the  prefaces  of 
their  books,  "do  come  of  evil;"  either  the  vanity  of  the  composers  is  discovered,  or  the  candor  of 
the  perusers  questioned  in  them.  That  I  write  the  life  of  a  Christian,  cannot  be  faulted  by  any  one 
who  considers,  that  the  lives  of  pious  men  have  been  justly  esteemed  among  the  most  useful  histo- 
ries which  the  church  of  God  enjoys ;  or  that  the  best  pens  in  the  world  have  been  employ'd  in  thus 
helping  the  just  unto  eternal  memory.  Our  Lord  will  have  as  mean  a  thing  as  one  act  of  devotion 
and  charity,  in  a  poor  woman,  to  be  mentioned  wherever  his  gospel  comes.  That  I  write  the  life 
of  a  brother,  will  not  be  reckoned  absurd  by  them  who  under6tan<l  what  patterns  I  have,  both 
ancient  and  modern,  for  my  doing  so.  James  Janeway,  among  the  rest,  has  had  our  thanks  for 
what  an  account  he  has  given  of  his  brother  John.  Indeed,  if  I  should  not  thus  raise  up  for  my 
departed  brother  a  name  in  Israel,  I  were  not  worthy  to  "wear  a  shoo,"  or  to  hove  a  "face  unspii 
upon."  My  natural  relation  to  him  doth  oblige  me  to  bestow  an  Epitoph  upon  his  grave,  that  the 
survivors  may  not  forget  whose  dust  they  tread  upon:  but  I  am  by  (that  which  Ambrose  calls)  a 
"  greater  and  better  fraternity,"  concerned  to  embalm  the  memory  of  one  who  maintained  such  a 
"  walk  with  God,"  as  he  did  until  God  took  him  to  himself.     It  has  been  observed,  that  they  who 


i    I: 


*  Last  l^welL 


t  "  Whom  the  gods  love,  die  young." 


'■^l 
K 


156 


MAQNALIA    OIiniSTt    AMERIOAKA; 


11 


" live  in  henvrn  whilr  ihry  arc  on  earth,"  often  "  live  on  rarlh  aftrr  ihry  arc  in  hcavrn."  It  wtre 
Inwrul  fur  me  (u  dvitirf  and  utiiily  *iicli  a  ihinK  on  the  hrhnif  of  my  liroihrr,  >vho«P  early  piety  ia  nt 
once  my  own  §hain«  and  joy ;  but  I  punue  an  hitther  end  than  llii»,  dedKiiiuK  rather  to  procure 
fulluwen,  than  to  bespeak  udmireri,  of  thii  Hood  example;  that  thi«  ia  my  mnin  icopt,  in  what  I 
am  now  doing  of,  I  declare  lincerely  and  very  lolemnly.  And  henoe  I  Imvo  not  here  made  an 
oration  in  hix  praiie,  but  given  barely  a  narrative  of  hi*  life,  and  ihi*  nuMtlly  by  tranocribintf  of 
his  own  memoriaU,  in  all  affecting  ih<  plain  style  of  a  just  historian.  I  do  therefore  adtlruns  this 
exemplary  life  unto  the  young  people  of  New-Kngland,and  esprrially  unto  those  of  North- Itimton, 
who  are  the  lambt  that  I  have  received  a  peculiar  charu*  from  the  liord  Jemm  about  the  ftrtling 
of.  To  you  do  I  present  this  Mirrour,  wherein  you  may  sec  the  exercises  of  a  virtuous  youth,  not 
only  pre«eriied,  but  alno  praeli$ed  before  your  eyes;  you  shall  see,  as  what  thould  be  done,  so 
what  may  be  done  by  a  young  person,  in  order  to  everlasting  felicity ;  see  him  and  hear  him  as 
"  one  rome  from  the  dead,"  saying,"  Do  as  I  have  done."  The  father  of  him  whom  I  describe  has 
laboured  exceedingly  for  the  "conversion  of  the  riiting  generation  in  New-Knulnnd  ;"  and  bin  cAi.t. 
to  them  hna  been  printed  and  reprinted  here  among  us.  Though  the  news  of  a  »on'»  denili  must 
needs  be  afflictive  to  him,  when  he  shall  have  the  report  of  it  arriving  to  him  in  the  other  Kiii;lniid, 
yet  I  make  no  doubt  but  his  parental  griefs  will  be  not  a  little  miligated,  when  he  shall  Iteholtl  that 
ton  thus  renewing  his  cam,  by  tpeaking  after  he  is  dead.  ThiK  young  man  did  pray  much  for  you 
while  he  woa  alive,  that  you  might  be  truly  converted  unto  (Sod  ;  he  does  preach  now  to  you  from 
the  grave,  or  rather  from  the  sky,  that  you  would  "  remember  yonr  Creator  in  the  dnys  of  your 
youth."  I  wish  that  he  may  (to  use  Chrysostom's  phrase)  become  a  hrulhrr  to  you  hy  faith,  os  he 
is  to  me  by  blood:  and  I  extend  this  my  wi-ih  with  a  most  alfeciionato  application  to  the  young 
gentlemen  who  belong  to  the  Colledgc  which  he  was  a  member  of  As  you  have  had  in  \m  fntlier 
8  rector,  whose  generous  and  expensive  cares  have  not  been  for  your  dixndvantage,  so  you  have  in 
his  diligence  and  hia  devoiion,  a  copy  which  is  not  altogether  unworthy  of  your  iniilalion ;  I  am 
setting  before  you  the  exercises  and  nccomplishment«  of  a  scholar,  whow  chief  study  it  wns, "  to  ho 
wise  unto  salvation  ;"  a  scholar,  wiiich  Inlioured  while  he  was  learning  all  other  things,  not  to  be 
ignorant  of  Him,"  whom  to  know  wos  lilo  eternal  "  I  nm  not  without  hope,  that  some  of  you  will 
now  resolve,  as  Jerom  did  when  he  had  read  the  life  of  Ililnrion,  shuliing  up  the  book,  and  saying, 
"  Well,  here  shall  be  the  champion  whom  I  will  follow !"  When  you  come  to  dye,  you  will  certainly 
commend  such  a  life  as  his  ;  God  grant  that  none  of  you  nmy  then  have  cause  to  sigh,  Qualia  Arti- 
fix  pereo;*  or  to  complain,  Surguut  Indocti  et  rapiuat  Cwlum;  Non  cum  nnttria  Doctrinit  mer- 
gimiir  in  Infernum.f  That  great  man,  Hugo  (trotiux,  near  his  end,  professed  that  he  would 
gladly  give  all  hia  learning  and  honor  for  the  integrity  of  a  poor  ntan  in  hia  neighbourhood,  that 
spent  eight  hourt  of  his  time  in  prayer,  eight  in  lahoar,  and  eight  in  tlerp  and  other  necessaries  ; 
and  unto  some  that  applauded  hia  marvellous  iiidu»try,  he  saiti,  .-IA,  Vilam  prrdidi  nperoge  nihil 
Agendo  !X  But  unto  some  that  asked  the  best  counsel  which  a  man  of  his  attainment  could  give, 
he  aaid,  "  Be  serious."    'Tia  with  this  countel  that  I  humbly  offer  you  the  ensuing  history." 


THE  LIFE  AND  DEATH  OF  MR.  NATHANIEL  MATHER. 

I  WRITE  the  life  and  death  of  a  younpf  man,  whose  ornaments  will 
awaken  in  the  reader  an  enquiry  like  titat  which  the  achievements  of 
David  produced  concernir^  him,  "Whoso  son  is  this  youth?" 

To  anticipate  that  enquiry: 

Nathaniel  Mather  had  for  his  grandfathers  two  of  New-England's  fathers, 
the  famous  Richard  Mather,  and  the  not  less  famt)ns  .Tohn  Cotton;  whose 
names  have  been  in  the  church  of  God,  as  t\n  "ointu\ont|)oured  forth,"  and 
whose  lives  bear  no  little  figure  in  tiie  ooelosiastical  histories  of  our  English 
Israel.     His  parentvS  being  yet  living,  it's  too  soon  to  give  them  their  char- 

*  or  such  tnlenta  poiwicstwl,  I  inuit  yet  pvrinh, 

+  Tlio  Ignorant  iwcoiid  nnd  lay  lioltl  on  heaven :  wo,  with  our  lenrningi  »lnk  Into  hoU. 

%  Alus!  I  have  lost  my  lids  in  latMiriuunly  iloliiB  nothing. 


OK,    THE    1118TUKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


157 


acter;  yet  I  may  venture  to  say,  it's  no  (lisj^rncc  unto  him,  in  tlic  opinion 
of  men  that  love  learning  and  virtue,  tliat  lie  whh  tlic  son  of  Increase 
MfttluT,  the  well-lcnown  teacher  of  a  ciiurch  in  Hoston,  ami  rector  of 
Ilarvard-CoUedgo  in  New-Kngland.  What  Gregory  Na/Janzen  judged 
not  improj)er  to  be  said  al)out  liis  yet  surviving  father^  in  his  funeral  ora- 
tion upon  his  deceased  Invt/icr,  1  may  without  any  culpable  adulation 
on  this  occasion,  say  of  him,  "lie  is  another  Aaron  or  Moses  in  the  house 
of  his  God." 

Our  Nathaniel  was  born  on  July  6th,  1009,  which  I  find  him  recording 
in  his  diary,  when  ho  was  fourteen  years  old,  with  such  an  humble  reflec- 
tion thereupon:  "How  little  have  I  improved  this  time  to  the  honour  of 
God  as  I  should  have  donel"  lie  wanted  not  the  cares  of  his  father  to 
bestow  a  good  education  on  iiim,  which  God  blessed  for  the  restrainiwj  him 
from  the  Ir./dand  wild  courses  by  which  too  many  children  are  betimes 
resigned  up  to  the  possession  of  the  devil,  and  for  the  fai-nishinri  him  with 
such  accomplishu'ents  .w  give  an  "ornament  of  grace  unto  the  head  of 
youth."  lie  lid  live  vvhcre  he  niighi.  learn,  and  under  the  continual  pray- 
ers and  pains  of  some  that  ]  'iked  afler  him,  he  became  an  instance  of 
unusual  ititlustry  and  no  couiti'on  pidy;  so  that  when  ho  dyed,  which  was 
October  17th,  1088.  he  was  become  i)'  less  than  twenty  years,  "an  old  man 
without  gray  hairs  .ip  ju  him." 

To  those  two  hci.Js,  with  a  sorrowful  addition  of  a  tliird,  I  shall  confine 
my  account  of  this  young  man;  in  whicli  i\\G  pic  lure  to  be  now  drawn,  has 
nothing  but  the  tntth,  and  at  least  so  nmch  of  life  in  it,  as  to  look  upon  every 
reader— yea,  speak  unto  every  young  reader — saying,  " Go  and  do  likewise." 


siTirH; 


:Pm 


I. — niS   INDU.STRY. 

lie  was  an  hard  student,  and  quickly  became  a  good  scholar.  From 
his  very  childhood,  his  hook  was  perhaps  as  dear  to  him  as  his  play,  and 
hence  he  grew  particularly  acquainted  with  church  hi.story,  at  a  rate  not 
usual  in  those  that  were  above  thrise  as  old  as  he.  But  when  he  came  to 
sovne\.  •  ;^t  more  of  youth,  his  tutor  (who  now  writes)  was  forced  often  to 
chide  ii';u  to  his  recreations,  but  never  that  I  remember /or  them.  To  be 
booJciah  was  natural  unto  him,  and  to  he  2)loddi7iff,  easie  and  pleasant  rather 
llinn  the  contrary.  Indeed,  he  afforded  not  so  much  a  pxUtern  as  a  caution 
to  young  students;  for  it  may  be  truly  written  on  his  grave,  "Study  kill'd 
him."  When  one  told  the  excellent  Mr.  Charnock,  that  if  he  studied  so 
much  it  would  cost  him  his  life,  he  replied,  "Why,  it  cost  Christ  his  life 
to  save,  and  what  if  it  cost  me  my  life  to  study  for  him?"  Our  studious 
Nathaniel  was  of  this  disposition.  The  marks  and  tcorks  of  a  studious 
mind  were  to  be  discerned  in  him,  even  as  he  walked  in  the  streets;  and 
his  candle  would  burn  after  midnight,  until,  as  his  own  phrase  for  it  was, 
"he  thought  his  bones  would  all  fall  asunder."  This  was  among  the 
iKissages  once  noted  in  his  diary: 


158 


MAGNxVLIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


"10  M.  26  D.  three  quarters  of  an  hour  after  12  at  night.  After  the  many  wearisome 
hours,  days,  months,  nay,  years  that  I  have  spent  in  humane  literature;  and  after  my  many 
toilsome  studies  in  those  hours,  when  the  general  silence  of  every  house  in  town  prochiimed 
it  high  time  for  me  to  put  a  stop  unto  my  working  mind,  and  urged  me  to  afford  some  rest 
unto  my  eyes,  which  have  been  almost  put  out  by  my  intenseness  on  my  studies;  after  these, 
I  say,  and  when  I  am  ready  to  do  it,  O!  how  unwilling  am  I  to  do  it,  considering  'how  little 
have  I  served  God  in  the  day !'" 

"While  he  thus  devoured  books,  it  came  to  pass  that  booJcs  devoured  him. 
His  weak  body  would  not  bear  the  toils  and  hours  which  he  used  himself 
unto;  and  his  neglect  of  moderate  exercise,  joyned  with  his  excess  of 
immoderate  lucubration,  soon  destroyed  the  digestion  which  his  blood 
should  have  had  in  the  last  elaboration  of  it;  by  that  time  sixteen  winters 
had  snow'd  upon  him,  he  began  to  be  distempered,  with  many  pains  and 
ails,  especially  in  some  of  his  joynts,  which  at  last  were  the  "gates  of 
death"  unto  him;  not  without  such  very  afflictive  touches  of  melancholy, 
too,  as  made  him  sometimes  to  write  himself  dcodatus  melancholicus.*  This 
was  his  way  of — living,  shall  I  say,  or  of  dying?  And  the  success  of  this 
diligence  was  according  to  the  temper  of  it,  great.  >7hen  he  was  but 
twelve  years  old  he  was  admitted  into  the  Colledge,  by  strict  examiners : 
and  many  months  after  this  passed  not,  before  he  had  accurately  gone  over 
all  the  Old  Testament  in  Hebrew,  as  well  as  the  New  in  Greek,  besides  his 
going  through  all  the  liberal  sciences,  before  many  other  designers  for 
philosophy  do  so  much  as  begin  to  look  into  them.  He  commenced 
bachelor  of  arts  at  the  age  of  sixteen,  and  in  the  act  entertained  the  audit- 
ory with  an  Hebrew  oration,  which  gave  a  good  account  of  the  academical 
affairs  among  the  ancient  Jews.  Indeed,  the  Hebrew  language  was  become 
so  familiar  with  him,  as  if  (to  use  the  expression  which  one  had  in  an 
ingenious  elegy  upon  his  death)  he  had  apprehended  it  should  quickly 
become  the  only  language  which  he  should  have  occasion  for.  His  second 
degree,  after  seven  years  being  in  the  Colledge,  he  took  just  before  death 
gave  him  a  third,  which  last  was  a  promotion  infinitely  beyond  either  of 
the  former.  He  then  maintained  for  his  position,  datur  vacuum;  and  by 
his  discourses  upon  it  (as  well  as  by  other  memorials  and  experiments  left 
behind  him  in  manuscripts)  he  gave  a  specimen  of  his  intimate  acquaint- 
ance with  the  Corpuscularian  (and  only  right)  philosophy.  By  this  time 
he  had  informed  himself  like  another  Mirandula,  and  was  admirably  capa- 
ble of  arguing  about  almost  every  subject  that  fell  within  the  concernments 
of  a  learned  man.  The  difficulties  of  the  mathematicks  he  had  particularly 
overcome,  and  the  abstruse  parts  both  of  arithmetick  and  astronom}'  were 
grasped  in  his  knowledge. 

His  early  almanacks  and  calcxdations  do  something,  but  the  MSS.  adver- 
saria, left  behind  him  in  his  closet,  much  more  speak  such  attainments  in 
him.  His  chronology  was  exact  unto  a  wonder,  and  the  state  of  learning, 
with  the  names  and  works  of  learned  men  in  the  world,  this  American 

*  DuomtMl  to  meliinclioljr. 


OR,    THE    1II8T0EY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


159 


wilderness  hath  few  that  understand  as  well  as  he.  Besides  all  this,  f(^r 
the  vast  field  of  theology,  both  didactick  and  polemick,  it  is  hardly  credi- 
ble how  little  of  it  his  travel  had  left  unknown.  Rabbinick  learning  he 
had  likewise  no  small  measure  of;  and  the  questions  referring  unto  the 
Scriptures  which  philology  is  conversant  about,  came  under  a  very  critical 
notice  with  him.  Indeed,  he  was  a  person  of  but  few  words,  and  his 
loords  with  his  holes  made  the  treasure  in  him  wholly  unsuspected  by 
strangers  to  him ;  yet  they  that  were  intimately  acquainted  with  him,  can 
attest  unto  the  veracity  of  him  that  giveth  this  description ;  and  there  are 
no  mean  persons  who  will  profess  with  admiration,  "that  they  could  scarce 
encounter  him  in  any  theme  of  discourse,  which  he  was  not  very  notably 
acquainted  with." 

But  the  hark  is  now  split  in  which  all  these  riches  were  stowed.  A 
Spanish  wrack  hath  not  more  silver  than  the  grave  of  such  a  young  man 
hath  learning  buried  in  it.  Indeed,  these  things,  Mortis  Erunt;*  perhaps 
they  dyed  with  him:  but  there  is  a  more  immortal  thing  to  be  observed 
in  him ;  and  that  is, 

II. — HIS  PIETY. 

Tho'  a^ine  carriage  was  the  least  thing  that  ever  he  affected,  yet  a  good 
nature  made  him  dear  to  those  that  were  familiar  with  him.  He  was 
always  very  obliging  and  officious,  and  more  ready  to  do^  than  others 
could  be  to  a^k  a  good  turn  at  his  hands:  but  he  was  above  all  happy,  by 
being  early,  in  pure  religion. 

The  common  effect  of  such  a  pious  education  as  the  family  in  which  he 
lived  afforded  unto  him,  were  seen  even  in  his  childhood;  and  secret 
piayer  became  very  betimes  one  of  his  infiint  exercises.  He  does  in  his 
MSS,  particularly  take  notice  of  a  Scripture  copy  set  for  him  when  he 
learned  to  writ£,  as  a  thing  that  had  much  efficacy  on  him ;  but  when  he 
was  twelve  (or  more)  years  old,  more  powerful  conviction  did  the  spirit 
of  God  set  home  upon  him  than  he  had  been  used  unto;  some  records 
therefore  I  find  in  his  papers,  with  this  clause  in  the  head  of  the  account, 
"rejoyce,  0  my  soul,  for  the  Lord  hath  dealt  bountifully  with  thee." 
Now  it  was  that  he  allowed  his  pen  to  write  these,  among  other  expressions 
of  his  trouble  about  his  estate : 

"Feb.  19,  1682.— What  shall  I  do?  'What  shall  I  do  to  bo  sav'df  Without  a  Christ  I 
am  undone,  undone,  undone  for  evermore!  O  Lord,  let  mc  have  Christ,  tho'  I  lye  in  the 
mire  for  ever!    O  for  a  Christ!    O  for  a  Christ!  a  Christ!    Lord,  give  me  a  Christ  or  I  dye!" 

It  was  now  another  of  his  registered  meditations : 

"I  have  been  in  great  hesitancy,  whether  I  should  choose  Jesus  Christ  for  my  prophet, 
priest  and  king,  with  all  his  inconveniences,  to  tjike  up  my  cross  and  follow  him:  wherefore 
I  do  now  take  him  as  mine;  my  whole  Christ,  and  my  only  Christ;  and  I  am  resolved  to 
seek  him.  All  that  I  have  shall  be  at  his  service,  and  all  my  members,  and  all  my  powers, 
shall  endeavour  his  glory." 

*  Will  all  belong  to  Death. 


1    «        ►  iJ  3      i 


'  Ui 

'I 


■'«,* 


160 


MAGXALIA    CIIRISTI    AM'EKICANA; 


And  yet  again  there  were  these  considerations  in  his  mind: 

"Had  I  not  bettor  Hcck  the  Lord  Clirist,  wliile  I  have  a  time  of  prosperity  and  peace, 
while  he  oilers  himself  to  me  saying,  'Come  unto  me,  and  I  will  save  thee,  and  lay  all  thy 
burdens  upon  me,  and  I  will  sustain  thee,'  than  in  affliction  to  ery  and  not  be  heard?  when 
he  stretches  forth  his  liand  and  says,  'Believe  on  me,  and  thou  shalt  be  saved:'  and  now  to- 
day he  offers  himself,  shall  I  refuse,  and  sjiy,  'Lord,  io-morrowV    No,  surely." 

And  these  pathetical  groans  then  likewise  got  a  room  in  his  papers: 

"  O  that  I  had  a  Christ !  O  that  I  had  him  who  is  the  delight  of  my  soul !  Then,  0  then  I 
should  be  perfectly  blessed,  and  want  no  food  that  would  make  mc  so!" 

This  is  a  copy  of  the  passages  then  recorded  in  this  young  believer's 
diary.  Thus  did  he  now  labour  to  affect  his  own  soul  with  his  own  state, 
and  leave  things  no  more  at  peradventures  between  God  and  him.  He 
read  many  savoury  books  about  faith,  and  repentance,  and  conversion, 
and  he  transcribed  many  notes  therefrom,  not  resting  satisfied  within  him- 
self until  he  had  had  some  experience  of  a  true  regeneration.  Among  other 
workings  of  his  heart  at  this  age,  his  papers  have  such  things  as  these: 

"Reasons  for  my  speedy  closing  with  Jesus  Christ. — First,  It's  the  command  of 
Jesus  Christ,  that  I  should  come  unto  him.  Secondly,  Jesus  Christ  invites  me  also  in  Mat. 
xi.  28, 'Come  unto  me.'  Thirdly,  He  that  laid  me  under  many  obligations  to  lurn  unto 
him,  in  that  he  hath  rcoovor'd  nie  from  sickness  so  often,  and  now  given  me  a  curious  study 
Fourthly,  T  .  that  I  have  vow'd  unto  the  Lord,  if  he  would  do  so  and  so  for  me,  I  would 
make  a  solemn  covenant  with  him,  and  endeavour  to  serve  him." 

And  again  elsewhere: 

"O  that  God  would  help  me  to  seek  him  while  I  am  young!  O  that  he  would  give  unto 
mo  his  grace!  However,  I  will  lay  myself  down  at  his  feet.  If  he  save  me,  I  shall  be  happy 
for  ever;  if  ho  damn  mc,  I  must  justilie  him.  'O  thou  Son  of  God,  have  mercy  on  mel' 
I  know  not  what  to  say,  but  I  will  take  thee  at  tliy  word:  Thou  sayst,  'Come  unto  mc;"  my 
soul  answers,  'Lord,  at  thy  command  I  will  come.'" 

He  thus  continued  "following  hard  after  God,"  enjoying  and  answering 
many  strivi'nys  of  liis  Holy  Spirit,  until  he  was  about  fourteen  years  old. 

In  this  time  ho  did  not  a  little  acquaint  himself  with  profitable  godli- 
ness, being  frequent  and  fervent  in  his  prayers  to  God  upon  all  occasions, 
and  careful  not  only  to  hear  sermons,  but  also  consider  after  tlicm  "what 
improvement  he  should  make  of  what  he  heard."  Not  only  his  prayens, 
but  his  praises,  too,  now  took  notice  of  even  the  smallest  aflairs  before 
him.  I  know  not  whether  you  can  sec  any  thing  childish,  I  am  sure  I  see 
something  serious,  in  a  passage  or  two  that  I  .shall  fetch  out  of  his  diary, 
written  wlien  he  was  about  thirteen  vears  old:  On  March  13  he  wrote, 
"This  day  I  received  of  my  father  that  fixmous  work,  the  Bihlia  PuhjrjloUct, 
for  which  I  desire  to  praise  the  name  of  God:"  Again,  on  June  29  ho 
wi'itte,  "I'his  day  my  brother  gave  me  Sdiindlcr''s  Lexicon,  a  book  for  which 
I  had  not  only  longed  much,  but  also  prayed  unto  God;  bles.sed  be  tlio 
Lord's  name  for  it."     The  thoughts  of  death  also  now  found  a  lodging  in 


OB,    T'T       HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


101 


his  heart,  and  he  rebuked  himself  because  he  had  been  so  much  without 
them;  tho'  at  this  age  for  the  most  part,'  persons  think  of  any  thing,  every 
thing  more  than  of  their  drying  da}'.  And  his  writings  discovered  him  to 
be  peculiarly  affected  with  that  ancient  history  (or  apologue)  of  him  who, 
after  a  dissolute  and  ungodly  youth,  going  to  repent  in  age,  heard  that 
voice  from  heaven  to  him,  Des  ilU  Furfurem  cui  dedisti  Farinam:  "the 
devil  had  thy  flower,  and  thou  shalt  not  bring  thy  bran  to  me." 

S^lf-examination  was  also  become  one  of  his  employments;  and  once 
particularly  in  one  of  his  diaries,  he  does  thus  express  himself: 

"April  8,  1G83.— This  morning  I  was  much  cast  down  with  the  sense  of  my  vileness.  I 
examin'd — 

"I.  What  sins  I  had  that  were  not  mortified:  1,  My  sin  of  pride;  2,  My  sin  of  urdhank' 
fulness;  3,  My  not  improving  the  means  of  grace  as  I  ought  to  do. 

"II.  Wluit  graces  I  find  need  of:  1,  Converting  and  regenerating  grace;  2,  Humiliation 
for  my  many  sins  against  such  a  good  God  as  the  Lord  is. 

"III.  What  mercies  \\\a.A  received,  for  which  I  desire  to  bless  tho  Lord's  name:  1,  Ho 
hath  given  me  to  be  born  of  godly  parents;  2,  I  have  always  had  the  means  of  grace  length- 
ened out  unto  me;  3,  The  Lord  hath  graciously  pleased  to  give  me  some  answers  of  prayer, 
— 1,  As  to  the  lengtiiening  out  of  my  health;  2,  As  to  the  increase  of  my  library,  'what 
shall  I  render  to  tlie  Lord'  for  all  his  loving  kindness  towards  me?  I  resolved  to  dedicate 
myself  wholly  to  God  and  his  service." 

And  he  did  accordingly. — This  year  did  not  roll  about,  before  he  had 
in  a  manner  very  solemn  entred  into  covenant  with  God.  This  weighty 
and  awful  thing  was  not  rashly  done  by  him,  or  in  a  sudden  flash  and 
pang  of  devotion:  he  thought,  he  read,  he  lorote,  and  he  prayed  not  a  little 
before  this  glorious  transaction  between  God  and  him,  and,  upon  mature 
deliberation,  he  judged  it  most  advisable  for  him  to  make  his  covenant 
with  God  as  explicit  as  writing  and  signing  could  render  it ;  that  so  it  might 
leave  tlie  more  impression  upon  his  heart  and  life,  and  be  an  evidence 
likewise,  which  in  temptation  or  desertion  he  might  have  recourse  unto: 
wherefore  he  set  apart  a  time  for  (I  think)  secret  fasting  and  prayer  before 
the  Lord,  and  then  behold  how  this  young  man,  counting  it  high  time  for 
him  to  be  bound  out  unto  some  service,  took  a  course  for  it:  he  subscribed 
an  holy  covenant,  of  which  this  was  the  matter,  this  the  fl)r7n  : 

"The  Covenant  between  God  and  biy  Soul,  renewed,  confirmed  and  signed,  Nov. 
22, 1683. — Whereas  not  only  the  commands  of  God  who  hath  often  called  upon  me,  by  his 
word  preached,  to  give  up  myself,  both  body  and  soul,  to  be  at  his  disposal,  which  calls  by 
the  public  ministry  were  enough  to  engage  nie  unto  this,  but  also  the  Christian  religion  whicli 
I  profess,  and  my  baptism,  in  which  I  took  the  Lord  to  be  my  God,  and  promised  to  renounce 
tho  world,  the  flesh,  a)id  the  devil,  and  to  dedicate  myself  unto  the  service,  work  and  will 
of  God,  to  bind  me  hereunto:  in  thai  God  is  such  a  God  as  deserves  this,  yea,  infinitely  more 
than  tills,  at  my  hands;  ray  creator,  the  fountain  of  my  being;  my  preserver,  my  benefactor, 
my  Lord,  my  sovereign,  my  judge;  he  in  whoso  hands  my  life,  my  breath,  and  all  my  con- 
corns  arc;  he  that  doth  protect  me  from  all  dangers,  and  supply  me  in  all  wants,  support  me 
under  all  burdens,  and  direct  me  in  all  streights;  he  alone  that  can  make  me  happy  or  miser- 
able; ho  alone  that  can  save  me  or  damn  mc;  he  alone  that  can  give  inward  peae^  and  joy, 

Vol.  II.— 11 


M 


If 


162 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Jl' 

If 


thnt  ia  my  friend,  niy  God;  in  that,  self-dedication  is  the  creature's  advancement;  these  first 
fruits,  if  in  sincerity,  putting  upon  me  a  gloriousnoss  and  excellency. 

"  In  that  felicity  hereafter  depends  upon  my  dedicating  of  myself  unto  God  now. 

**  In  that  this  is  the  highest  piece  of  gratitude  I  am  capable  of  expressing  unto  God,  and 
I  know  no  better  way  to  obey  the  will  of  God,  than  first  to  give  up  my  self  unto  him. 

"And  whereas  the  mercies  which  the  Lord  hath  been  pleased  graciously  to  bestow  upon 
me,  are  so  many,  that  even  bare  morality  doth  shew  me  that  I  can  never  enough  requite  one 
that  hath  done  so  much  for  me,  ei»cept  by  giving  up  myself  wholly  to  him. 

[1669.] — "  Whereas  God  has  given  me  a  godly  father  and  mother. 

[1674.] — ••*/«  that  when  I  was  like  to  dye,  being  twice  sick  of  a  feaver,  God  was  pleased 
to  bless  means  for  my  recovery,  and  lengthen  out  the  thread  of  my  life. 

[1675.] — ^"Whereas,  when  I  by  an  accident  fell  down,  and  had  like  to  have  been  deprived 
of  tile  use  of  my  tongue,  God  was  in  his  good  providence  graciously  pleased  to  give  me 
the  use  of  it. 

[1678.] — ^"Whereas,  when  I  was  sick  of  the  small-pox,  God  was  pleased  to  bless  means 
for  my  recovery. 

"Whereas,  then  I  made  promises  unto  God,  that  if  he  would  give  me  my  health,  I  would 
endeavour  to  become  a  new  creature,  and  he  hath  done  so  for  these  five  years:  and  whereas 
God  liatli  of  late  been  bestowing  many  and  wonderful  mercies  upon  me,  what  can  I  do  less 
than  give  up  myself  wholly  to  himi 

"WHICH  NOW  I  DO. 

"  And,  O  Lord  God,  I  beseech  thee  to  accent  of  thy  poor  prodigal,  now  prostrating  of  him- 
self  before  thee.  I  confess,  O  Lord,  I  have  fallen  from  thee  by  my  iniquity,  and  am  by  nature 
a  'son  of  hell;'  but  of  thy  infinite  grace  thou  hast  promised  mercy  to  me  in  Christ,  if  I  will 
but  turn  unto  thee  with  all  my  heart:  therefore,  upon  the  call  of  thy  gospel,  I  come  in,  and 
from  the  bottom  of  my  heart  I  renounce  all  thy  enemies ;  with  whom  I  confess  I  have  wiek- 
edly  sided  against  thee,  firmly  covenanting  with  thee  not  to  allow  myself  in  any  known  sin, 
but  conscientiously  to  use  all  means  which  I  know  thou  hast  prescribed  for  the  utter  destruc- 
tion  of  all  my  corruptions.  And  whereas  I  have  inordinately  let  out  my  affections  upon  the 
world,  I  here  resign  my  heart  unto  thee  that  made  it;  humbly  protesting  before  thy  glorious 
Majesty,  that  it  is  the  firm  resolution  of  my  heart  (and  that  I  do  unfeignedly  desire  grace  from 
thee,  that  when  thou  shalt  call  me  thereunto,  I  may  put  in  jjractice  my  resolution)  through 
thine  assistance,  to  forsake  all  that  is  dear  unto  me  in  the  world,  rather  than  to  turn  from 
thee  to  the  *  ways  of  sin ;'  and  that  I  will  watch  against  all  its  temptations,  whether  of  pros- 
perity or  adversity,  lest  they  should  withdraw  my  heart  from  thee,  beseeching  thee  to  ht-lp  me. 

"I  renounce  all  my  own  righteousness,  and  acknowledge  that  of  mys,elf  I  am  helpless  and 
undone,  and  without  righteousness. 

"  And  whereas,  of  thy  bottomless  mercy,  thou  hast  olTer'd  to  accept  of  me,  and  to  be  recon- 
ciled to  me,  and  to  be  my  God  '  through  Christ,'  if  I  would  accept  of  thee,  I  do  this  day 
'avoucli  thoe  to  be  the  Lord  my  God.'  I  do  here  take  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Father,  Son  and 
Holy  Ghost,  for  my  portion  and  chief  good,  nnd  do  give  up  myself  body  and  soul  for  thy 
servant,  promising  to  endeavour  to  serve  thee  in  righteousness  and  holiness.  I  do  here  also, 
on  the  bended  knees  of  my  soul,  accept  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  as  the  only  and  livinj,  way 
by  wliich  sinners  may  have  access  to  thee,  and  do  here  joyn  myself  in  a  marriage-c  /tenant 
with  iiim,  O  Lord  Jesus,  I  come  to  thee,  hungry,  poor,  miserable,  blind  and  nakfj,  and  a 
most  loathsome  creature,  a  condemned  malcfiictor.  'Who  am  I,  that  I  should  be  married 
unto  the  King  of  Glory!' 

"I  do  accept  of  thee  for  my  head  and  husband,  and  embrace  thee  in  all  thy  ofiices.  I 
renounce  my  own  worthiness,  and  do  choose  thee  the  'Lord  my  righteousnesa.'  I  do  renounce 
my  own  •.cisdom,  and  do  take  thine  for  my  guide.  I  take  thy  will  for  my  will,  and  thy  word 
for  my  law.  I  do  here  willingly  put  my  neck  under  thy  yoke ;  I  do  subscribe  to  all  thy  laws 
aa  holy,  just  and  good ;  and  do  promise  to  take  them  as  the  rule  of  my  thoughts,  words  and 


I 


\ 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND, 


163 


actions;  but  because  I  am  subject  to  many  failings  through  frailty,  I  do  here  protest,  here 
before  thee,  that  unhallowed  miscarriages,  contrary  to  the  constant  bent  of  my  heart,  shall 
not  disiinnull  this  everlasting  covenant.  Nathaniel  Mather." 

It  may  justly  be  taken  for  granted,  that  such  a  work  as  this  Wv^uld  have 
an  influence  into  his  conversation  afterwards;  and  so  it  had,  producing  in 
him  a  "conversation  which  became  the  gospel  of  Christ."  He  kept  wait- 
ing upon  God,  not  only  in  the  family,  but  also  under  the  ministry  of  two 
that  were  a-kin  unto  him;  namely,  laxs  father  and  his  brother,  whereby  the 
grace  thus  begun  in  him  was  not  little  cherished  and  promoted:  and 
unto  all  known  sins  he  now  kept  saying,  as  I  find  once  in  short  hand 
written  by  him: 

"To  My  Lusts. — I  have  had  communion  with  you  all  this  while,  but  I  dare  not  have  so 
any  longer:  wherefore  I  renounce  all  communion  with  you  any  more;  I  will  cleave  to  the 
God  that  made  me." 

But  a  year  or  two  after  this,  it  was  with  him,  as  I  have  observed  it  is 
too  commonly  with  such  as  are  converted  betimes  unto  God.  An  unhappy 
gradual  apostacy  carried  him  aside  from  those  degrees  of  seriousness  and 
intenseness  in  divine  things,  which  he  had  been  used  unto :  'tis  possible 
an  entanglement  in  a  familiarity  with  some  that  were  no  better  than  they 
should  be,  did  abate  of  the  good  savour  which  had  been  upon  him,  and 
decoy  him  by  insensible  steps  to  some  vanities  (tho'  not  to  any  scandalous 
immoralities)  that  were  disadvantageous  to  him.  For  divers  months  he 
seemed  somewhat,  yet  not  totally,  much  less  finally,  forsaken  of  that  wisdom 
and  virtue  which  he  had  before  been  an  example  of;  but  the  good  spirit 
of  God  will  not  let  go  his  interest  in  a  soul  of  which  he  hath  taken  a  saving 
hold.  This  young  man  soon  entertained  just  resentments  of  his  own 
declensions,  and  it  was  impossible  for  the  most  " badger-tooth 'd  malice"  in 
the  world  to  aggravate  any  of  his  errors  half  so  much  as  he  did  himself  in 
his  own  repentance  for  them.  In  the  year  1685  God  visited  him  with  sore 
terrors  and  horrors  in  his  wounded  soul,  the  anguish  whereof  he  thought 
intollerable ;  yet  he  made  not  his  condition  known  to  anybody  all  the 
while.  lie  could  say,  "My  complaint  is  not  to  man,"  but  he  made  it  unto 
the  Lord;  "this  poor  man  cryed,  and  the  Lord  heard,  and  delivered  him 
out  of  distresses."  He  arrived  in  time  unto  settlement  and  renewal  of  his 
peace  with  God :  he  confessed  and  bewailed  his  own  sins  before  the  Lord, 
and  declared  his  detestation  of  them,  and  applied  himself  unto  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  for  salvation  from  them  all.  Good  terms  being  thus  estab- 
lish'd  between  the  Almighty  Lord  and  this  immortal  soul,  he  maintained, 
I  think,  a  conptant  and  an  even  "walk  with  God"  until  he  dyed.  I  find 
now  that  language  in  his  MSS.:  "Let  me  be  as  active  a  servant  of  Christ, 
as  I  was  Ci  Satan  heretofore."  For  more  than  the  three  last  years  of  his 
life,  he  lived  at  a  strange  rate  for  holiness  and  gravity,  and  retired  devo- 
tions,   lie  read  Mr.  Scuddcr's  Christian's  ^^  Daily  Walk/^  and  Dr.  Owen 


i,/,if 


''  'i[f 


I 


I 


't! 


164 


MAGNALIA    CIIEI8TI    AMERICANA; 


of  " Spiritual  Mindedness,^^  and  bad  a  restless,  raging  agony  in  his  mind 
until  the  methods  of  religion  advised  by  those  worthy  men,  were  exem- 
plified in  his  own  behaviour.    'Tis  a  note  in  one  of  his  diaries — 

"O  my  great  unprcfitoLlencss  undi.r  the  Means  of  grace!  I  have  cause  to  bless  God  for 
ever  for  the  writings  oi"  th'  t  -lever  enough  I o  be  admired  and  loved  by  me.  Dr.  Reynolds,  and 
for  the  light  I  have  receive;!  thereby,  conc<  ni  ig  the  sinfulness  of  sin;  as  also  that  excellent 
book  of  hhn  whom  1  stia'I  olv/is  h'^rour,  L)c. «  ven  of  Sjnrilual  Mindedness,ani  Mr.  Scud> 
der's  Christiaij's  Daily  Walk,  by  "..hicii  tbret  "ooka  I  have  profited  more  than  by  any  other 
(Sf,  Scripturif  exceptis)  '■'  ia  the  world." 

TIq  was  at  first  surprized  at  the  measure  of  spiritual  mindedness,  with- 
out which  that  great  saint,  Dr.  Ow*  u,  apprehends  the  hfe  and  peace  of 
soul«  to  labour  under  prejudicf^s;  and  he  thought  a  mind  swallowed  up  in 
such  heavenly  frames  and  -vorks  as  were  needful  thereunto,  almost  wholly 
to  be  det'pair'd  of;  lintil  l^Jv?  himself  a  few  hours  before  he  dyed  said  unto 
me)  he  deemed  he  saw  an  instance  of  such  a  "walk  with  God,"  not  very 
far  from  the  place  of  his  abode :  to  which  purpose  his  reserv'd  papers  have 
a  large  discourse,  of  which  this  is  in  the  conclusion : 

"There  might  be  a  greater  progress  in  religion  than  is  commonly  thought  for.  What 
have  I  example-,  for,  but  to  imitate  them?  Abraham  is  fum'd  for  believing  so  strongly,  wIkmi 
ho  had  no  exainpie  before  him:  Let  me  try  and  see  whether  I,  having  such  opportunities, 
may  not  arrive  tu  .is  high  a  pitch  in  Christianity  as  any  that  I  have  known." 

He  then,  in  tlie  strength  and  through  the  love  of  God,  set  himself  into 
a  way  of  strict,  secret,  laborious  devotion ;  whereby,  the'  none  but  God  and 
he  fill'd  the  theatre  which  he  acted  upon,  he  would  be  "in  the  fear  of  the 
Lord  all  the  day  long."  He  withdrew  from  the  delights  of  this  world,  and 
gave  himself  up  to  an  assiduous  contemplation  of  God  and  Christ,  and  a 
sedulous  endeavour  after  utmost  conformity  unto  him:  thus  he  kept 
"abounding  in  the  work  of  the  Lord,"  until  three  years  of  wonderful 
holiness  had  ripened  him  for  eternal  hapinness. 

My  account  of  him  will  be  an  unfinished  piece,  unless  all  the  ensuing 
strokes  go  to  make  it  up.     These  things  he  was  exemplary  for: 

First,  He  was  one  that  walked  by  RUfiE.  He  was  very  studious  to  learn 
the  way  of  conversing  with  God  in  every  duty,  and  there  was  a  rule  which 
he  attended  still  unto. 

In  his  private  papers,  I  find  a  wise  collection  of  rules,  by  which  he  gov- 
erned himself  in  the  several  duties  of  Christianity,  and  in  all  the  seasons 
and  stations  of  his  life.  He  consulted  the  best  authors  for  instruction  in 
the  affairs  of  practical  religion,  and  not  into  paper  only,  but  into  action^  to 
be  transcribed  what  he  most  approved;  in  all  which  the  will  of  God  was 
the  bright  pole-star  by  which  he  stcer'd  his  course. 

The  reader  shall  enjoy  (and  0  that  he  would  follow)  tv/o  of  this  young 
man's  directories.    One  of  them  was  this : 

*  Tlic  Ilo'.y  Scrlpluros  excepted. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-EMOLAND. 


165 


nd 
m- 


for 
and 

ent 
^ud- 
thcr 


"I.  O  that  I  might  lead  a  spiritual  life !  whorcforo  let  mo  regulate  my  life  by  the  word  of 
God,  and  by  8uch  scriptures  as  these : 

"  1,  For  regulating  my  thoughts,  Jer.  iv.  14 ;  Isa.  Iv.  7 ;  Mai.  iii.  17 ;  Psal.  civ.  34 ;  Phil.  iv. 
8;  Prov.  xxiii.  26;  Dcut.  x.-.  9;  Ecelcs.  x.  20;  Prov.  xxiv.  9;  Mat,  ix.  4;  Zee.  viii.  17. 

"  2,  For  regulating  my  affections,  Col.  iii.  2.  6 ;  Gal.  v.  24. 

"For  my  delight,  Psal.  i.  2;  Psal.  xxxvii.  6.  For  my  joy,  Phil.  iv.  4;  Psal.  xliii.  4.  My 
desire,  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  9;  Ezck.  vii.  16.  My  Zovf,  Mat.  xxii.  37 ;  Psal.  cxix.  97.  My  hatred,  Psol. 
xcvii.  10.   My  fear,  Luke  xii.  4, 6.    My  hope,  Psal.  x  txix.  7.    My  trust,  Psal.  Ixii.  8 ;  Isa.  xxvi.  4. 

"  3,  For  regulating  my  speech,  Eph.  iv.  29;  Col.  iv.  6;  Deut.  vi.  6, 7 ;  Psal.  cxix.  66;  Paul. 
Ixxi.  8.  24;  Prov.  xxxi.  26. 

"For  regulating  my  work,  Tit,  iii.  8;  2  Tiu.  il.  12;  1  Tim.  v.  10;  Titus  ii.  14;  MaL  v. 
47;  1  Tim.  vi.  8 ;  Rev.  iii.  2;  Rom.  xiii.  12;  Ac  s  xxvi.  20." 

Another  of  them  was  form'd  into  an  Hymn,  the  singing  of  which  might 
produce  fresher  and  stronger  efforts  of  soul  towards  "the  thing  that  is 
good."    It  shall  be  here  inserted: 


II.  *'  Lord,  what  shall  I  return  unto 
Him  from  whuin  ull  morcivs  flow  f 

"  (I.)  To  me  tu  live.  It  Christ  shall  be, 
For  all  I  do  I'll  do  for  Thee. 

X  (II.)  My  question  shnll  bo  oft  beside, 
*How  thou  mny'at  most  be  glorify'd?' 

"(III.)  I  will  nut  any  creature  love, 
But  in  the  love  of  Thee  above. 

"(IV.)  Thy  iei7/ 1  will  embrace  for  mi'iie. 
And  every  mnnngemont  of  thine 
Shall  please  me.    (V.)  A  conformity 
To  thee  shall  be  my  aim  and  eye. 


"  (VI.)  Kjaeulations  shall  ascend 

Not  seldom  trom  me.    (VII.)  I'll  attend 

Oeeational  rejlectiong  and 

Turn  all  to  fold  that  comes  to  hand. 

"(VIII.)  And  in  particular  among 
My  cares,  I'll  try  to  make  my  tongue 
A  'tree  of  life,'  by  speaking  all 
As  be  accountable  who  shall. 

«  (IX.)  But  laMt,  My  first  of  all,  I  will 
Thy  Son  my  surety  moke,  and  still 
Implore  him  that  he  would  me  bless 
With  strength  as  well  as  righteousness. 


Besid'^s  these  rules,  which  concerned  his  whole  ivalk,  he  treasur'd  up 
many  moiv  hat  referr'd  to  this  and  that  step  in  it;  and  it  was  the  predom- 
inant care  and  watch  of  his  heart,  not  to  tread  aivry.f  thus  one  might  see 
a  slcilful  Christian  in  him.  And  as  he  was  desirous  to  live  hj  precept,  so 
he  was  to  live  by  promise  too. 

He  fell  into  a  particular  consideration  how  to  improve  the  promises  of 
God  in  all  the  occasions  of  life :  which  is  indeed  one  of  the  most  sanctifying 
exercises  in  the  world.   It  was  a  proposal  which  I  find  he  made  unto  himself. 

"  Let  me  saaite  these  promises  once  a  day. 

"  1,  For  supplying  the  wants  of  the  day,  Phil.  iv.  19. 

"  2,  For  growth  in  grace,  Hos.  xiv.  5. 

"3,  For  subduing  my  sins,  Mio.  vii.  19. 

"  4,  For  success  in  my  undertakings,  Psal.  i.  3. 

"  6,  For  turning  all  the  events  of  the  day  for  good,  Rom.  viii.  28. 

"6,  For  audience  of  my  prayers,  John  xiv.  13,  14. 

"  7,  For  strength  to  manage  all  the  work  of  the  day,  Zech.  x.  12. 

"  8,  For  direction  in  difficulty,  Psal.  xxxii.  8. 

"9,  For  life  eternal,  laike  xii.  31 ;  Job  iii.  16. 

"Besides  these  two,  Mat.  xi.  28,  and  Isa.  xliv.  3." 

Certainly  that  man  must  quickly  grow  another  Enoch,  who  does  thus 
"walk  with  God." 


I" 

1  '■ 


p  i.if 


U    .( 


I   s 

It:'  i 


^1  1 


166 


MAGNALIA    CnRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Secondly^  He  was  one  that  lived  in  prayer.  He  was  oft  and  long  in  the 
"Mount  with  God:"  it  was  his  custom  every  day  to  "enter  into  hisulosct, 
and  shut  his  door,  and  pray  to  his  Father  in  secret."  And  I  guess,  I'lom 
some  of  his  writings,  that  he  did  thus  no  less  than  thrice  a  day,  when  ho 
met  with  no  obstruction  in  it:  nor  did  he  slubber  over  his  prnyens  wiili 
hasty  amputations,  but  wrestle  in  them  for  a  good  part  of  an  hour  togctlior. 

It  was  a  most  refreshing  communion  with  God,  which  his  devotions 
brought  him  sometimes  into.    Thus  in  one  of  his  diaries: 

In  the  margin  ha  "  Dec.  10. — 1  prayed  earnestly  unto  God,  earnestly  petitioning  thut  .Iphus 
wrote, 'rant^mber."  Christ  might  be  my  compleat  Redeemer.  There  was  imracdiatoly  sonictliiiig 
that  did  as  it  were  perswade  me  it  should  be  so." 

Again,  *' Aug.  19. — My  thoughts  were  some  little  while  busied  about  the  condescension 
of  Christ,  in  taking  of  humane  nature  on  him;  but  for  the  most  part  in  ejaculations,  and 
arts  of  faith  on  a  crucified  (ah!  sweet  word)  Jesus.  I  saw  I  gained  not  much  by  those: 
wherefore  I  addressed  myself  to  solemn  prayer,  and  had  some  assurance  in  it." 

Once  more, "Aug.  20. — I  was  much  affected  in  prayer,  and  exercised  (I  hope)  many  ai-ts 
of  faith,  and  love,  and  delight  in  God.  I  several  times  was  breaking  off,  but  I  was  as  it  were 
comlrairCi  to  go  on  in  the  duty  with  much  enlargement.  Lord,  answer  me  for  the  sake 
of  Christ." 

Thus  under  the  fig-tree  did  our  Lord  Jesus  often  behold  this  Nathanacl ; 
yea,  unto  prayer  he  became  so  habituated,  that  while  others  can  shop  in 
prayer,  he  sometimes  would  pray  in  s?ee^j.  He  records  it  among  his  expe- 
riences, that  upon  assaults  of  "imagined  temptations,"  when  he  ha.s  been 
asleep,  he  has  quickly  been  at  prayer;  and  so  caused  the  phantasms  to 
leave  annoying  him. 

And  extraordinary  prayer  was  also  with  him  not  altogether  extraordi- 
nary. Tho'  he  were  a  bottle  that  seemed  incapable  of  holding  it,  yet  this 
wine  agreed  with  him  very  well.  As  young  as  he  was,  he  knew  the  mys- 
tery of  a  soul  fatning  by  fasting,  and  thriving  by  "hungering  and  thirsting 
after  righteousness."  He  was  very  inquisitive  after  the  right  way  to  man- 
age a  day  of  fasr!ng  and  prayer,  and  he  would  sometimes  keep  such  a  day. 
On  such  a  day  it  was  his  custom  to  make  a  very  particular  and  penitent 
confession  of  all  the  sins  that  he  could  perceive  himself  guilty  of;  and 
renew  his  covenant  with  the  Holy  One  of  Israel ;  to  this  end,  he  had  by 
him  in  writing  a  large  catalogue  of  things  forbidden  and  required  in  the 
commandments  of  God,  which  was  the  glass  in  which  he  then  viewed  his 
v^ays;  and  having  found  what  Achans  might  procure  trouble  to  him,  he 
tnen  fell  to  stoning  of  them.  One  may  shape  some  conjecture  at  his 
humiliations,  by  the  indignation  with  which  he  spoke  and  wrote  of  the 
vanities  which  his  childhood  had : 

"I  came  into  the  world  [saith  he  in  one  of  the  papers  penn'd  by  him  on  a  day  of  secret 
fasting  and  praytr,  October  the  17th,  1685,]  without  the  im.nge  of  the  holy  God  on  my  soul; 
my  understanding,  my  will,  my  .nffections,  and  my  whole  soul  were  altogether  depraved,  and 
wounded.  When  very  young  I  went  astray  from  God,  and  my  mind  was  altngi-thcr  taken 
with  vanities  and  follies:  such  oa  the  remembrance  of  them  doth  greatly  abase  my  soul 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


167 


\*1thin  me.  Of  the  manifold  sins  which  then  I  was  guilty  of,  none  so  sticks  upon  inc,  iis 
that,  being  very  young,  I  was  whilling  on  the  Sabbiith-day ;  and  for  fear  of  being  scon,  I  did 
it  behind  the  door.  A  great  reproach  of  God!  a  specimen  of  that  atheism  that  I  brouglit 
into  the  world  with  mo!" 

Ilence  this  I  find  among  the  records  of  his  soul:  (This  was  more  than 
the  more  meagre  and  feeble  sort  of  Christians,  though  much  older  than  he, 
are  us'd  to  do.  But,  pauh  majora!  There  was  a  sublimer  way  of  "  draw- 
ing near  to  God,"  which  he  was  not  willing  to  leave  unattempted.  lie 
understood  that  secret  days  of  thanksgiving  had  not  been  unpractised  by 
some  whom  he  designed  to  imitate;  and  therefore  he  would  make  some 
essays  for  such  an  intimate  fruition  of  God,  and  generous  devotion  to  him, 
as  would  fill  such  days  as  these): 

"RcHoIved,  to  set  opnrt,  every  two  months,  a  day  for  solemn  examination  and  meditation, 
to  humble  myself;  and  every  two  months  to  keep  a  day  of  private  thanksgiving." 

But  though  his  prayers  were  chiefly  in,  yet  they  were  not  confined  to 
his  closet.  There  were  divers  private  praying  meetings  of  younger  people 
in  North-Boston,  which  he  visited  as  often  as  he  could ;  and  one  of  those 
might  peculiarly  be  called  his.  Yea,  it  was  his  desire,  though  with  as 
little  aim  "to  be  seen  of  men"  as  could  be,  to  support  all  such  opportuni- 
ties of  good  among  them,  that  were  of  the  same  age  with  him. 

Wherefore  I  find  this  among  the  notes  in  his  diary : 

"  quest.  What  shall  I  do  for  God  ? 

"  Ans.  It  was  suggested  to  me,  to  get  some  of  my  acquaintance  to  spend  some  while  every 
Friday  night  in  pniyer,  for  the  success  of  the  work  of  grace  in  New-Enghind,  especially  in 
Boston,  on  the  souls  of  the  rising-  generation.  Let  me  propound  this  to  some  serious,  devout 
young  persons." 

Thus  was  his  prayer  as  it  were  his  breath,  and  thus  he  was  always  fetch- 
ing of  it,  until*  at  last  it  expir'd  in  etornal  praise. 

Thirdly,  He  was  one  that  thought  much  of  his  God,  and  his  end. 
There  was  a  sort  of  heaven  formed  in  the  just  soul  of  this  young-man  by 
the  thoughts  that  were  continually  sparkling  there.  He  had  an  unpacifiable 
dissatisfaction  at  himself  until  good  thoughts  were  lodg'd  in  him,  and  vain 
ones  were  "forced  to  gnash  their  teeth  and  melt  away:"  nothing  would 
content  him  but  the  bringing  of  his  thoughts  "into  a  subjection  to  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Wherefore  he  chew'd  much  on  the  excellent  sermon 
of  Mr.  Charnock  about  thoughts;  which  he  wrote  out  not  only  with  his 
hand,  but  in  his  heart,  and  made  it  the  very  mould  of  his  gracious  mind. 
There  are  none,  but  very  reneid'd  souls,  that  are  at  great  pains  in  a  course 
of  meditation  on  the  things  of  God.  Yet  this  young-man,  like  another 
Isaac,  was  grown  very  eorpert  at  it,  and  frequent  in  it.  It  was  his  manner 
in  the  morning  to  meditate  very  seriously  and  fixedly  upon  some  truth, 
or  some  text,  for  a  good  part  of  an  hour  together.  He  had  collected  a 
good  variety  of  subjects  and  scriptures  to  handle,  in  thus  communing  with 


^M, 


! 


168 


MAbNALIA    0URI8TI    AMERICANA; 


himself,  and  went  over  more  than  a  little  divinity  in  this  transcendent 
exercise.  Sometimes,  when  thus  ho  "  separated  himself  to  intermeddle 
with  all  wisdom,"  I  find  him  committing  his  thoughts,  or  some  hrcviate  of 
them,  unto  the  durable  custody  of  his  papers ;  from  which  memoirs  I  will 
produce  but  an  instance  or  two  of  many: 

"August  16,  1686. — Med.  about,  the  reason  I  have  to  love  God;  because  of  what  he  has 
been  to  me,  and  what  ho  is  in  himself.  And  I  thought,  is  not  God  the  best  good?  Surely 
then  he  is  worthy  to  bo  my  last  end?  Hos  ho  not  been  shewing  many  men-ies  to  me?  ond, 
wlmt!  shall  I  not  give  up  myself  to  live  unto  God,  becouse  of  his  goodness  to  me?  Much 
affected  trith  the  thoughts  of  these  things:  and,  I  hope,  I  closed  with  the  motion." 

Again, » October  1. — I  meditated  on  that:  'if  a  man  docs  Intend  to  be  truly  religious,  he 
must  expect  nothing  but  to  save  his  soul.' — But  how  can  this  be  true  1  Must  I  lose  my  body 
altogether  ?  Must  1  bo  willing  that  the  union  between  my  body  and  soul  should  lor  ever- 
more bo  loosed?    Must  I  bo  willing  to  bo  for  ever  without  a  body .' — No,  no. 

"  All  that  the  liOrd  requires  of  me,  is,  to  have  my  body  for  a  few  days  or  years  (a  few,  I 
soy,  for  they  cannot  be  many)  to  be  wholly  ait  the  service  of  my  soid,  and  to  be  willing  that 
tlio  union  between  those  two  mates  then  should  be  dissolved ;  the  soul  first  taking  its  pro- 
gress  into  everlasting  bliss;  the  body  being  laid  in  the  dust,  to  rise  at  the  rcsurrcution, 
accompanying  the  soul  into  its  eternal  felicity. 

"My  pa'sent  notion  of  this  thing  is  this: 

"  This  dissolution  of  the  union  between  the  soul  and  body,  is  but  a  dismission  of  the  spirit 
into  its  happiness,  after  a  wearisom  conflict  here.  And  as  long  as  it  shall  be  best  for  mo  to 
bo  acre,  hero  I  shall  continue.  Infinite  Wisdom  is  to  be  the  orderer  of  this;  and  it  will  be  a 
grievous  and  shameful  reflection  thereupon,  for  me  to  say,  'it  will  be  better  for  me  to  live 
than  lo  dye,'  at  such  a  time  when  I  am  called  thereunto. 

"With  my  body  I  must  expect  to  lose  all  the  pleasant  enjoyments  of  this  world — liberty, 
library,  study  and  relations.  But  yet  neither  shall  I  lose  those.  As  for  my  liberty,  1)y  true 
religion,  and  by  dying  for  it  too,  when  need  requires,  I  shall  gain  the  only  liberty,  even  from 
the  body  of  sin. 

"As  for  my  library,  if  I  dye  for  Christ,  or  in  the  Lord,  I  shall  have  no  need  of  it.  My 
understanding  shall  be  enough  enlarged,  and  I  shall  not  need  to  turn  over  books  for  learning. 
As  for  my  study,  (my  Paradice),  I  shall  have  a  better,  a  larger,  and  a  more  compleat  than  this. 

"As  for  my  relations,  those  of  them  that  are  truly  pious,  I  shall  only  go  before  tliem;  and 
if  there  should  be  any  of  them  not  pious,  the  longer  I  should  stay  with  them  here  (if  they 
continue  impenitent)  it  would  but  make  my  grief  more  intolerable,  to  think,  when  I  leave 
them,  that  'I  shall  have  no  hopes  to  sec  them  agtxm  for  ever.' 

"But  this  is  not  all  neither. 'My  body  must  be  used  as  the  souts  instrument;  and  here 

all  that  strength  and  ease  which  I  have,  must  be  used  for  the  soul :  and  truly  there  is  reason 
enough  for  it,  that  so  there  may  be  eternal  happiness  for  both  together. 

"In  marriage,  the  husband  and  wife  should  have  the  same  design.  Would  it  not  be  inhu- 
man for  the  one  to  have  a  design  which  tends  to  the  ruine  of  the  other?  Just  so  my  soul 
and  body  should  have  the  same  design ;  and  the  body  being  the  more  vile  of  the  two,  should 
be  subordinate  to  the  soul.  And  it  is  a  necessary  disjunction,  either  the  body,  the  strength, 
and  c.nse,  and  members  of  it,  must  be  used  for  the  good  or  for  the  hurt  of  the  soul;  for  there 
is  no  medium  here. 

"Let  me  then  herein  make  my  body  useful  to  my  soul,  in  accomplishing  all  the  good  designs 
of  it,  which  it  is  capable  of  being  interested  in. 

"Nor  is  there  any  thing  else  worth  speaking  of,  that  must  be  foregone,  except  health,  nnd 
the  momentnneousncss  of  iili  bodily  torments,  will  make  them  very  tolerable. 

"My  Resolutions  be,  That  I  will  not  expect,  by  devoting  myself  unto  the  fear  of  God, 
to  gain  any  thing  as  to  my  body  in  this  world. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


160 


My 


•Thnt  through  the  grace  i  of  Christ,  I  will  use  the  strength,  on«o,  nnd  henlth  of  my  body, 
yen,  my  whole  body,  in  subordination  to  my  sou),  in  the  service  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

With  such  meditations  as  these,  he  kept  mellowing  of  his  own  soul,  and 
prcj)aring  it  for  the  state  wherein  faith  is  turned  into  sight. 

But  there  was  yet  a  more  delightful  and  surprizing  way  of  thinking, 
after  which  he  did  aspire.  He  considered  that  the  whole  creation  was  full 
of  God;  and  that  there  was  not  a  leaf  of  grass  in  the  field,  which  might 
not  make  an  observer  to  be  sensible  of  the  Lord.  He  apprehended  that 
the  idle  minutes  of  our  lives  were  many  more  than  a  short  liver  should 
allow:  that  the  very  filings  of  gold  and  o£  time  were  exceeding  precious; 
and  that  there  were  little  frngments  of  hours  intervening  between  our  more 
stated  business,  wherein  thoughts  of  God  might  be  no  less  pleasant  than 
frequent  with  us. 

The  elegant  and  excellent  meditations  of  Sir  WilUnm  Waller  had  par- 
ticularly affected  him  unto  a  commendable  emulation  of  them ;  and  henco 
he  did  attempt  to  make  even  the  more  common  and  more  trivial  occurrents 
of  humane  life  the  occasions  oi great  thoughts  within  him.  He  would,  with 
the  cher.iistry  of  occasional  reflection ^^^  distill  sublime  spirits  from  earthly  bodies; 
and  from  the  view  of  mean  things,  fill  his  nobly  employed  mind  with  lea- 
sons  and  prayers,  which  only  the  "  Father  of  spirits  "  was  a  witness  to. 

Some  of  these  his  occasional  reflections  I  find  in  his  private  papers ;  and 
of  one  or  two,  for  a  taste,  I  will  bespeak  the  reader's  acceptance: 

"Jan.  8,  A.  M. — Being  about  to  rise,  I  felt  the  cold  in  a  manner  extraordinary;  which 
iiiclin'd  me  to  seek  more  warmth  in  my  bed  before  I  rose;  but  so  extream  was  the  cold, 
tliiit  this  was  not  feasible:  wherefore  I  resolved  to  dress  myself  witliout  any  more  ado;  and 
so  going  to  the  fire  in  my  cloaths,  I  soon  became  warm  enough. 

"Turn  this,  O  my  soul!  into  an  useful  mediUition.  There  is  a  necessity  of  my  rmnsr  out 
of  my  bed,  the  bed  of  security  which  I  am  under  the  power  of,  and  to  Ih-e  unto  Christ,  and 
to  walk  in  the  light. 

"In  order  hereunto,  I  must  put  on  my  poor  soul  the  garments  which  are  to  be  h.id  from 
the  Lord  Jesus.  To  awaken  me  out  of  my  sleep  and  my  security,  I  am  to  set  before  me 
the  sun:  the  gospel  of  the  'sun  of  righteousness'  doth  enlighten  my  mind,  and  tell  me, 
that  I  was  before  muffled  up  in  darkness;  and  that  if  I  continued  therein,  I  should  starve  and 
perish.  I  am  also  taught,  that  when  men  are  convinced  of  their  miserable  condition,  they 
will  rather  evaoavour  to  ease,  and  comfort  and  cherish  themselves  by  somethinfj  in  them- 
selves, than  put  on  the  spiritual  garments  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  provided  for  them. 
An  evil  to  be  by  me  avoided." 

Again,  another  time: 

"Upon  water  taken  from  the  fire,  I  saw  a  lukewarmness  quickly  seize;  like  the  frame  of 
spirit  which  many  pretenders  to  religion  have  after  a  glorious  and  atrectionatc  jirqfcssion  of 
it.  Of  this  sort  were  some  among  the  Laodiccans  of  old;  which  is  exceedingly  displcn.sing 
to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ:  Whence  it  is  that  he  saith,  'I  will  spew  thee  out  of  my  mouth.' 
Let  me  endeavour  to  beware  of  this  hateful  and  odious  frame  of  spirit;  and  let  the  contrary 
thereto  be  my  desire — my  endeavour." 

Once  more: 


m 


'nm\ 

■  rll 

1 


170 


MA  ON  ALIA    CIIHISTI    AM  Kit  HAN  A; 


"Among  some  gcntl>>n  '<n  tluit  wt<ro  NiUing  In  a  room  illumlnittotl  witli  ii  cnndle,  one  liogin* 
ning  to  ri'iid  unto  uh,  c  :  ''  \v:im  nnutluT  enndlu  brought  unto  liim,  for  bin  niiitUtuncit  in  it. 
Whii-h  ntFordcd  mo  huiIi  u  nu'ditution  im  thiit: 

"That  th<mo  who  are  to  be  learhe^  .<  of  othora,  have  need  of  «ix  much  lif^hl  ngnin  as  ordinary 
Chrintiaiii  have.  Thoy,  if  any,  need  a  double  |tortion  of  the  gijh  tliat  are  in  otiior  men ;  and 
the  lielpit  of  knowledge  that  other  permnm  have,  they  mueh  more  ithould  be  furnished  witlnd. 

"It  wuM  not  beoauHo  they  had  brim  fyf$  than  liini  whone  olHce  it  was  to  read,  that  tliey 
needed  but  tme  eandle,  when  he  had  two  provided  for  him;  but  the  work  incumbent  on  him 
and  expected  from  him  wtui  the  occasion  of  It." 

But  I  design  little  more  tlmn  a  cotifinnnU'nn  with  nn  illmfraU'an  of  my 
history,  for  which  a  touch  or  two  upon  every  article  will  serve.  I  am 
now  to  add,  that  this  young  man  had  a  principal  regard  unto  the  Scrip- 
tures for  the  subjects  of  his  nu'ditationn,  and  he  was  very  expensive  of 
his  thoughts  on  the  ^*  liook  of  Ood^  lie  was  daily  digging  in  the  sacred 
mines,  and  with  delight  he  fetched  thence  riches  better  than  those  of  both 
the  Indias;  and  ho  eould  say,  "0  how  I  love  thy  lawl  it  is  my  medita- 
tion every  day !" 

Even  in  the  time  of  his  mortal  sickness,  he  was  very  angry  at  himself, 
if  he  had  not  heard  a  portion  of  the  Bible  read  unto  him  from  day  to  day. 

Once,  when  he  was  near  his  end,  a  got>d  part  of  a  day  having  pass'd 
before  he  had  enjoyed  his  mml  of  Scripture,  lie  said  unto  his  sister,  with 
some  impatience,  "Alas,  what  an  ungodly  life  do  1  lead!  Pray  come  and 
read  my  Bible  to  me;  and  read  mo  the  forty  ninth  IValin."  Indeed,  he 
read  the  Scripture  not  cnrsorili/f  but  very  deliberately  and  considerately; 
and  as  an  ett'ect  of  his  doing  so,  he  could  give  siich  an  account  of  the 
diffiailties  in  it,  as  the  most  not  only  of  Christians,  but  of  divines  too, 
would  judge  an  attainment  extraordinary.  Not  long  before  he  dyed,  he 
had  read  over  all  the  large  and  great  "Annotations"  on  the  Bible,  lately 
published  by  Mr.  Pool  and  sonie  other  Non-conformist  ministers;  but 
having  dispatched  those  two  noble  folio's,  he  said  unto  one  that  was  inti- 
mate with  him,  "Thus  have  I  read  the  Bible,  but  I  have  now  learnt  a 
better  way!"  And  that  way  was  this:  lie  would  oblige  himself  in  read- 
ing to  fetch  a  note  and  a  prayer  out  of  every  verse,  in  all  the  Bible;  to 
dwell  upon  every  verso  until  it  had  alVorded  at  least  one  observation  and 
one  ejaculation  to  him. 

He  imagined  that  an  incredible  deal,  both  of  truth  and  grace^  would  in 
this  way  make  its  impression  upon  his  mind  (besides  what  exercise  of  wit 
it  must  have  call'd  for)  and  so  most  certainly  it  would  have  done;  but 
before  he  had  made  much  progress  in  it,  the  "chariots  of  God"  fetcht  him 
away  to  that  place  in  which  Jesus  is  a  Bible  to  the  there  "perfect  spirits  " 
of  tlie  righteous. 

Such  a  thinking  person  was  he;  and  yet,  after  so  many  kind  of  thoughts 
in  the  day,  he  could  not  rest  a  night  quietly,  unless  ho  compos'd  himself 
for  sleeping  by  thinking  a  little  more. 

He  knew  that  no  better  a  man  than  one  of  the  moral  heathens  pro- 


OR,    Till!.    niblORY     or    HhW-ji.Mil. AM). 


171 


pounded  a  nocturnal  sclf-examinution,  as  apart  and  cause  of  no  little  wis- 
dom, nnd  that  much  more  a  sober  Christian  should  endeavour  to  nuiintuin 
a  good  understanding  of  himself,  by  such  nightly  recollections.  Where- 
fore, before  the  slumbers  of  the  evening,  this  young  man  would  put  "three 
general  questions"  to  himself,  with  divers  particular  ones  that  wore  sub- 
ordinate thereunto.    The  questions  were, 

"Question  1. — What  has  God's  mercy  to  mo  been  this  day?" 

Hero  he  considered  what  favours  God  had  newly  smil'd  upon  his  invmrd 
or  his  outward  man  withal. 

"Question  2. — Whnt  has  my  carriage  to  God  been  his  day?" 

Hero  he  considered  what  frames,  and  vords,  and  worhs,  and  what  snares 
and  sins  he  had  newly  been  concerned  with. 

"Question  3. — If  I  dye  this  night,  is  my  immortal  spirit  safe?" 

Of  this  he  judged  by  his  closure  with  God,  as  his  best  good  and  last 
end,  and  with  Christ  as  his  prophet,  and  his  priest,  and  his  king,  and  by 
his  resolution  always  to  bo  a  loilmss  for  the  Lord,  and  an  enemy  to  every 
sin:  Tho'  sometimes  he  would  with  a  more  large  and  long  attention  exam- 
ine his  own  hopes  of  eternal  happiness,  for  which  purpose  ho  had  in  writ- 
ing by  him  his  bundles  of  marks  and  signs  which  testific  a  man  to  bo  born 
of  God.  When  he  had  thought  on  these  things,  he  was  able  to  lay  "him- 
self down  in  peace  and  sleep;"  but  this  was  a  way  to  keep  a  soul  awake. 

I  begin  to  suspect  that  my  reader's  patience  is  almost  expir'd;  and  there- 
fore I  shall  cause  the  remainder  of  this  narrative  to  omit  where  I  cannot 
contract  what  is  yet  well  worthy  to  be  the  matter  of  it. 

Fourthly,  He  was  one  that  mortified  and  conquered  the  sins  which  were 
a  vexation  to  him.  There  were  some  sins  which  gave  to  this  young  man 
a  more  violent  and  outragious  disturbance  than  he  could  without  much 
passion  bear:  These  did  he  contrive  and  conflict  much  in  his  oppositions 
to,  and  gave  not  over  till  he  had  a  certain  prospect  of  a  victory. 

Of  all  the  things  which  ever  troubled  him,  I  know  not  whether  any 
were  more  grievous  than  the  "blasphemous  injections"  which,  like  fiery 
venomous  darts,  inflam'd  sometimes  his  very  soul  within  him. 

It  may  be  some  testimony  of  sincerity,  when  persons  are  not  a  little 
afflicted  for,  as  well  as  assaulted  with,  "blasphemous  imaginations"  about 
God;  which  rise  within  us  in  contradiction  to  all  that  reverence  of  him 
which  we  know  not  how  to  lay  aside. 

This  person  on  his  death-bed  complained  to  me,  that  Horrenda  de  Deo, 
[horrible  conceptions  of  God]  buzzing  about  his  mind,  had  been  one  of  the 
bitterest  of  all  his  trials;  and  I  find  his  private  papers  making  sad  lament- 
ations over  the  miseries  of  this  annoyance.  You  shall  read  how  he  did 
encounter  these  fiends,  as  one  that  was  no  stranger  to  the  "wars  of  the 
Lord."    Once  in  his  diary,  he  says: 


i', 


172 


UAUKALIA    CnKlbll    A  M.S,  AIO  A7«  A; 


"Troubled  exceedingly  with  blasphemous  suggestions,  my  soul  bleeds  at  the  thoughts 
of  them. 

"O  that  Christ  would  deliver  me  from  them!  they  make  my  life  unpleasant.  I  do  believe 
that  Sutan  never  struggled  so  hard  to  keep  any  one  from  Christ,  as  he  has  done  to  keep  me ! 

"From  hence  I  learn — 1,  My  great  enmity  to;  2,  My  great  need  of,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

At  another  time : 

"Troubled  with  blasphemous  thoughts,  1  learn  from  hence — 

"1,  Seeing  these  would  have  me  to  entertain  a  low  esteem  of  Christ  and  God,  I  will 
endeavour  to  have  a  more  high  and  eminent  esteem  of  God  and  Christ. 

"  2,  Seeing  these  do  so  perplex  me  continually,  I  learn  that  I  nm  unable  of  my  self  to  raise 
good  thoughts,  mueh  less  to  perform  good  acts  of  obedience.  I  would  be  deeply  humbled, 
that  my  soul  should  be  thus  defiled. 

"  Seeing,  I  have  often  so  much  experience  and  stirrings  of  enmity  in  my  soul  to  God,  I 
would  be  excited  thereby  more  heartily  to  cleave  unto  him." 

Once  more : 

"I  hope  I  have  now  got  strength  over  my  blasphemous  thoughts,  after  this  manner: 
"  1,  Humbling  myself  under  a  sense  of  my  own  vileness  and  wretchedness. 
"  2,  Praying  earnestly  for  the  removal  of  the  enmity  that  is  in  my  soul  to  the  things  of 
God ;  especially  as  to  this  matter." 

Thus  discreetly  did  lie  manage  the  "shield  of  faith"  again:;t  those  barbed 
arrows  of  hell :  Nor  did  his  other  corruptions  escape  the  offensive  as  well 
as  the  defensive  weapons  of  his  soul.  , 

Under  the  most  furious  of  their  assaults,  I  find  this  to  be  one  of  his 
honourable  retreat?.: 

"  For  the  relief  of  my  soul  under  the  power  of  corruption,  let  me  by  faith  apply  these 
scriptures:  First,  Rom.  vi.  14;  Secondly,  Ezek.  xxxvi.  26;  Thirdly,  Mic.  vii.  19;  Fourthly, 
Zee.  xiii.  1.  Besides  Zee.  ix.  12;  Mat  xvi.  18;  John  xii.  31;  and  Rom.  xvi.  20;  and  these 
considerations: 

"First,  Christ  is  a  compleat  Redeemer,  Heb.  vii.  26;  1  John  i.  7;  Heb.  ix.  14. 

"  Secondly,  God's  infinite  power  is  engaged  on  my  behalf,  if  I  be  in  covenant  witli  hin^. 

"  Thirdly,  God  will  perfect  holiness  where  he  hath  begun  it." 

In  such  engagements  as  these  against  his  "invisible  adversaries"  he 
continued,  until  he  is  now  a  "conqueror,  and  more  than  a  conqueror." 

Fifthly,  He  was  one  that  wisely  prepared  for  the  changes  that'  were 
before  him.  It  is  a  remark  in  one  of  his  papers:  "I  think  it  convenient 
for  me  to  observe  the  temptations  I  am  or  shall  be  obnoxious  unto,  and 
get  suitable  remedies  against  them." 

He  seem'd  indeed  to  have  a  strange  presage  of  what  he  was  to  meet 
withal,  and  O  how  he  laid  in  that  he  might  not  be  unprovided  for  it !  a 
prudence  rarely  seen  among  the  children  of  men,  whose  misery  is  great 
upon  them  because  they  "know  not  their  time." 

There  were  especially  two  calamities  which  he  had  a  fore-boding  of, 
dismal  pain  and  efirly  deatli.  As  for  his  pain,  he  was  it  seems  to  undergo 
exquisite  anguishes  for  many  months  before  his  dissolution;  but  before 
ever  it  came  upon  him,  how  strangely  did  he  fortifie  himself  against  it! 
He  said  in  his  diary,  some  years  before  he  left  the  world — 


I 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


178 


"  Sept.  2. — I  hod  not  in  the  morning  time  enough  for  solemn  meditation :  Great  dendness 
and  dulness  was  in  my  heart,  as  to  spiritual  thoughts  afterwards;  the  reason  was,  because  I 
did  not  perform  ray  solemn  mediUition  as  I  should. 

"  I  hnd  now  apprehensions  tliat  I  must  undergo  sore  try.ils  and  conflicts,  and  great  afflictions. 

"Wherefore  it  highly  become  me  to  get  as  great  a  measure  of  grace  as  the  opportunities 
which  I  enjoy  may  afford,  and  therefore  I  purpose  to  be  more  serious  in  my  meditations,  not 
omitting  other  duties  therewithal. 

"I  see  my  resolutions  must  every  day  bo  renewed,  as  to  great  diligence  in  my  serving  God. 

"And  since  I  must  expect  great  afflictions,  I  must  make  it  my  daily  work  by  solemn  medi- 
tation to  go  over  the  whole  body  of  Christianity,  and  particularly  to  have  daily  thoughts  on 
the  condescension  of  Jesus  Christ:  I  must  also  endeavour  to  get  a  large  measure  of  stinctified 
knowledge;  wherefore, — First,  There  is  need  of  earnest  prayer;  and  Secondly,  Of  very  lioly 
walking.  Thirdly,  Of  entertaining  the  truth  with  greatest  affection ;  and  Fourthly,  Looking 
on  it  'as  it  is  in  Jesus;'  and  Fifthly,  Solemn  meditation;  and  Sixthly,  Much  reading;  and 
Seventhly,  Living  upon  the  truths  which  I  know,  and  thankfulness  for  the  knowledge  which 
I  have  already." 

And  at  another  time  there  was  this  written  in  his  diary: 

"This  morning  I  meditated  about  a  part  of  self-denial;  namely,  the  denial  of  bodily  health, 
and  of  ease  from  torment. 

"My  resolution  was,  that  it  was  better  to  part  herewithal,  than  to  sin.  I  hope  there  is  a 
thorough  purpose  in  my  heart  to  perform  accordingly,  when  I  shall  be  call'd  thereunto. 

"I  do  feel  the  stirrings  of  self  in  my  self  this  day:  It  would  fain  be  in  the  throne  of  God 
within  me ;  but  I  am  resolved  Christ  shall  be  my  King." 

And  as  he  thus  "put  on  the  whole  armour  of  God,"  that  he  might  be 
able  to  stand  when  he  should  be  tryed,  so  he  found  the  benefit  of  it  when 
he  came  into  the  field.  Few  in  the  world  ever  bore  such  dolours  with 
such  a  silent  and  a  quiet  and  composed  temper  as  he.  Some  that  were 
intimate  with  him,  would  say,  "He  was  one  of  an  iron  patience,"  and 
"they  had  rarely  if  ever  seen  such  a  patient  patient.''^  But  his  death  he 
seem'd  all  along  most  careful  to  be  ready  for. 

IN   HIS   PAPERS, 

Meditations  on  the  four  last  things,  was  a  title  mentioning  a  subject  of  his 
most  solicitous  contemplations.  Above  three  years  before  his  translation, 
his  diary  hath  such  a  note  as  this : 

"Speaking  to  day  something  concerning  my  'commencement,'  I  was  in  the  mnmin  he  wrote, 
strangely  surprized,  and  had  many  thoughts,  yea,  perswasions,  that  I  deceived. 

should  not  live  till  then. 

"  Refl.  Wiiat  may  be  the  import  hereof  I  cannot  tell ;  yet  I  gather  thus  much :  That  it  is 
incumbent  on  me,  without  further  delay,  to  make  my  calling  and  election  sure." 

lie  hath  also  left  behind  him,  "some  meditations  tending  to  the  exer- 
cise of  repentance,  and  fiiith,  and  preparation  for  death,"  as  he  hath  him- 
self intitlcd  them;  but  the  reader  by  this  time  will  easily  pardon  my 
forbearing  the  communication  of  them. 

Indeed,  "  i)rcparation  for  death,"  in  one  word,  contains  the  substance  of 
what  he  had  been  doing  divers  years  before  the  king  of  terrors  took  his 
day  house  away. 


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MAQNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


And  as  be  was  desirous  to  prepare  for  what  passive  obedience  he  might  be 
put  upon,  so  he  was  loath  to  have  his  heart  not  well  ordered  or  furnished, 
when  active  obedience  might  be  called  for  at  his  hands.  Tho'  he  never  liv'd 
to  preach  any  other  than  some  private  sermons,  yet  he  was  not  unthoughtful 
of  the  time  when  publick  ones  might  be  expected  from  him.  It  may  not  be 
unuseful  for  me  to  insert  one  of  his  meditations  here;  it  runs  in  such  terms 
as  these: 

"1  WHETHER   I   SHOULD   BE   A   MINISTER? 

"I  considered  nil  objections  which  persons  might  make  against  it,  and  answered  them 
every  one.  But  one  objection  startled  me  more  than  the  rest,  to  wit,  personal  unfitness, 
from  my  hebetude,  or  want  of  invention.  To  which  I  answer'd,  with  minding  that  promise 
in  Exod.  iii.  12, 'Certninly  I  will  be  with  thee.'  And  the  beginning  of  ver.  18,  'They  shall 
hearken  to  thy  voice.'  And  whore  God  finds  worlc,  there  he  will  give  strength.  I  likewise 
considered  1  Chron.  xxviii.  10.  20,  and  Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20,  and  Josh.  i.  9,  and  Judg  vi.  12. 14. 

"And  then  I  thought  with  myself  that,  as  for  'living  in  a  remote  part  of  the  country,'  I 
should  bv;  willing  thereunto,  if  so  I  might  do  service  for  God,  and  bring  glory  to  his  name. 
And  whilst  I  was  musing  on  these  things,  I  was  melted  into  a  frame  that  I  thought  heretofore 
I  should  never  bo  in;  namely, 'humble  submission  to  the  good  pleasure  of  God,  however  he 
should  dispose  of  me.'  I  knew  that,  though  I  were  reproached  for  what  meanness  I  should 
this  way  be  exposed  unto,  there  is  an  answer  in  Rom.  i.  16,  and  in  Mark  viii.  38,  and  in 
Psal.  xxxi.  19,  and  in  Prov.  xvi.  7,  and  in  Psal.  xxxvii.  6, 6.  So  we  the  Apostles,  1  Cor.  iv.  3. 
9.    If  I  serve  Christ,  God  will  honour  me — John  xii.  26." 

Every  one  must  own  that,  however  such  things  as  these,  in  an  old  man, 
may  be  below  our  admiration;  yet,  in  a  young  man,  that  out-lived  not  the 
years  which  the  nodes  of  the  moon  take  to  dispatch  a  revolution,  they 
deserve  a  memory  among  them  that  ma}^  be  cditied  by  such  exemplary 
practices.  Indeed,  he  was  himself  extreamly  unsensible  of  the  lea.st  tcorth 
or  shine  adorning  of  him;  and  in  his  whole  deportment  he  discovered  a 
modest,  an  humble,  and  a  reserved  mien;  which  might  be  reck'ned  to 
bear  little  proportion  with  his  other  accomplishments,  were  it  not  that  the 
more  tjracioKs  men  are,  the  more  humble  they  always  are;  and  they  are 
the  Jhlkfit  and  riv/icst  ears  of  corn,  which  most  hang  down  towards  the 
ground.  But  while  he  in  a  .sort  wronged  himself,  to  escape  the  bane  and 
blame  of  pride;  it  is  a  piece  of  pure  justice  in  the  .survivers,  to  embalm 
the  name  of  a  person  thus  desirable,  since  he  is  gone  thither  where  he  has 
no  chaff  to  take  fire  at  the  sparks  of  our  praises. 

Sic  oculos,  sic  ille  manus,  sir  ora  fe.rehat?* 

Such  a  young  man  as  this  it  is,  that  the  church  of  God  is  now  deprived 
of!  What  a  blessing  might  his  living  have  proved  unto  the  world!  But 
as  the  long-liv'd  patriarchs,  before  the  flood,  have  still  that  clause  intro- 
duced of  them,  "and  he  dyed;"  which  clause  awakened  and  converted  a 
person  of  quality,  who  came  in  occasionally  while  the  minister  was  read- 
ing the  fifth  chapter  of  Genesis  to  the  congregation;  so  I  must  now  s:iy  of 
the  short-liv'd  person  whom  we  have  been  paying  our  last  respect  unto, 
he  lived  thus  long  in  a  little  time,  "and  he  dyed." 

*  Such  wan  hia  gliuice,  his  gcsluri',  uiul  \\\i  mien. 


i 


M 


OB,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND.  175 

Before  I  break  off,  I  must  relate, 

III. —  HIS  DEATH. 

Too  soon  and  too  sad  a  thing  for  me  to  mention  without  sighing,  "  Ah, 
my  brother  I"  in  my  lamentation  over  it.  He  had  contracted  an  universal 
ill  habit  of  body;  which  was  attended  with  a  particular  generation  of  ill 
humours,  where  the  os  ikon  and  os  sacrum  joyn ;  from  whence  it  fell  into 
his  thigh,  until  there  was  a  very  large  collection  of  it  there. 

There  was  an  incision,  with  mature  advice,  made  into  the  tumour,  about 
a  month  before  his  expiration,  which  gave  good  hopes  of  his  recovery  into 
a  capacity  of  serving  the  church  of  God ;  but  the  circulation,  which  was 
now  given  unto  the  putrid  juices  which  his  blood,  through  his  continual 
and  sedentary  studies,  had  been  annoyed  withal,  soon  enkindled  a  fever, 
which  burnt  asunder  the  thread  of  this  pious  life. 

One  might  suppose  that  such  a  "walk  with  God"  as  the  reader  has 
newly  had  pourlrayed  before  him,  should  end  in  raptures  and  extasies  of 
assurance;  but  I  am  Lo  tell  him,  that  this  young  person  had  them  not. 
And  there  wanted  not  reason  for  it;  for  his  natural  distemper  disposed 
him  to  what  is  contrary  to  joy;  but  his  deep  humility  had  a  greater  share 
in  the  jealousies  and  suspicions  which  he  would  still  cherish  of  himself  He 
was  indeed  so  afraid  of  being  an  hypocrite,  that  he  would  scarce  allow 
himself  to  be  called  a  Christian,  and  he  did  not  care  so  much  as  to  tell  any 
of  his  own  experiences^  no,  nor  his  inclinations,  unless  to  one  or  two  divines, 
who  kindly  refreshed  him  with  their  daily  visits ;  and  with  them  too  he 
would  uphold  his  discourse  only  in  Latin,  if  any  one  else  were  by. 

Never  did  I  see  more  caution  against  hypocrisie,  than  what  was  in  him: 
and  a  certain  self-abhorrence  accompanying  of  it,  caused  to  proceed  from 
hira  no  oyprcssions  but  those  of  an  abased  soul.  When  his  brother,  hav- 
ing recii'M  1  the  terms  of  the  gospel  to  him,  with  a  design  to  obtain  for  him 
a  rencwrJ  of  his  explicit  consent  thereunto,  asked  him,  "Whether  he  did 
not  judge  himself  sincere  in  that  consent?"  he  only  replied,  "I  should 
think  so,  if  it  were  not  for  the  seventeenth  of  Jeremiah,  and  the  ninth." 

He  was  dejected,  yet  not  despairinj;  and  he  discovered  a  wonderfully 
.gracious,  when  he  had  not  a  joyful  frame.  He  was  well  made  up  of  long- 
ings and  breathings  after  all  the  "fullness  of  God,"  when  he  could  not  or 
v.ould  not  pretend  unto  any  confidence  of  his  acceptance  with  the  Lord. 

In  the  time  of  his  health,  he  had  not  been  without  the  comfortable  per- 
swai^'ons  for  which  he  "follow'd  hard  after  God,"  In  one  place,  I  find 
him  saying  (on  such  a  day)  "I  had  fear  lest  I  should  not  lovG  the  blessed 
God,  but  yet  I  was  sure  I  desired  to  keep  his  commandments."  An- 
other time  so:  "For  three  quarters  an  hour,  I  pleaded  earnestly  for 
assurance  of  the  love  of  God  unto  me,  and  I  said,  'As  many  as  received 
Christ  Jesus,  to  them  ho  gave  power  to  become  the  sons  of  God;'  and 
I  did  receive  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  free  gift  of  God,  and  received  liim  to 


■'(jf 


!■•;•.  I  ■ 


'■nm 


^m 


\i: 


176 


MAGNALIA    CEBlSTI    AMERICANA; 


III 


■,il.i  ;  I 


, 


save  mo  on  his  own  terms:  I  chose  him  to  be  my  priest,  and  prophet,  and 
king.  Now  I  begg'd  of  him  that  he  would  manifest  his  acceptance  of  rne, 
and  give  me  the  spirit  of  adoption :  I  had  then,  I  hope,  some  assurance." 
But  when  sickness  came,  he  was  loth  to  own  a  clear  title  to  the  rest  of  God: 
Yet  before  he  died,  he  suffered  some  sober  intimations  of  his  hopes  to  fall 
from  him.  There  was  a  good  man  in  this  land,  whose  last  words  yet  were, 
"  It  had  been  good  for  me  that  I  had  never  been  born."  The  words  of  this 
humble,  self-loathing  young  man  were  of  another  strain.  In  the  last  night 
that  we  had  him  with  us,  he  would  have  his  watcher  to  read,  "the  song 
of  Simeon,"  unto  him,  "Nowlettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace:" 
and  in  the  morning  after,  he  said,  "I  have  now  been  with  Jesus  Christ!" 
which,  from  such  a  little  speaker  as  he,  we  could  not  have  his  explication  of. 

In  one  of  his  last  minutes,  a  faithful  minister  said  unto  him,  "  Find  yoi-, 
not  comfort  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ:"  To  which  he  made  only  this  discreet 
and  humble  answer:  "I  endeavour  to  those  things  which  will  issue  in  con> 
fort;"  and  then  he  quickly  surrendered  up  his  redeemed  and  renewed  soul 
unto  him  who  had  "  loved  him,  and  washed  a-vay  his  sins  in  his  own  blood." 

Thus  he  went  away  to  the  heavenly  society ,  where  he  is  beholding  the 
"face  of  God  in  righteousness,"  and  solacing  iiimself  in  the  company  not 
only  of  his  blessed  grandfathers  and  uncles,  and  all  the  "spirits  of  the 
just,"  but  of  the  amiable  Jesus  himself,  which  is  by  "far  the  best  of  all." 
His  tears  are  all  dried  up,  his  fears  vanished  away,  and  his  hopes  more 
than  answered  in  "joys  unspeakable  and  full  of  glory." 

His  older  brother  having  thus  written  of  him,  now  satisfies  himself  in 
the  duty  therein  done  to  God  and  man;  and  would  keep  ivaiting  for  his 
own  change,  until  thy  free  grace,  O  my  God,  shall  give  unto  the  most 
miserable  sinner  in  the  world  an  admission  into  Emmanuel's  land. 

Cotton  Mather. 

One  that  had  an  acquaintance  witli  him,  did  him  the  justice  of  weeping 
over  his  grave  such  an  epitaph  as  this: 

His  rare  devotion,  such  now  Been, 
A  sign  of  ninety  nt  nineteen. 

Years  but  in  l)looni,  grace  nt  full  Rrowlh, 
Anj^cls,  you  l<iuiw  mid  think  his  worth. 
Thus  timp,  youth's  Kliias,  turn'd  ere  'twas  run. 
And  ages  too,  l)«foro  begun. 


Inclo!>cd  in  this  !>nblc  chest, 

Tlie  host  once  of  nn  heavenly  guest, 

Here  lies  upright  Nathunnel, 

True  off-spring  of  (Jod's  Israel. 

nini  (/(•«(/,  how  term  we,  from  his  birth. 

Who  lii'd  in  heaven  whilst  on  earth  ? 

nis  hiatl  had  learning's  magazine, 

Ills  lirnrl  the  altar  whence  divine 

Whole  hecatombs,  which  love  hud  flr'd 

Of  liiKh  prairte,  and  warm  prny'r  aspir'd: 

His  life,  the  decalogue  unfolded  ; 

A  meut-off'ring,  his  speech  well  moulded; 


Rest,  glorious  dust,  and  let  thy  perfum'd  name 
Sound  in  the  trumpets  of  immortal  fume. 
Tor  Iho'  Timu':4  leelh  Muusolasun  monuments  deface, 
They'll  never  gnaw  thy  name  which  with  the  pinrs  has 
place.  Posuit,  B.  Ii.< 


Unto  which  we  will  add  anoti.^r,  borrowed  from  another: 

Siceine,  Nathaiiael,  prospcras  ad  calica  7     Meiitcs  Ccclestrs  tractat  non  bene  Term  :  sapisi 

FINIS. 
»  Contribute,!  by  R.  II. 
t  Do  you  thus  hui?ten,  Nathnnael,  to  your  heavenly  rest?    Eiirth  111  accords  with  heavenly  minds:  you  do  wisely. 


TH 


HISTOB 


JVon  debei 
lei  id  quod 

[We  ougl 
but  only  su( 
tion.— A.  Si 


ACTS    AND    MONUMENTS 


THE  FIFTH  BOOK 


OF 


THE  NEW-ENGLISH  HISTORY: 


IN   FOUR  PARTS. 


COK'     ININO 


€\it  /aitlr  fltti  tjif  (Drhr  in  i^  CjiurtjiES  nf  SEni-(0nglnnit, 

AGREED  BY  THE  ELDERS  AND  MESSENGERS  OF  THE  CHURCHES, 

ASSEMBLED   IN    SYNODS. 


WITH 


HISTORICAL  REMARKS  UPON  ALL  THOSE  VENERABLE  ASSEMBLIES, 


ANt 


A  GREAT  VARIETY   OF   OTHER   CHURCH   CASES, 

0CCT7BRIKa   AND    BESOLVXO    IH   TBI3S    AUSRICAN    CHUBCSSS. 


AUREA  PERPETVA   SEMPER  DIOJVISSIMA   riTA. 

[a  WORTKT  MFK,  with  KNDLKaS  OLORY  CROWNCD.] 


COMPILED     BT    COTTON     MATHER. 


Von  debemu$  no$  di  Regimine  Eccltiia  quieguam  asaerere,  quod  tx  Humania  Rationibus  videretur  aaserendutH^ 
led  id  quod  ipto  facLo  tat  a  Chriato  Inatiiutum,  et  in  Eccieaia  ab  Ipaiua  Fundatione  observatum. 

A.  Sfalatkmsis,  du  R.  pub.  Eccles. 

[We  ought  not  to  assert  in  matters  of  Church  Government  every  thing  which  mere  human  reason  would  dictate, 
l>ut  only  such  observances  as  were  instituted  by  Christ  himself,  and  practised  in  the  church  fVum  its  very  founda- 
tion,—A,  SPALATtMsia  en  the  Chriatiau  Commonaealth.] 


HARTFORD: 

SILAS    ANDRUS    &    SON. 
1853. 


iV 


13 


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THE    FIFTH    BOOK 


SYNODICON  AMEEICANUM.* 


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THE  FIRST  PART. 


TUE  FAITH  PROFESSED  BT  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND. 


Periculotum  nobis  ac  miserabile  eal,  tot  fidet  exlatere  quot  voluntatet,  tt  tot 
nobU  doctrinat  ease  quot  mores. — HiLAR.t 

§  1.  It  was  once  an  unrighteous  and  injurious  aspersion  cast  upon  the 
churches  of  New-England,  that  "the  world  knew  not  their  jirinciples :" 
whereas  they  took  all  the  occasions  imaginable  to  make  all  the  world  know, 
"that  in  the  doctrinal  part  of  religion,  they  have  agreed  entirely  with  the 
reformed  churches  of  Europe:"  and  that  they  desired  most  particularly  to 
maintain  the  faith  professed  by  the  churches  of  Old  England,  the  country 
whereto  was  owing  their  original.  Few  pastors  of  mankind  ever  took 
such  pains  at  catechising,  as  have  been  taken  by  our  New-English  divines. 
Now,  let  any  man  living  read  the  most  judicious  and  elaborate  catechisms 
published,  a  lesser  and  a  larger  by  Mr.  Norton,  a  lesser  and  a  larger  by 
Mr.  Mather,  several  by  Mr.  Cotton,  one  by  Mr.  Davenport,  one  by  Mr. 
Stone,  one  by  Mr.  Norris,  one  by  Mr.  Noyes,  one  by  Mr.  Fisk,  several  by 
Mr.  Eliot,  one  by  Mr.  Sea-born  Cotton,  a  large  one  by  Mr.  Fitch ;  and  say, 
whether  true  divinity  were  ever  better  handled ;  or  whether  they  were  not 
the  truest  sons  of  the  church  of  England,  who  thus  maintained  its  "fun- 
damental articles,"  which  are  so  many  of  them  first  subscribed,  and  then 
dcnyed  and  confuted  by  some  that  would  monopolize  that  name  unto  them- 
selves: but  as  a  further  demonstration  thereof,  when  there  was  a  synod 
assembled  at  Cambridge,  September  30,  1648,  even  that  synod  which 
framed,  agreed  and  published,  "the  Platform  of  Church-discipline,"  there 
was  a  most  unanimous  vote  passed  in  these  words: 

'This  synod  h.aving  perused  nnd  considered  (with  much  gladncjs  of  heart  and  thankful- 
ness to  God)  the  'confession  of  faith,'  published  by  the  late  reverend  ■  sembly  in  England, 
do  judge  it  to  bo  very  holy,  orthodox  and  judicious,  in  all  matters  of  laith,  and  do  therefore 
freely  and  fully  consent  thereunto  for  tiie  substance  thereof.    Only  in  those  things  which 

*  The  American  Church  Manual. 

I  U  is  a  pprilDUB  nnd  deplorable  thint[,  that  there  should  exist  among  us  as  many  creeds  as  wills,  and  as  many 
diversitius  uf  ductrine  as  uf  character— Hilary. 


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MAONALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


have  rcHpcct  to  church-frnvernment  and  discipline,  wo  refer  ourselves  to  the  •Platform  of 
Chureh-diseipline,'  agreed  upon  by  this  present  nasoinbly :  and  we  do  thoreforo  think  it  mett, 
that  this  euiifi'Msion  of  faith  should  bo  commended  to  the  churches  of  Christ  among  us, 
and  to  the  honoured  court,  us  wortliy  of  their  duo  consideration  and  acceptance." 

This  vote  was  passed  by  the  ministers  and  messengers  of  the  churches, 
in  that  venerable  assembly,  when  the  government  recommended  unto  their 
consideration,  "a  confession  of  faith,"  as  one  thing,  which  the  transmarine 
churches  expected  from  them.  And  they  hoped  that  this  proof  of  them 
being  "fellow  heirs  of  the  same  common  salvation"  with  the  churches 
beyond  sea,  would  not  only  free  them  from  the  suspicion  of  heresie.  but 
clear  them  from  the  character  of  schism  also;  in  as  much  as  their  dis- 
sent from  those  churches,  was  now  evidently  but  in  some  lesser  niattcrs 
of  ecclesiastical  polity ;  and  a  dissent  not  managed  either  with  such  arro- 
gancy  or  censoriousness  as  are  the  essential  properties  of  schismaticks. 

§  2.  As  to  make  "a  confesion  of  fiiith,"  is  a  duty  wherein  all  Christians 
are  to  be  made  confessors,  and  multitudes  of  'em  have  been  made  in(iri;/r,s; 
thus  to  urile  "a  confession  of  flxith,"  is  a  work  which  i\\G  fa i(/ij)i I  in  all 
ages  have  approved  and  practised,  as  most  singularly  |)rofitable.  The  con- 
fessions thus  emitted  by  such  worthies  as  Irenajus  and  Athanasius  formerly, 
and  Beza,  as  well  as  others  more  lately,  have  been  of  signal  advantage  to 
the  church  of  God:  but  when  many  churches  do  join  together  in  such 
confessions,  the  testimony  born  to  the  truth  of  God,  is  yet  more  glorious 
and  effectual.  How  remarkably  the  confessions  of  the  four  gencrnl  coun- 
cils were  owned  for  the  suppression  of  the  heresies  then  spawned,  is  well 
known  to  all  that  have  set  foot  but  as  far  as  the  threshold  of  ehureh-liis- 
tory;  and  surely  the  fabulous  musick  of  the  sjyfieres  cannot  be  supposed 
more  delicious  than  that  harmony  which  is  to  be  seen  in  the  confessions 
of  the  reformed  churches,  that  have  therefore  been  together  published. 
Wherefore,  besides  the  vote  of  the  New-England  churches,  for  a  concur- 
rence with  the  confession  of  faith  made  by  the  assembly  at  Westminster, 
a  synod  assembled  at  Boston,  May  12,  1680,  whereof  Mr.  Increase  Mather 
was  moderator,  consulted  and  considered  what  was  further  to  be  done  for 
such  a  confession.  Accordingly,  the  confession  of  faith  consented  by  the 
congregational  churches  of  England  in  a  synod  met  at  the  Savoy,  which, 
excepting  a  few  variations,  was  the  same  with  what  was  agreed  by  the 
reverend  assembly  at  Westminster,  and  afterwards  by  the  general  assembly 
of  Scotland ;  was  twice  publickly  read,  examined  and  approved ;  and  some 
small  variations  made  from  th"*  f  the  Savoy,  in  compliance  with  that  at 
"Westminster;  and  so,  after  sii  .oUations,  but  no  contentions,  voted  aiul 
printed,  as  the  faith  of  New-England,  But  they  chose  to  express  them- 
selves in  the  words  of  those  assemblies;  "that  so"  (as  they  speak  in  their 
preflice)  "we  might  not  only  with  one  heart,  but  with  one  mouth,  glorifio 
God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

§  3.  It  is  true,  that  particular  churches  in  the  country  have  had  their 


man ; 


I  vi 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


181 


"confessions"  by  themselves  drawn  up  in  their  own  form;  nor  indeed  were 
the  symbols  in  the  most  primitive  times  always  delivered  in  ipsissbms 
verbis.^  It  is  also  true,  that  few  learned  men  have  been  admitted  as  mem- 
bers of  our  churches,  but  what  have,  at  their  admissions,  entertained  them 
with  notable  confessions  of  their  own  composing;  insomuch,  that  if  the 
protestants  have  been  by  the  papists  call'd  "confessionists,"  the  protestanta 
of  New-England  have,  of  all,  given  the  moat  laudable  occasion  to  be  called 
so.  Nevertheless,  all  this  variety  has  been  the  exactest  unity;  all  those 
confessions  have  been  but  so  many  derivations  from,  and  explications 
and  confirmations  of,  that  confession  which  the  synods  had  voted  for  them 
all;  for,  xit  plures  rivuli,  ah  uno /ante,  ita  jilures  fidei  confessiones  ah  una 
cademque  fidei  veritate,  vianare  ^>os,vii?i^.f  Now  that  good  confiission  remains 
to  bo  exhibited. 

Reader,  'tis  a  memorable  passage  that  is  related  by  Ruffinus  in  his  eccle- 
Biastical  history,  that  a  pagan  philosopher,  in  a  publick  disputation,  evaded 
and  rojcctod  the  most  powerful  arguments  for  Christianity,  brought  bv 
the  most  learned  Cliristians  in  the  assembly:  until  an  honest  elder  of  one 
of  the  churches,  but  of  abilities  which  were  so  much  inferior  to  the  rest, 
that  the  rest  were  afraid  and  sorry  to  see  his  undertaking,  did  undertake 
to  silence  him.  This  honest  man  after  this  manner  addressed  the  adver- 
sary: "In  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  require  you  to  hear  the 
truth:  there  is  but  one  God,  who  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth,  and 
hath  formed  man  of  the  dust  thereof,  with  an  immortal  soul  inspired  into 
him:  he,  by  his  word  and  power  brought  forth  this  whole  creation,  and 
sanctifies  us  by  his  Holy  Spirit:  and  he,  v/ho  is  the  word,  whom  we  own 
to  bo  the  Son  of  God,  taking  compassion  on  fallen  man,  hath  become  a 
man:  he  was  born  of  a  virgin,  and  by  suffering,  even  to  death,  for  us,  he 
hath  delivered  us  from  eternal  death,  and  by  his  resurrection  he  hath  made 
sure  of  life  eternal  for  us.  llim  we  look  for  again  to  be  the  Judge  of  the 
world:  believest  thou  this,  0  philosopher?"  The  man  found  himself  thun- 
der-struck into  a  more  than  ordinary  consternation  at  this  discourse,  and 
cry,d  ont,  "I  believe  it,  I  confess  it!"  Whereupon  the  holy  man  said, 
"Then  follow  me,  and  be  baptised."  He  did  so,  and  unto  his  party  then 
present  he  said,  "  While  I  had  to  do  with  the  words  of  men,  I  could  oppose 
^Yords  unto  them ;  but  when  I  felt  a  power  from  God,  I  could  not  resist  it. 
I  find  that  man  cannot  opjiose  himself  to  God." 

Our  ecclesiastical  history  shall  now  give  a  plain  and  pure  confession  of 
our  faith.  May  the  reader  now  find  an  irresistible  power  of  God,  and  of 
grace  irradiating  his  mind,  with  all  satisfaction  in  it.  'Tis  composed  of 
things,  which,  as  Chrysostom  speaks,  twv  nXiavwv  axTjvwv  qjavspwrspa — "clearer 
than  the  beams  of  the  sun." 

•  In  Ihe  precise  wonls. 

t  Aa  suvuriil  alrouma  can  iseuo  from  a  single  fountain,  so  several  articles  of  faith  can  bo  diuwn  from  one  and 
tlie  sumo  true  faith. 


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182 


MAONALIA    CUKISTl    AMERICANA; 


A    CONFESSION    OF    FAITH; 

OWNED  AND  CONSENTED  TO   BY  THE  ELDERS   AND   MESSENGERS  OP  THE  CHURCHES, 
AS8EM»:<UD  AT   BOSTON  IN  NEW-ENGLAND,    MAY   13,    1680. 
•  BEING  THE  SECOND  SESSION  OF  THAT  SYNOD. 

5 

OHAPTER  I. 
OF    THE    HOL\    9CRIFTURES. 

I.  ALTiioroii  the  light  of  nature  and  the  worlc3  of  creation  and  provi- 
dence  do  so  far  manifest  the  goo(hiess,  wi.sdom  and  power  of  God,  as  to 
leave  men  inexcusable;  yet  are  they  not  sufficient  to  give  that  knowledge 
of  God  and  of  his  will,  which  is  necessary  unto  salvation:  therefore  it 
pleased  the  Lord,  at  sundry  times,  and  in  divers  manners,  to  reveal  him- 
self, and  to  declare  that  his  will  unto  his  church;  and  afterwards  for  the 
better  preserving  and  propagating  of  the  truth,  and  for  the  more  sure 
establishment  and  comfort  of  the  church  against  the  corruption  of  the  flesh, 
and  the  malice  of  Satan  and  of  the  world,  to  commit  the  same  wholly  to 
writing:  which  maket':  the  Holy  Scripture  to  be  most  necessary;  those 
former  ways  of  God's  revealing  his  will  unto  his  people  being  now  ceased. 

II.  Under  the  name  of  Uoly  Scripture,  or  the  Word  of  God  written, 
are  now  contained  all  the  books  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments,  which 
are  these: 


OF    TTIK    OLD    TKSTAMKNT. 


Genesis,  Exodus,  Leviticus,  Numbers,  Deuteronomy,  Joshua,  Judges,  Ruth,  1 
Samuel,  2  Samuel,  1  Kings,  2  Kings,  1  Chronicles,  2  Chronicles,  Ezra,  Nehemiah, 
Esther,  Job,  Psalms,  Proverbs,  Ecclesiastes,  The  Son^  of  Songs,  Isaiah,  Jeremiah, 
Lamentations,  Ezekiel,  Daniel,  Hosea,  Joel,  Amos,  Obudiah,  Jonah,  Micah,  Nahum, 
Habakkuk,  Zephania,  Huggai,  Zechariah,  Malachi. 


OF    THE    NKW    TESTAMENT. 


Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  Joint,  The  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  PauVs  Epistle  to  the 
Romans,  1  Corinthians,  2  Corinthians,  Galatians,  Ephcsians,  Philippians,  Colos. 
sians,  1  Thcssalonians,  2  Thcssalonians,  1  To  Timothy,  2  To  Timothy,  To  Titus, 
To  Philemon,  The  Epistle  to  the  Hcbreios,  The  Epistle  of  James,  the  first  and 
second  Epistles  of  Peter,  The  first,  second  and  third  Epistles  of  John,  The  Epistle 
of  Jude,  The  Revelation. 

All  which  are  given  by  the  inspiration  of  God  to  be  the  rule  of  faith  and  life. 

III.  The  books  commonly  called  ^^ Apocrypha''''  not  being  of  divine 
inspiration,  are  no  part  of  the  canon  of  Scripture;  and  therefore  are  of  no 
authority  in  the  church  of  God,  nor  to  be  any  otherwise  approved  or  made 
use  of  than  other  humane  writings. 

IV.  The  authority  of  the  Holy  Scripture,  for  which  it  ought  to  he 
believed  and  obeyed,  depcndeth  not  upon  the  testimony  of  any  man  or 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


183 


church,  but  wholly  upon  God  (who  is  truth  itself)  the  author  thereof;  and 
therefore,  it  is  to  be  received  because  it  is  the  word  of  God. 

V.  We  may  be  moved  and  induced  by  the  testimony  of  the  church,  t.> 
an  high  and  reverend  esteem  of  the  Holy  Scripture.  And  the  heavenli- 
ness  of  the  matter,  the  efficacy  of  the  doctrine,  the  majesty  of  the  style, 
the  consent  of  all  the  parts,  the  scope  of  the  whole  (which  is  to  give  all 
the  glory  to  God)  the  full  discovery  it  makes  of  the  only  way  of  man's 
salvation,  the  many  other  incomparable  excellencies,  and  the  entire  per- 
fection thereof,  are  arguments  whereby  it  doth  abundantly  evidence  itself 
to  be  the  word  of  God;  yet  notwithstanding  (viv  full  persuasion  and  assu* 
rnnf  of  the  infallible  truth  and  divine  autb'.jiij  hereof,  is  from  the 
u  J  work  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  bearing  witijw,,!  i>v  ;u;d  with  the  word  in 
'  '^irts. 

16  whole  counsel  of  God  concerninf^  all  things  necessary  for  his 
omi  giw,  man's  salvation,  faith  and  life,  is  either  expressly  set  down  in 
r'oripture,  or  by  good  and  necessary  consequence  may  be  deduced  from 
Scripture ;  unto  which  nothing,  at  any  time,  is  to  be  added,  whether  by 
new  revelations  of  the  Spirit  or  traditions  of  men.  Nevertheless,  we 
acknowledge  the  inward  illuminations  of  the  Spirit  of  God  to  be  necessary 
for  the  saving  understanding  of  such  things  as  are  revealed  in  the  word; 
and  that  there  are  some  circumstances  concerning  the  worship  of  God  and 
government  of  the  church,  common  to  humane  actions  and  societies,  which 
are  to  be  ordered  by  the  light  of  nature  and  Christian  prudence,  according 
to  the  general  rules  of  the  word,  which  are  always  to  be  observed. 

Vn.  All  things  in  Scripture  are  not  alike  plain  in  themselves,  nor  alike 
clear  unto  all;  yet  those  things  which  are  necessary  to  be  known,  believed 
and  observed  for  salvation,  are  so  clearly  propounded  and  opened  in  some 
place  of  Scripture  or  other,  that  not  only  the  learned,  but  the  unlearned, 
in  a  due  use  of  the  ordinary  means,  may  attain  unto  a  sufficient  under- 
standing of  them. 

Vin.  The  Old  Testament  in  Ilebreiv,  (which  was  the  native  language  of 
the  people  of  God  of  old)  and  the  New  Testament  in  Greek,  (which,  at  tho 
time  of  writing  of  it,  was  most  generally  known  to  the  nations)  being 
immediately  inspired  by  God,  and  by  his  singular  care  and  providence  kej)t 
pure  in  all  ages,  are  therefore  authentical;  so  as  in  all  controversies  of 
religion  the  church  is  finally  to  appeal  unto  them.  But  because  these 
original  tongues  arc  not  known  to  all  the  people  of  God  who  have  right 
unto  and  interest  in  the  Scriptures,  and  are  commanded  in  the  fear  of  God 
to  read  and  search  them ;  therefore  they  are  to  be  translated  into  the  vul- 
gar language  of  every  nation  into  which  they  come,  that  the  word  of  God 
dwelling  plentifully  in  all,  they  may  worship  him  in  an  acceptable  man- 
ner, and  through  patience  and  comfort  of  the  Scripture  may  have  help. 

IX.  The  infallible  rule  of  interpretation  of  Scripture,  is  the  Scripture 
itself;  and  therefore  when  there  is  a  question  about  the  true  and  full  sense 


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184 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


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of  any  scripture  (which  is  not  manifold,  but  one)  it  must  be  searched  and 
known  by  other  places  that  speak  more  clearly. 

X.  The  Supreme  Judge,  by  which  fill  controversies  of  religion  are  to 
be  determined,  and  all  decrees  of  councils,  opinions  of  ancient  writers, 
doctrines  of  men,  and  private  spirits,  are  to  be  examined,  and  in  whose 
sentence  we  are  to  rest,  can  be  no  other  but  the  Holy  Scripture  delivered 
by  the  Spirit:  into  which  Scripture  so  delivered  our  faith  is  firmly  resolved. 


CHAPTER  II. 


OF    GOD    AMD    THE    H0L7    TRINITT. 


I.  There  is  but  one  only  living  and  true  God:  who  is  infinite  in  being 
and  perfection,  a  most  pure  Spirit,  invisible  without  body,  parts  or  pas- 
sions, immutable,  immense,  eternal,  incomprehensible,  almighty,  most 
wise,  most  holy,  most  free,  most  absolute,  working  all  things  according  to 
the  counsel  of  his  own  immutable  and  most  righteous  will,  for  his  own 
glory;  most  loving,  gracious,  merciful,  long-suffering,  abundant  in  good- 
ness and  truth,  forgiving  iniquity,  transgression  and  sin ;  the  rewarder  of 
them  that  diligently  seek  him;  and  withal  most  just  and  terrible  in  his 
judgments,  hating  all  sin,  and  who  will  by  no  means  clear  the  guilty. 

II.  God  hath  all  life,  glory,  goodness,  blessedness,  in  and  of  himself; 
and  is  alone  in  and  unto  himself,  all-sufficient;  not  standiug  in  need  of 
any  creatures  which  he  hath  made,  nor  deriving  any  glory  from  them,  but 
only  manifesting  his  own  glory  in,  by,  unto,  and  upon  them.  He  is  the 
alone  fountain  of  all  beings;  of  whom,  through  whom,  and  to  whom  are 
all  things;  and  hath  most  sovereign  dominion  over  them,  for  them  and 
upon  them,  whatsoever  himself  pleaseth;  in  his  sight  all  things  are  open 
and  manifest;  his  knowledge  is  infinite,  infallible  and  independant  upon 
the  creature,  so  as  nothing  is  to  him  contingent  or  uncertain.  He  is  most 
holy  in  all  his  counsels,  in  all  his  works,  and  in  all  his  commands.  To 
him  is  due  from  angels  and  men,  and  every  other  creature,  whatsoever 
worship,  service  or  obedience,  as  creatures  they  owe  unto  the  creator,  anil 
whatever  he  is  further  pleased  to  require  of  them. 

III.  In  the  unity  of  the  God-head,  there  be  three  persons,  of  one  sub- 
stance, power  and  eternity — God  the  Father,  God  the  Son,  and  God  the 
Holy  Ghost;  the  Father  is  of  none,  neither  begotten  nor  proceeding;  the 
Son  is  eternally  begotten  of  the  Father;  the  Holy  Ghost  eternally  pro- 
ceeding from  the  Father  and  the  Son.  Which  doctrine  of  the  Trinity  is 
the  foundation  of  all  our  communion  with  God  and  comfortable  depend 
ence  upon  him. 


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OB,    THE   HISTOBT   OF   NBW-^N0LA3TD. 


185 


CHAFTEB  III. 


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lepcnti 


I.  God  from  all  eternity  did  >y  tke  most  wise  and  holy  counsel  of  his 
own  will,  freely,  and  unchangeably  ordain  whatsoever  comes  to  pass;  yet 
so,  as  thereby  neither  is  God  the  author  of  sin,  nor  is  violence  offered  unto 
the  will  of  the  creatures,  nor  is  the  liberty  or  contingency  of  second 
causes  taken  away,  but  rather  established. 

II.  Although  God  knows  whatsoever  may  or  can  come  to  pass  upon  all 
supposed  conditions,  yet  he  hath  not  decreed  any  thing  because  he  foresaw 
it,  as  future,  or  as  that  which  would  come  to  pass  upon  such  conditions. 

III.  By  the  decree  of  God,  for  the  manifestation  of  his  glory,  some  men 
and  angels  are  predestinated  unto  everlasting  life,  and  others  fore-ordained 
unto  everlasting  death. 

IV.  These  angels  and  men  thus  predestinated  and  fore-ordained,  are 
particularly  and  unchangeably  designed,  and  their  number  is  so  certain 
and  definite  that  it  cannot  be  either  increased  or  diminished. 

V.  Those  of  mankind  that  are  predestinated  unto  life,  God,  before  the 
foundation  of  the  world  was  laid,  according  to  his  eternal  and  immutable 
purpose,  and  the  secret  counsel  and  good  pleasure  of  his  will,  hath  chosen 
in  Christ  unto  everlasting  glory,  out  of  his  meer  free-grace  and  love,  with- 
out any  foresight  of  faith  or  good  works,  or  perseverance  in  either  of 
them,  or  any  other  thing  in  the  creature,  as  conditions  or  causes  moving 
him  thereunto,  and  all  to  the  praise  of  his  glorious  grace. 

VI.  As  God  hath  appointed  the  elect  unto  glory,  so  hath  he,  by  the  eternal 
and  most  free  purpose  of  his  will,  fore-ordained  all  the  means  thereunto: 
wherefore  they  who  are  elected  being  fallen  in  Adam,  are  redeemed  by 
Christ,  are  effectually  called  unto  faith  in  Christ  by  his  spirit  working  in 
due  season,  are  justified,  adopted,  sanctified,  and  kept  by  his  power  through 
faith  unto  salvation.  Neither  are  any  other  redeemed  by  Christ,  or  effect- 
ually called,  justified,  adopted,  sanctified  and  saved,  but  the  elect  only. 

VII.  The  rest  of  mankind,  God  was  pleased,  according  to  the  unsearch- 
able counsel  of  his  own  will,  whereby  he  extendeth  or  withholdeth  mercy, 
as  he  pleaseth,  for  the  glory  of  his  Sovereign  Power  over  his  creatures,  to 

)ass  by,  and  to  ordain  them  to  dishonour  and  wrath,  for  their  sin,  to  the 
praise  of  his  glorious  justice. 

VIII.  The  doctrine  of  this  high  mystery  of  predestination,  is  to  be 
handled  with  special  prudence  and  care,  that  men  attending  the  will  of 
God  revealed  in  his  word,  and  yielding  obedience  thereunto,  may  from  the 
certainty  of  their  effectual  vocation  be  assured  of  their  eternal  election. 

So  shall  this  doctrine  afford  matter  of  praise,  reverence  and  admiration 
of  God,  and  of  humility,  diligence  and  abundant  consolation  to  all  that 
sincerely  obey  the  gospel. 


^%M 


I- 


186 


MAONALIA    OHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


GHAFTER    lY. 


OF    CREATION. 


I.  It  pleased  God  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy  Ghost,  for  the  manifestation 
of  the  glory  of  hia  eternal  power,  wisdom  and  goodness  in  the  beginning, 
to  create  or  make  of  nothing  the  world  and  all  things  therein,  whether 
visible  or  invisible,  in  the  space  of  six  days,  and  all  very  good. 

n.  After  God  had  made  all  other  creatures,  he  created  man  male  and 
female,  with  reasonable  and  immortal  souls,  endued  with  knowledge, 
righteousness  and  true  holiness,  after  his  own  image,  having  the  law  of 
God  written  in  their  heart,  and  power  to  fulfil  it;  and  yet  under  a  possi- 
bility  of  transgressing,  being  left  to  the  liberty  of  their  own  will,  which 
was  subject  to  charge.  Besides  this  law  written  in  their  hearts,  they 
received  a  command  not  to  eat  o*"  the  tree  of  the  knowledge  of  good  and 
evil,  which  whiles  they  kept,  they  were  happy  in  their  communion  with 
God,  and  had  dominion  over  the  creatures. 


CHAPTER  V. 


OF    FBOVIDENCE. 


I.  God  the  great  creator  of  all  things,  doth  uphold,  direct,  dispose  and 
govern  all  creatures,  actions  and  things,  from  the  greatest  even  to  the 
least,  by  his  most  wise  and  holy  Providence,  according  to  his  infallible 
foreknowledge,  and  the  free  immutable  counsel  of  his  own  will,  to  the 
praise  of  the  glory  of  his  wisdom,  power,  justice,  goodness  and  mercy. 

II.  Although  in  relation  to  the  fore-knowledge  and  decree  of  God,  the 
first  cause,  all  things  come  to  pass  immutably  and  infallibly,  yet  by  the 
same  Providence  he  ordereth  them  to  fall  out,  according  to  the  nature  of 
second  causes,  either  necessarily,  freely,  or  continger^^v. 

III.  God  in  his  ordinary  providence,  maketh  use  cans,  yet  is  free 
to  work  without,  above  and  against  them  at  his  niea;.  ..^. 

IV.  The  Almighty  power,  unsearchable  wisdom,  and  the  infinite  good- 
ness of  God,  so  far  manifest  themselves  in  his  Providence,  in  that  his 
determinate  counsel  extendeth  it  self,  even  to  the  first  fall  and  all  other 
sins  of  angels  and  men,  (and  that  not  by  a  bare  permission)  which  also 
he  most  wisely  and  powerfully  boundeth,  and  otherwise  ordereth  and 
governeth  in  a  manifold  dispensation,  to  his  own  most  holy  ends,  yet  so 
as  the  sinfulness  thereof  proceedeth  only  from  the  creature,  and  not  from 
God,  who  being  most  holy  and  righteous,  neither  is  nor  can  be  the  author 
or  approver  of  sin. 

V.  The  most  wise,  righteous  and  gracious  God  doth  oftentimes  leave 
for  a  season  his  own  children  to  manifold  temptations,  and  the  corruption 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


•toff 


of  their  own  hearts,  to  chastise  them  for  their  former  sins,  or  to  discover  unto 
them  the  hidden  strength  of  corruption,  and  deceitfulness  of  their  hearts, 
tliat  they  may  be  humbled,  and  to  raise  them  to  a  more  close  and  constant 
dependance  for  their  support  upon  himself,  and  to  make  them  more  watchful 
against  all  future  occasions  of  sin,  and  for  sundry  other  just  and  holy  ends. 

VI.  As  for  those  wicked  and  ungodly  men,  whom  God,  as  a  righteous 
judge,  for  former  sins,  doth  blind  and  harden,  from  them,  he  not  only 
withholdeth  his  grace,  whereby  they  might  have  been  enlightened  in  their 
understandings,  and  wrought  upon  in  their  hearts;  but  sometimes  also 
withdraweth  th^  gifts  which  they  had,  and  exposeth  them  to  such  objects 
as  their  corruption  makes  occasions  of  sin ;  and  withal  gives  them  over  to 
their  own  lusts,  the  temptations  of  the  world,  and  the  power  of  Satan, 
whereby  it  comes  to  pass  that  they  harden  themselves,  even  under  those 
means  which  God  useth  for  the  softening  of  others. 

VII.  As  the  providence  of  God  doth  in  general  reach  to  all  creatures, 
60,  after  a  most  special  manner,  it  taketh  care  of  his  church,  and  disposeth 
all  things  for  the  good  thereof. 


CHAPTER    TI. 


OF  THE  FALL  OF  MAN:  OF  SIN,  AND  OF  THE  PUNISHMENT  THEREOF. 

I.  God  having  made  a  covenant  of  works  and  life  thereupon,  with  our 
first  parents,  and  all  their  posterity  in  them,  they  being  seduced  by  the 
subtilty  and  temptation  of  Sa:,an,  did  wilfully  transgress  the  law  of  their 
creation,  and  break  the  covenant  in  eating  the  forbidden  fruit. 

II.  By  this  sin,  they,  and  we  in  them,  fell  from  original  righteousness 
and  communion  with  God,  and  so  became  dead  in  sin,  and  wholly  defiled 
in  all  the  faculties  and  parts  of  soul  an  1  body. 

III.  They  being  the  root,  and  by  God's  appointment  standing  in  the 
room  and  stead  of  all  mankind,  the  guilt  of  this  sin  was  imputed,  and 
corrupted  nature  convey'd  to  all  their  posterity  descending  from  them  by 
ordinary  generation. 

IV.  From  this  original  corruption,  whereby  we  are  utterly  indisposed, 
disabled  and  made  opposite  to  all  good,  and  wholly  inclined  to  all  evil, 
do  proceed  all  actual  transgressions. 

V.  This  corruption  of  nature  during  this  life  doth  remain  in  those  that 
are  regenerated ;  and  altho'  it  be,  through  Christ,  pardoned  and  mortified, 
yet  both  itself  and  all  the  motions  thereof  are  truly  and  properly  sin. 

VI.  Every  sin  both  original  and  actual  being  a  transgression  of  the 
righteous  law  of  God,  and  contrary  thereunto,  doth,  in  its  own  nature, 
bring  guilt  upon  the  sinner,  whereby  he  is  bound  over  to  the  wrath  of 
God  and  the  curse  of  the  law,  and  so  made  subject  to  death,  with  all 
miseries,  spiritual,  temporal  and  eternal. 


m 


I 


I 

'Li 


188 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


i. 


CHAPTER    VII. 


OF  ood's  covenant  with  man. 


I.  The  distance  between  God  and  the  creature  is  so  great,  that  although 
reasonable  creatures  do  owe  obedience  to  him  as  their  Creator,  yet  they 
could  never  have  attained  the  reward  of  life,  but  by  some  voluntary  con- 
descension on  God's  part,  which  he  hath  been  pleased  to  express  by  way 
of  covenant. 

II.  The  first  covenant  made  with  man  was  a  covenant  of  works,  wherein 
life  was  promised  to  Adam,  and  in  him  to  his  posterity,  upon  condition 
of  perfect  and  personal  obedience. 

III.  Man  by  his  fall  having  made  himself  uncapable  of  life  by  that 
covenant,  the  Lord  was  pleased  to  make  a  second,  commonly  call'd  the 
covenant  of  grace ;  wherein  he  freely  offereth  unto  sinners  life  and  salva- 
tion by  Jesus  Christ,  requiring  of  them  faith  in  him,  that  they  may  be 
saved,  and  promising  to  give  unto  all  those  that  are  ordained  unto  life, 
his  holy  Spirit  to  make  them  willing  and  able  to  believe. 

IV.  This  covenant  of  grace  is  frequently  set  forth  in  Scripture,  by  the 
name  of  a  Tcstamenty  in  reference  to  the  death  of  Jesus  Christ,  the  testator, 
and  to  the  everlasting  inheritance,  with  all  things  belonging  to  it,  therein 
bequeathed. 

V.  Although  this  covenant  hath  been  differently  and  variously  admin- 
istered, in  respect  of  ordinances  and  institutions  in  the  time  of  the  law, 
and  since  the  coming  of  Christ  in  the  flesh;  yet  for  the  substance  and 
efhcacy  of  it,  to  all  its  spiritual  and  saving  ends,  it  is  one  and  the  same; 
upon  the  account  of  which  various  dispensations  it  is  called  the  Old  and 
New  Testammt. 


CHAPTER    VIII. 


OF    CHRIST    THE    MEDIATOR. 


I.  It  pleased  God,  in  his  eternal  purpose,  to  choose  and  ordain  the 
Lord  Jesus,  his  only  begotten  Son,  according  to  a  covenant  made  between 
them  both,  to  be  the  Mediator  between  God  and  man:  The  Prophet, 
Priest  and  King,  the  Head  and  Saviour  of  his  Church,  the  Heir  of  all 
things,  and  Judge  of  the  world,  unto  whom  he  did  from  all  eternity  give 
a  people  to  be  his  seed,  and  to  be  by  him,  in  time,  redeemed,  called,  justi- 
fied, sanctifyed  and  glorifyed. 

II.  The  Son  of  God,  the  second  person  in  the  Trinity,  being  very  and 
eternal  God,  of  one  substance,  and  equal  with  the  Father,  did,  when  the 
fulness  of  time  was  come,  take  upon  him  man's  nature,  with  all  the 


OB,    THE   BISTORT    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


189 


ry  and 
en  the 
11  the 


essential  properties  and  common  infirmities  thereof,  yet  without  sin,  being 
conceived  by  the  power  of  the  Holy  Qhost  in  the  womb  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  of  her  substance:  So  that  two  whole  perfect  and  distinct  natures, 
the  Godhead  and  the  Manhood,  were  inseparably  joined  together  in  one 
person  without  conversion,  composition  or  confusion;  which  person  is 
very  God  and  very  Man,  yet  one  Christ,  the  only  Mediator  between  God 
and  man. 

III.  The  Lord  Jesus  in  his  humane  nature,  thus  united  to  the  divine,  in 
the  person  of  the  Son,  was  sanctified  and  anointed  with  the  Holy  Spirit 
above  measure,  having  in  him  all  the  treasures  of  wisdom  and  knowledge: 
in  whom  it  pleased  the  Father  that  all  fulness  should  dwell,  to  the  end 
that,  being  holy,  harmless,  undefiled  and  full  of  grace  and  truth,  he  might 
be  thoroughly  furnished  to  execute  the  oflBce  of  a  Mediator  and  Surety, 
which  office  he  took  not  unto  himself;  but  was  thereunto  called  by  his 
Father,  who  also  put  all  power  and  judgment  into  his  hand,  and  gave  him 
commandment  to  execute  the  same. 

IV.  This  office  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  did  most  willingly  undertake; 
which  that  he  might  discharge,  he  was  made  under  the  Law,  and  did 
perfectly  fulfil  it,  and  underwent  the  punishment  due  to  us,  which  we 
should  have  borne  and  suffered,  being  made  sin  and  a  curse  for  us,  endur- 
ing most  grievous  torments  immediately  from  God  in  his  soul,  and  most 
painful  sufferings  in  his  body,  was  crucified  and  died,  was  buried,  and 
remained  under  the  power  of  death,  yet  saw  no  corruption :  on  the  third 
day  he  arose  from  the  dead,  with  the  same  body  in  which  he  suffered, 
with  which  also  he  ascended  into  heaven,  and  there  sitteth  at  the  right 
hand  of  his  Father,  making  intercession,  and  shall  return  to  judge  men 
and  angels  at  the  end  of  the  world. 

V.  The  Lord  Jesus,  by  his  perfect  obedience,  and  sacrifice  of  himself, 
which  he,  through  the  Eternal  Spirit,  once  offered  up  unto  God,  hath  fully 
satisfied  the  justice  of  God,  and  purchased  not  only  reconciliation,  but  an 
everlasting  inheritance  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  for  all  those  whom  the 
Father  hath  given  unto  him. 

VI.  Although  the  work  of  Redemption  was  not  actually  wrought  by 
Christ  till  afl;er  his  incarnation,  yet  the  virtue,  efficacy  and  benefits  thereof, 
were  communicated  unto  the  elect  in  all  ages  successively  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  world,  in  and  by  those  promises,  types  and  sacrifices,  wherein 
he  was  revealed  and  signified  to  be  the  seed  of  the  woman,  which  should 
bruise  the  serpent's  head,  and  the  Lamb  slain  from  the  beginning  of  the 
world,  being  yesterday  and  to  day  the  same,  and  for  ever. 

VII.  Christ  in  the  work  of  mediation  acteth  according  to  both  natures, 
by  each  nature  doing  that  which  is  proper  to  it  self;  yet  by  reason  of  the 
unity  of  the  person,  that  which  is  proper  to  one  nature  is  sometimes  in 
Scripture  attributed  unto  the  person  denominated  by  the  other  nature. 

VIII.  To  all  those  for  whom  Christ  has  purchased  redemption,  he  doth 


.i':-4y\ 


190 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


certainly  and  effectually  apply  and  communicate  the  same,  making  inter* 
cession  for  them,  and  revealing  unto  them,  in  and  by  the  word,  the  mys- 
teries of  salvation,  effectually  perswading  them  by  his  spirit  to  believe  und 
obey,  and  governing  their  heart  by  his  word  and  spirit,  overcoming  nil  tlie ir 
enemies  by  his  Almighty  power  and  wisdom,  in  such  manner  and  ways  as 
are  most  consonant  to  his  wonderfiil  and  unsearchable  dispensation. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


or    FREE-WILL. 


I.  God  hath  endued  the  will  of  man  with  that  natural  liberty  and 
power  of  acting  upon  choice,  that  it  is  neither  forced,  nor,  by  any  absolute 
necessity  of  nature,  determined  to  do  good  or  evil. 

II.  Man  in  his  state  of  innocency  had  freedom  and  power  to  will  and 
to  do  that  which  was  well  pleasing  to  God ;  but  yet  mutably,  so  that  lie 
might  fall  from  it 

III.  Man,  by  his  fall  into  a  state  of  sin,  hath  wholly  lost  all  ability  of 
will  to  any  spiritual  good,  accompanying  salvation,  so  as  a  natural  man 
being  altogether  averse  from  that  good,  and  dead  in  sin,  is  not  able  by  his 
own  strength  to  convert  himself  or  to  prepare  himself  thereunto. 

IV.  When  God  converts  a  sinner,  and  translates  him  into  the  state  of 
grace,  he  freeth  him  from  his  natural  bondage  under  sin,  and  by  his  grace 
alone  enables  him  freely  to  will  and  to  do  that  which  is  spiritually  good ; 
yet  so  as  that,  by  reason  of  his  remaining  corruption,  he  doth  not  perfectly 
nor  only  will  that  which  is  good,  but  doth  that  which  is  also  evil. 

V.  The  will  of  man  is  made  perfectly  and  immutably  free  to  good  alone 
in  the  state  of  glory  only. 


CHAPTER    X. 


OF    EFFECTUAL    CALLING. 


I.  All  those  whom  God  hath  predestinated  unto  life,  and  those  only, 
he  is  pleased  in  his  appointed  and  accepted  time  effectually  to  call  by  his 
word  and  spirit,  out  of  that  state  of  sin  and  death,  in  which  they  are  hy 
nature,  to  grace  and  salvation  by  Jesus  Christ,  inlightning  their  minds 
spiritually  and  savingly  to  understand  the  things  of  God,  taking  away 
their  heart  of  stone,  and  giving  unto  them  an  heart  of  flesh,  renewing  their 
wills,  and  by  his  Almighty  power  determining  them  to  that  which  is  good, 
and  effectually  drawing  them  to  Jesus  Christ:  Yet  so  as  they  come  most 
freely,  being  made  willing  by  his  grace. 

II.  This  effectual  call  is  God's  free  and  special  grace  alone,  not  from 
any  thing  at  all  foreseen  in  man,  who  is  altogether  passive  therein,  uutil 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    OF    MEW-ENOLAND. 


191 


being  quickened  and  renewed  by  the  holy  spirit,  he  is  thereby  enabled  to 
answer  this  call,  and  to  embrace  the  grace  offered  and  conveyed  in  it. 

III.  Elect  infants,  dying  in  infancy,  are  regenerated  and  saved  by  Christ, 
who  worketh  when  and  where  and  how  he  pleaseth:  so  also  are  all  other 
elect  persons,  who  are  uncapable  of  being  outwardly  called  by  the  minis- 
try of  the  word. 

IV.  Others  not  elected,  although  they  may  be  called  by  the  ministry 
of  the  word,  and  may  have  some  common  operations  of  the  spirit;  yet  not 
being  effectually  drawn  by  their  Father,  they  neither  do  nor  can  come 
unto  Christ,  and  therefore  cannot  be  saved;  much  less  can  men,  not  pro- 
fessing  the  Christian  religion,  be  saved  in  any  other  way  whatsoever,  be 
they  never  so  diligent  to  frame  their  lives  according  to  the  light  of  nature 
and  the  law  of  that  religion  they  do  profess:  And  to  assert  and  maintain 
that  they  may,  is  very  pernicious,  and  to  be  detested. 


CHAPTER    XI. 


OF    JT7STIFICATI0R. 


I.  Those  whom  God  effectually  calleth,  he  also  freely  juatifieth,  not  by 
infusing  righteousness  into  them,  but  by  pardoning  their  sins,  and  by 
accounting  and  accepting  their  persons  as  righteous,  not  for  any  thing 
wrought  in  them  or  done  by  them,  but  for  Christ's  sake  alone;  nor  by 
imputing  faith  its  self,  the  act  of  believing,  or  any  other  evangelical  obe- 
dience to  them,  as  their  righteousness,  but  by  imputing  Christ's  active 
obedience  unto  the  whole  law,  and  passive  obedience  in  his  sufferings  and 
death,  for  their  whole  and  sole  righteousness,  they  receiving  and  resting 
on  him  and  his  righteousness  by  faith,  which  faith  they  have  not  of  them- 
selves— it  is  the  gift  of  God. 

II.  Faith  thus  receiving  and  resting  on  Christ  and  his  righteou  '*?is,  is 
the  alone  instrument  of  justification;  yet  it  is  not  alone  in  the  persoi  jus- 
tified, but  is  ever  accompanied  with  all  other  saving  graces,  and  is  no 
dead  faith,  but  worketh  by  love. 

III.  Christ,  by  his  obedience  and  death,  did  fully  discharge  the  debt  of 
all  those  that  are  justified,  and  did,  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself  in  the  blood 
of  his  cross,  undergoing  in  their  stead  the  penalty  due  unto  them,  make  a 
proper,  real,  and  full  satisfaction  to  God's  justice  in  their  behalf:  Yet, 
inasmuch  as  he  was  given  by  the  Father  for  them,  and  his  obedience 
and  satisfaction  accepted  in  their  stead,  and  both  freely,  not  for  any 
thing  in  them,  their  justification  is  only  of  free  grace,  that  both  the 
exact  justice  and  rich  grace  of  God  might  be  glorified  in  the  justifica- 
tion of  sinners. 

IV.  God  did  from  all  eternity  decree  to  justifie  all  the  elect,  and  Christ 
did  in  the  fulness  of  time  dye  for  their  sins,  and  rise  again  for  their  justi- 


1 

I  ( 

1' 

I. 


MAONALIA    OHBISTI    AUBBIOANA; 


fication:  Nevertheless,  thej  are  not  justified  personally,  until  the  Holy 
Spirit  doth  in  due  time  actually  apply  Christ  unto  them. 

y.  Ood  doth  continue  to  forgive  the  sins  of  those  that  are  justified,  and 
although  they  can  never  fall  from  the  state  of  justification,  yet  they  may 
by  their  sins  fall  under  Ood's  fatherly  displeasure:  And,  in  that  condition, 
they  have  not  usually  the  light  of  his  countenance  restored  unto  them, 
until  they  humble  themselves,  confess  their  sins,  beg  pardon,  and  renew 
their  faith  and  repentance. 

VI.  The  justification  of  believers  under  the  Old  Testament  was,  in  all 
these  respects,  one  and  the  same  with  the  justification  of  believers  under 
the  New  Testament. 

t 

CHAPTER    XII. 
or    ADOFTION. 

I.  All  those  that  are  justified,  God  vouchsafeth  in  and  for  his  only  Son 
Jesus  Christ  to  make  partakers  of  the  grace  of  adoption,  by  which  they 
are  taken  into  the  number,  and  enjoy  the  liberties  and  privileges  of  the 
children  of  God,  have  his  name  put  upon  them,  receive  the  spirit  of 
adoption,  have  access  to  the  throne  of  grace  with  boldness,  are  enabled  to 
cry  "Abba  Father,"  are  pitied,  protected,  provided  for,  and  chastened  by 
him,  as  by  a  father,  yet  never  cast  off,  but  sealed  to  the  day  of  redemp- 
tion, and  inherit  the  promises,  as  heirs  of  everlasting  salvation. 


CHAPTER   XIIL 


or    SAHCTIFICATIOn. 


I.  They  that  are  effectually  called  and  regenerated,  being  united  to 
Christ,  having  a  new  heart,  and  a  new  spirit  created  in  them,  through  the 
virtue  of  Christ's  death  and  resurrection,  are  also  further  sanctified  really 
and  personally,  through  the  same  virtue,  by  his  word  and  spirit  dwelling 
in  them,  the  dominion  of  the  whole  body  of  sin  is  destroyed,  and  the 
several  lusts  thereof  are  more  and  more  weakened  and  mortified,  and  they 
more  and  more  quickened  and  strengthened  in  all  saving  graces,  to  the 
practice  of  all  true  holiness,  without  which  no  man  shall  see  the  Lord. 

II.  This  sanctification  is  throughout  in  the  whole  man,  yet  imperfect 
in  this  life;  there  abide  still  some  remnants  of  corruption  in  every  part, 
whence  ariseth  a  continual  and  irreconcileable  war,  the  flesh  lusting 
against  the  spirit,  and  the  spirit  against  the  flesh. 

III.  In  which  war,  although  the  remaining  corruption,  for  a  time,  may 
much  prevail,  yet  through  the  continual  supply  of  strength  from  the  sanc- 
tifying spirit  of  Christ,  the  regenerate  part  doth  overcome,  and  so  the 
saints  grow  in  grace,  perfecting  holiness  in  the  fear  of  God. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    Oh    NEW-ENGLAND. 


198 


CHAPTER    XIV.  .     , 

.    ^  Of    SAVmO    FAITH.  'f     - 

I.  The  grace  of  faith,  whereby  the  elect  are  enabled  to  believe  to  the 
saving  of  their  souls,  is  the  work  of  the  spirit  of  Christ  in  their  hearts, 
and  is  ordinarily  wrought  by  the  ministry  of  the  word ;  by  which  also, 
and  by  the  adn^iniatration  of  the  seals,  prayer  and  other  means,  it  is 
increased  and  strengthened. 

II.  By  this  faith,  a  Christian  believcth  to  be  true  whatever  is  revealed 
in  the  word;  for  the  authority  of  God  himself  speaketh  therein,  and  acteth 
diiferently  upon  that  which  each  particular  passage  thereof  containeth, 
yielding  obedience  to  his  commands,  trembling. at  the  threatening^,  and 
embracing  the  promises  of  God  for  this  life  and  that  which  is  to  come. 
But  the  principal  acts  of  saving  faith  are  accepting,  receiving,  and  resting 
upon  Christ  alone  for  justification,  aanctification  and  eternal  life,  by  virtue 
of  the  covenant  of  grace. 

III.  This  faith,  although  it  be  different  in  degrees,  and  may  be  weak 
or  strong,  yet  it  is,  in  the  least  degree  of  it,  different  in  the  kind  or  nature 
of  it  (as  is  all  other  saving  grace)  from  the  faith  and  common  grace  of 
temporary  believers;  and,  therefore,  though  it  may  be  many  times  as- 
sailed and  weakened,  yet  it  gets  the  victory,  growing  up  in  many  to  the 
attainment  of  a  full  assurance  through  Christ,  who  is  both  the  Author 
and  finisher  of  our  faith. 


CHAPTER  XV. 
OF  REPENTANCE  UNTO  LIFE  AND  SALVATION. 

I.  Such  of  the  elect  as  are  converted  at  riper  years,  having  sometime 
lived  in  the  state  of  nature,  and  therein  served  divers  lusts  and  pleasures, 
God  in  their  effectual  calling  giveth  them  repentance  unto  life. 

II.  Whereas  there  is  none  that  doth  good  and  sinneth  not,  and  the  best 
of  men  may  through  the  power  and  deceitfulness  of  their  corruptions 
dwelling  in  them,  with  the  prevalency  of  temptation,  fall  into  great  sins 

nd  provocations;  God  hath  in  the  covenant  of  grace  mercifully  pro- 
vided, that  believers  so  sinning  and  falling  be  renewed,  through  repent- 
ance unto  salvation. 

III.  This  saving  repentance  is  an  evangelical  grace,  whereby  a  person 
being  by  the  Holy  Ghost  made  sensible  of  the  manifold  evils  of  his  sin, 
doth  by  faith  in  Christ  humble  himself  for  it  with  godly  sorrow,  detesta- 
tion of  it,  and  self-abhorrency,  praying  for  pardon  and  strength  of  grace, 
with  a  purpose  and  endeavour,  by  supplies  of  the  spirit,  to  walk;  before 
God  unto  all  well-pleasing  in  all  things. 

Vol.  II.— 13 


'i  t 


194 


MAONALIA    CIIRI8TI    AUBRTCAITA 


IV.  As  repentance  is  to  be  continued  through  the  whole  course  of  our 
lives,  upon  the  account  of  the  body  of  death  and  the  motions  thereof;  so 
'tis  every  man's  duty  to  repent  of  his  particular  known  sins  particularly. 

V.  Such  is  the  provision  which  God  hath  made,  through  Christ,  in  the 
covenant  of  grace,  for  the  preservation  of  believers  unto  salvation,  that 
although  there  is  no  sin  so  small  but  it  deserves  damnation;  yet  there  la 
no  sin  so  great,  that  it  shall  bring  damnation  on  them  who  truly  repent- 
which  makes  the  constant  preaching  of  repentance  necessary. 


CHAPTER    XVI. 
or    OOOD    WORKS. 


I.  Good  works  are  only  such  as  God  hath  commanded  in  his  holy  word, 
and  not  such  as,  without  the  warrant  thereof,  are  devised  by  men  out  of 
blind  zeal,  or  upon  any  pretence  of  good  intentions. 

II.  These  good  works,  done  in  obedience  to  God's  commandments,  are 
the  fruits  and  evidences  of  a  true  and  lively  faith;  and  by  them  believers 
manifest  their  thankfulness,  strengthen  their  assurance,  edifie  their  breth- 
ren, adorn  the  profession  of  the  gospel,  stop  the  mouths  of  the  adversaries, 
and  glorifie  God,  whose  workmanship  they  are  created  in  Christ  Jesus 
thereunto,  that  having  their  fruit  unto  holiness,  they  may  have  the  end, 
eternal  life. 

III.  Their  ability  to  do  good  works  is  not  at  all  of  themselves,  but 
wholly  from  the  spirit  of  Christ.  And  that  they  may  be  enabled  there- 
unto, besides  the  graces  they  have  already  received,  there  is  required  an 
actual  influence  of  the  same  Holy  Spirit,  to  work  in  them  to  will  aivd  to 
do  of  his  good  pleasure;  yet  are  they  not  hereupon  to  grow  negligent,  as 
if  they  were  not  bound  to  perform  any  duty,  unless  upon  a  special  motion 
of  the  spirit,  but  they  ought  to  be  diligent  in  stirring  up  the  grace  of  God 
that  is  in  them. 

IV.  They  who  in  their  obedience  attain  to  the  greatest  height  which  is 
possible  in  this  life,  are  so  far  from  being  able  to  supererogate,  and  to  do 
more  than  God  requires,  as  that  they  fall  short  of  much  which  in  duty 
they  are  boun^  to  do. 

V.  "We  cannot  by  our  best  works  merit  pardon  of  sin,  or  eternal  life 
at  the  hand  of  God,  by  reason  of  the  great  disproportion  that  is  between 
them  and  the  glory  to  come,  and  the  infinite  distance  that  is  between  us 
and  God,  whom  by  them  we  can  neither  profit  nor  satisfie  for  the  debt 
of  our  former  sins;  but  when  we  have  done  all  we  can,  we  have  done  but 
our  duty,  and  are  unprofitable  servants:  And  because,  as  they  are  good, 
they  proceed  from  his  spirit,  and  as  they  are  wrought  by  us,  they  are 
defiled,  and  mixed  with  so  much  weakness  and  imperfection,  that  they 
cannot  endure  the  severity  of  God's  judgment. 


VI. 

througi 

they  w 

sight,  I 

reward 

nesRes  i 

VII. 

them,  t 

to  them 

purified 

nor  to  fl 

please  G 

their  ne 


I.  Th 

and  sane 
the  state 
be  eternt 

II.  Til 
will,  but 
and  unci 
and  inte 
the  abidi 
of  the  c( 
infulliblli 

III.  A 
the  work 
lect  of  th 
time  conl 
his  Holy 
their  heai 
others,  ar 
shall  be  1 


OR,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    MEW-ENGLAND. 


195 


YI.  Yet  notwithstanding,  tho  persots  of  believers  being  accepted 
through  Christ,  their  good  works  also  arc  accepted  in  him,  not  as  though 
they  were  in  this  liTe  wholly  unblameable  and  unreprovnble  in  Ood's 
siglit,  but  that  he  looking  upon  them  in  his  Son  is  pleas**]  to  accept  and 
reward  that  which  is  sincere,  although  accompanied  with  many  Areak* 
nesaes  and  imperfections. 

VII.  Works  (lone  by  unrcgenerate  men,  although,  for  the  matter  of 
them,  thoy  may  bo  things  which  Qod  commands,  and  of  good  use  both 
to  themselves  and  to  others:  Yet  because  they  proceed  not  from  an  heart 
purified  by  faith,  nor  are  done  in  a  right  manner  according  to  the  word, 
nor  to  a  right  end,  tho  glory  of  God;  they  are  therefore  sinful,  and  cannot 
please  Ood,  nor  make  a  man  meet  to  receive  grace  from  Qod;  and  yet 
their  neglect  of  them  is  more  sinful  and  displeasing  to  Qod. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 
or    THK    PERSEVERANCE    OF    THE    SAINTS. 

I.  They  whom  God  hath  accepted  in  his  beloved,  effectually  called 
and  sanctified  by  his  spirit,  can  neither  totally  nor  finally  fall  away  from 
the  state  of  ^ace,  but  shall  certainly  persevere  therein  to  tho  end,  and 
be  eternally  saved. 

II.  This  perseverance  of  the  saints  depends  not  upon  their  own  free 
will,  but  upon  the  immutability  of  the  decree  of  election,  from  the  free 
and  unchangeable  love  of  God  the  Father  upon  the  eflicaoy  of  the  merit 
and  intercession  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  union  with  him,  the  oath  of  God, 
the  abiding  of  his  spirit,  and  the  seed  of  God  within  them,  and  tho  nature 
of  the  covenant  of  grace;  from  all  which  ariseth  also  the  certainty  and 
infallibility  thereof. 

III.  And  although  they  may,  through  the  temptation  of  Satan,  and  of 
the  world,  the  prevalency  of  corruption  remaining  in  them,  and  tho  neg- 
lect of  the  means  of  their  preservation,  fall  into  grievous  sins,  and  for  a 
time  continue  therein,  whereby  they  incur  God's  displeasure,  ond  grieve 
his  Holy  Spirit,  come  to  have  their  graces  and  comforts  impaired,  have 
their  hearts  hardened,  and  their  consciences  wounded,  hurt  and  scandalize 
others,  and  bring  temporal  judgments  upon  themselves;  yet  they  are  and 
shall  be  kept  by  the  power  of  God  through  faith  unto  salvation. 


CHAPTER    XVIII. 
OF    THE    ASSURANCE    OF    GRACE    AND    SALTATION. 

I.  Although  temporary  believers  and  other  unrcgenerate  men  may 
vainly  deceive  themselves  with  false  hopes,  and  carnal  presumptions  of 


1!' 


Illll 


III 


IP 


III  1 


196 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


being  in  thie  favour  of  God,  and  state  of  salvation,  which  hope  of  theirs 
shall  perish,  yet  such  as  truly  believe  in  the  Lord  Jesus,  and  love  him  in 
sincerity,  endeavouring  to  walk  in  good  conscience  before  him,  may,  in 
this  life,  be  certainly  assured  that  they  are  in  the  state  of  grace,  and  may 
rejo/ce  in  the  Lope  of  the  glory  of  God,  which  hope  shall  never  make 
them  ashamed. 

II.  This  certainty  is  not  a  bare  conjectural  and  probable  perswasion, 
grounded  upon  a  fallible  hope,  but  an  infallible  assurance  of  faith,  founded 
on  the  blood  and  righteousness  of  Christ,  revealed  in  the  gospel ;  and  also 
upon  the  inward  evidence  of  those  graces;  unto  which  promises  are  made, 
and  on  the  immediate  witness  of  the  Spirit,  testifying  our  adoption,  and 
as  a  fruit  thereof,  leaving  the  heart  more  humble  and  holy. 

III.  This  infallible  assurance  doth  not  so  belong  to  the  essence  of  faith, 
but  that  a  true  believer  may  wait  long,  and  conflict  with  many  difficulties 
before  he  be  partaker  of  it;  yet  being  enabled  by  the  Spirit  to  know  the 
things  which  are  freely  given  him  of  God,  he  may  without  extraordinary 
revelation,  in  the  right  use  of  ordinary  means,  attain  thereunto:  And 
therefore  it  is  the  duty  of  every  one  to  give  all  diligence  to  make  his 
calling  and  election  sure,  that  thereby  his  heart  may  be  enlarged  in  peace 
and  joy  in  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  love  and  thankfulness  to  God,  and  in 
strength  and  cheerfulness  in  the  duties  of  obedience,  the  proper  fruits  of 
this  assurance;  so  far  is  it  from  inclining  men  to  looseness. 

rV".  True  believers  may  have  the  assurance  of  their  salvation  diverse 
ways  shaken,  diminish'd  and  intermitted,  as  by  negligence  in  preserving 
of  it,  by  falling  into  some  special  sin,  which  woundeth  the  conscience  and 
grieveth  the  spirit,  by  some  sudden  or  vehement  temptation,  by  God's 
withdrawing  the  light  of  his  countenance,  suffering  even  such  as  fear  him 
to  walk  in  darkness  and  to  have  no  light,  yet  are  they  neither  utterly  des- 
titute of  that  seed  of  God,  and  life  of  faith,  that  love  of  Christ  and  the 
brethren,  that  sincerity  of  heart,  and  conscience  of  duty,  out  of  which,  by 
the  operation  of  the  spirit,  this  assurance  may,  in  due  time,  be  revived,  and 
by  the  which,  in  the  mean  time,  they  are  supported  from  utter  despair. 


CHAPTER     XIX. 
OF    THE    LAW    OF    GOD. 


I.  God  gave  tc  Adam  a  law  of  universal  obedience  written  in  his  heart, 
and  a  particular  precept  of  not  eating  the  fruit  of  the  tree  of  knowledge 
of  good  and  evil,  as  a  covenant  of  works  by  which  he  bound  him  and  all 
his  posterity  to  personal,  entire,  exact  and  perpetual  obedience,  promised 
life  upon  the  fulfilling,  and  threatened  death  upon  the  breach  of  it,  and 
endued  him  with  power  and  ability  to  keep  it. 

II.  This  law,  so  written  in  the  heart,  continued  to  be  a  perfect  rule  of 


as, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


197 


rigliteousness  after  the  fall  of  man,  and  was  delivered  by  God  on  Mount 
Sinai  in  ten  commandments,  and  written  in  two  tables;  the  four  first 
commandments  containing  our  duty  towards  God,  and  the  other  six  our 
duty  to  man. 

III.  Besides  this  law,  commonly  called  moral,  God  was  pleased  to-  give 
to  the  people  of  Israel,  as  a  church  under  age,  ceremonial  laws,  containing 
several  typical  ordinances,  partly  of  worship,  prefiguritg  Christ,  his  graces, 
actions,  sufferings  and  benefits,  and  partly  holding  forth  divers  institutions 
of  moral  duties:  All  which  ceremonial  laws,  being  appointed  only  to  the 
time  of  reformation,  are  by  Jesus  Christ,  the  true  Messiah  and  only  law- 
giver, who  was  furnished  with  power  from  the  Father  for. that  end,  abro- 
gated and  taken  away. 

IV.  To  them  also  he  gave  sundry  judicial  laws,  which  expired  together 
with  the  state  of  that  people,  not  obliging  any  now,  by  virtue  of  that 
instruction,  their  general  equity  only  being  still  of  moral  use. 

V.  The  moral  law  doth  for  ever  bind  all,  as  well  justified  persons  as 
others,  to  the  obedience  thereof;  and  that  not  only  in  regard  of  the  matter 
contained  in  it,  but  also  in  respect  of  the  authority  of  God  the  Creator, 
who  gave  it;  neither  doth  Christ  in  the  Gospel  any  ways  dissolve,  but 
much  strengthen  this  obligation. 

VI.  Although  true  believers  be  not  under  the  law  as  a  covenant  of 
Avorks,  to  be  thereby  justified  or  condemned,  yet  it  is  of  great  use  to  them, 
as  well  as  to  others,  in  that,  as  a  rule  of  life,  informing  them  of  the  will 
of  God  and  their  duty,  and  directs  and  binds  them  to  walk  accordingly, 
discovering  also  the  final  pollutions  of  their  natures,  hearts  and  lives,  so 
as,  examining  themselves  thereby,  they  may  come  to  further  conviction 
of  humiliation  for,  and  hatred  against  sin,  together  with  a  clearer  sight  of 
the  need  they  have  of  Christ  and  the  perfection  of  his  obedience.  It  is 
likewise  of  use  to  the  regenerate,  to. restrain  their  corruptions,  in  that  it 
forbids  sin,  and  the  threatenings  of  it  serve  to  shew  what  even  their  sins 
deserve,  and  what  afflictions  in  this  life  they  may  expect  for  them, 
although  freed  from  the  curse  thereof  threatened  in  the  law.  The  promises 
of  it  in  like  manner  shews  them  God's  approbation  of  obedience,  and 
what  blessings  they  may  expect  upon  performance  thereof,  although  not 
as  due  to  them  by  the  law  as  a  covenant  of  works;  so  as  a  man's  doing 
good,  and  refraining  from  evil,  because  the  law  encourageth  to  the  one 
and  deterreth  from  the  other,  is  no  evidence  of  his  being  under  the  law 
and  not  under  grace. 

VII.  Neither  are  the  fore-mentioned  uses  of  the  law  contrary  to  the 
graces  of  the  gospel,  but  do  sweetly  comply  with  it,  the  Spirit  of  Christ 
subduing  and  enabling  the  will  of  man  to  do  that  freely  and  cheerfully, 
which  the  will  of  God  revealed  in  the  law  requireth  to  be  done. 


1:% 


\s4 


r  l.i 


iH... 


r       I       f  iV     J 


198 


MAGNALIA    GHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


CHAPTER  XX  ' 

or    THE    OOSFEL,    AND    OF    THE    EXTENT    OF    THE    OIIACE    THEREOF. 

I.  The  covenant  of  works,  being  broken  by  sin,  and  made  unprofitablo 
unto  life,  God  was  pleased  to  give  unto  the  elect  the  promise  of  Ch-ist, 
the  seed  of  the  woman,  as  the  means  of  calling  them,  and  begetting  in 
them  faith  and  repentance:  In  this  promise,  the  gospel,  as  to  the  sub- 
stance of  it,  was  revealed,  and  was  therein  effectual  for  the  conversion  and 
salvation  of  sinners. 

II.  This  promise  of  Christ  and  salvation  by  him,  is  revealed  only  in 
and  by  the  word  of  God:  neither  do  the  works  of  creation  or  providence, 
with  the  light  of  nature,  make  discovery  of  Christ,  or  of  grace  by  lain,  so 
much  as  in  a  general  or  obscure  way ;  much  less,  that  men  destitute  of  the 
revelation  of  him  by  the  promise  or  gospel,  should  be  enabled  thereby  to 
attain  saving  faith  or  repentance. 

III.  The  revelation  of  the  gospel  unto  sinners,  made  in  diverse  times 
and  by  sundry  parts,  with  the  addition  of  promises  and  precepts,  for  the 
obedience  required  therein,  as  to  the  nations  and  persons  to  whom  it  is 
granted,  is  merely  of  the  sovereign  will  and  good  pleasure  of  God,  not 
being  annexed  by  virtue  of  any  promise  to  the  due  improvement  of  men's 
natural  abilities,  by  virtue  of  common  light  received  without  it,  which 
none  ever  did  make  or  can  so  do.  And  therefore,  in  all  ages,  the  preach- 
ing of  the  gospel  hath  been  granted  unto  persons  and  nations,  as  to  the 
extent  of  straitning  of  it  in  a  great  variety  according  to  the  council  of  tlio 
will  of  God. 

IV.  Although  the  gospel  be  the  only  ontward  means  of  revealing 
Christ  and  saving  grace,  and  is,  as  such,  abundantly  sufficient  thereunto: 
yet  that  men,  who  are  dead  in  trespasses,  may  be  born  again,  quickened  or 
regenerated,  there  is,  moreover,  necessary  an  effectual,  irresistible  work 
of  the  Holy  Ghost  upon  the  whole  soul,  for  the  producing  in  them  a 
spiritual  life,  without  which  no  other  means  are  sufficient  for  their  con- 
version unto  God. 

CHAPTER  XXI. 


or    CHRISTIAN    LIBERTY,    AND    LIBERTV    OF    CONSCIENCE. 

I.  The  liberty  which  Christ  hath  purchased  for  believers  under  the 
gospel,  consists  in  their  freedom  from  the  guilt  of  sin,  the  condemning 
wrath  of  God,  the  rigour  and  curse  of  the  law,  and  in  their  being  deliveied 
from  this  present  evil  world,  bondage  to  Satan,  and  dominion  of  sin,  from 
the  evil  of  afflictions,  the  fear  and  sting  of  death,  the  victory  of  the  grave, 
and  everlasting  damnation,  as  also  in  their  free  access  to  God,  and  their 
yielding  obedience  unto  him,  not  out  of  slavish  fear,  but  a  child-like  love, 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


199 


and  willing  mind:  cdl  which  were  common  also  to  believers  under  the  law, 
for  the  substance  of  them,  't  under  the  New-Testament  the  liberty  of 
Christians  is  further  enlai  in  their  freedom  from  the  yoke  of  the  cere- 
monial law,  the  whole  legui  administration  of  the  covenant  of  grace  to 
which  the  Jewish  church  was  subjected,  and  in  greater  boldness  of  access 
to  the  throne  of  grace,  and  in  fuller  communications  of  the  free  spirit  of 
God,  than  believers  under  the  law  did  ordinarily  partake  of. 

II.  God  alone  is  Lord  of  the  conscience,  and  hath  left  it  free  from  the 
doctrines  and  commandments  of  men,  which  are,  in  any  thing,  contrary 
unto  his  word;  or  not  contained  in  it;  so  that  to  believe  such  doctrines, 
or  to  obey  such  commands,  out  of  conscience,  is  to  betray  true  liberty  of 
conscience,  and  the  requiring  of  an  implicit  faith;  and  an  absolute  blind 
obedience,  is  to  destroy  liberty  of  conscience  and  reason  also. 

III.  They  who  upon  pretence  of  Christian  liberty  do  practice  any  sin, 
or  cherish  any  lust,  as  they  do  thereby  pervert  the  main  design  of  the 
grace  of  the  gospel  to  their  own  destruction,  so  they  wholly  destroy  the 
end  of  Christian  liberty,  which  is,  that  being  delivered  out  of  the  hands 
of  our  enemies,  we  might  serve  the  Lord  without  fear  in  holiness  and 
righteousness  before  him  all  the  days  of  our  life. 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


OF    RELIGIOUS    WORSHIP,    AND    OF    THE    SABBATH-DAT. 

X.  The  light  of  nature  sheweth  that  there  is  a  God,  who  hath  lordship 
and  sovereignty  over  all,  is  just,  good,  and  doth  good  unto  all,  and  is  there- 
fore to  be  feared,  loved,  praised,  called  upon,  trusted  in,  and  served  with 
all  the  heart,  and  all  the  soul,  and  with  all  the  might:  but  the  acceptable 
way  of  worshipping  the  true  God  is  instituted  by  himself,  and  so  limited  by 
his  own  revealed  will,  that  he  may  not  be  worshipped  according  to  the  ima- 
ginations and  devices  of  men,  or  the  suggestions  of  Satan,  under  any  visible 
representations,  or  any  other  way  not  prescribed  in  the  holy  Scripture. 

II.  Religious  worship  is  to  be  given  to  God  the  Father,  Son  and  Holy 
Ghost,  and  to  him  alone,  not  to  angels,  saints  or  any  other  creatures,  and 
since  the  fall  not  without  a  Mediator,  nor  in  the  mediation  of  any  other 
but  of  Christ  alone. 

III.  Prayer  with  thanksgiving  being  one  special  part  of  natural  wor- 
ship, is  by  God  required  of  all  men ;  but  that  it  may  be  accepted,  it  is 
to  be  made  in  the  name  of  the  Son,  by  the  help  of  his  spirit,  according  to 
his  will,  with  understanding,  reverence,  humility,  fervency,  faith,  love 
and  perseverance:  and  w.  en  with  others,  in  a  known  tongue. 

IV.  Prayer  is  to  be  made  for  things  lawful,  and  for  all  sorts  of  men 
living,  or  that  shall  live  hereafter,  but  not  for  the  dead,  nor  for  those  of 
whom  it  may  be  known  that  they  have  sinned  the  sin  unto  death. 


■^:  pu 


,  j'» 


200 


MAGNALIA   CHBISTI    AMEBICANA| 


V.  The  reading  of  the  Scriptures,  preaching  and  hearing  the  word  of 
God,  singing  of  psalms,  as  also  the  administration  of  baptism,  and  the 
Lord's  Supper,  are  all  parts  of  religious  worship  of  God,  to  be  performed 
in  obedience  unto  God  with  understanding,  faith,  reverence  and  gudly 
fear.  Solemn  humiliations,  with  fastings  and  thanksgiving  upon  special 
occasions,  are,  in  their  several  times  and  seasons,  to  be  used  in  an  holy 
and  religious  manner. 

VI.  Neither  prayer,  nor  any  other  part  of  religious  worship,  is  now 
under  the  gospel,  either  tyed  unto,  or  made  more  acceptable  by  any  place 
in  which  it  is  performed,  or  towards  which  it  is  directed:  But  God  is  to 
be  worshipped  every  where  in  spirit  and  in  truth,  as  in  private  families 
daily,  and  in  secret,  each  one  by  himself,  so  more  solemnly  in  the  publick 
assemblies,  which  are  not  carelessly  nor  wilfully  to  be  neglected,  or  for- 
saken, when  God  by  his  word  or  providence  calleth  thereunto. 

VII.  As  it  is  of  the  law  of  nature,  that  in  general  a  proportion  of  time 
by  God's  appointment  be  set  apart  for  the  worship  of  God ;  so  by  his  w  onl 
in  a  positive,  moral,  and  perpetual  commandment,  binding  all  men  in  nil 
ages,  he  hath  particularly  appointed  one  day  in  seven  for  a  sabbath  to  be 
kept  holy  unto  him,  which,  from  the  beginning  of  the  world  to  the  resur- 
rection of  Christ,  was  the  last  day  of  the  week,  and  from  the  resurrection 
of  Christ  was  changed  into  the  first  day  of  the  week,  which  in  Scripture  is 
called  the  Lord's  day,  and  is  to  be  continued  unto  the  end  of  the  woild, 
as  a  Christian  Sabbath,  the  observation  of  the  last  day  of  the  week  being 
abolished. 

VIII.  This  Sabbath  is  then  kept  holy  unto  the  Lord,  when  men,  after 
a  due  preparing  of  their  hearts,  and  ordering  their  common  affairs  before 
hand,  do  not  only  observe  an  holy  rest  all  the  day  from  their  own  works, 
words,  and  thoughts  about  their  worldly  emploj'ments  and  recreations, 
but  also  are  taken  up  the  whole  time  in  the  publick  and  private  exercises 
of  his  worship,  and  in  the  duties  of  necessity  and  mercy. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


OF    LAWFUL    OATHS    AND    VOWS. 


I.  A  LAWFUL  oath  is  a  part  of  religious  worship,  wherein  the  person 
swearing  in  truth,  righteousness  and  judgment,  solemnly  calleth  God  to 
witness  what  he  asserteth,  or  promiseth,  and  to  judge  him  according  to 
the  truth  or  falsehood  of  what  he  sweareth. 

II.  The  name  of  God  only  is  that  by  which  men  ought  to  swear,  and 
therein  it  is  to  be  used  with  all  holy  fear  and  reverence:  Therefore  to  swear 
vainly  or  rashly  by  that  glorious  and  dreadful  name,  or  to  swear  at  all,  by 
any  other  thing,  is  sinful  and  to  be  abhorred.  Yet,  as  in  matters  of  weight 
and  moment,  an  oath  is  warranted  by  the  word  of  God;  under  the  New 


Testamen 
lawful  au 
IIL  W 
duly  to 
avouch  n 
any  man 
and  what 
form.  Y 
and  just, 

IV.  A 
without  e 
any  thing 
own  hurt 

V.  Ay 
of  the  \\k 
like  relig 

VI.  Po 
and  regul 
that  they 
intangle  1 


I.  God, 
civil  mag 
the  publi< 
sword  for 
the  punisl 

II.  It  is 
trate,  whe 
especially 
laws  of  € 
under  the 

III.  Tl 
lawful  po 
and  for  tl 
as  are  cor 
tianity,  w 
of  godlin( 
nature,  oi 
tive  to  th 
church,  tl 


OK,    THK    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


201 


Testameiit,  aa  well  as  under  the  Old;  so  a  lawful  oath,  being  imposed  by 
lawful  authority,  in  such  matters  ought  to  be  taken. 

III.  Whosoever  taketh  an  oath  warranted  by  the  word  of  God,  ought 
duly  to  consider  the  weightiness  bf  so  solemn  an  act,  and  therein  to 
avouch  nothing  but  what  he  is  fully  persuaded  is  the  truth;  neither  may 
any  man  bind  himself  by  oath  to  any  thing,  but  what  is  good  and  just, 
and  what  he  believeth  so  to  be,  and  what  he  is  able  and  resolved  to  per- 
form. Yet  it  is  a  sin  to  refuse  an  oath  touching  any  thing  that  is  good 
and  just,  being  lawfully  imposed  by  authority. 

IV.  An  oath  is  to  be  taken  in  the  plain  and  common  sense  of  the  words, 
without  equivocation,  or  mental  reservation ;  it  cannot  oblige  to  sin;  but  in 
any  thing,  not  sinful,  being  taken,  it  binds  to  performance,  altho'  to  a  man's 
own  hurt;  nor  is  it  to  be  violated,  although  made  to  hereticks  or  infidels. 

V.  A  vow,  which  is  not  to  be  made  to  any  creature  but  God  alone,  is 
of  the  like  nature  with  a  promissory  oath,  and  ought  to  be  made  with  the 
like  religious  care,  and  to  be  performed  with  the  like  faithfulness. 

VI.  Popish  monastical  vows  of  perpetual  single  life,  professed  poverty, 
and  regular  obedience,  are  so  far  from  being  degrees  of  higher  perfection, 
that  they  are  superstitious  and  sinful  snares,  in  which  no  Christian  may 
intangle  himself. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


OF    THE    CIVIL    MAGISTRATE. 


I.  God,  the  supreme  Lord  and  King  of  all  the  v/orld,  hath  ordained 
civil  magistrates  to  be  under  him,  over  the  people  for  his  own  glory  and 
the  public  good:  And  to  this  end  has  armed  them  with  the  power  of  the 
sword  for  the  defence  and  encouragement  of  them  that  do  good,  and  for 
the  punishment  of  evil  doers. 

II.  It  is  lawful  for  Christians  to  accept  and  execute  the  office  of  a  magis- 
trate, when  called  thereunto:  In  the  management  whereof,  as  they  ought 
especially  to  maintain  piety,  justice  and  peace,  according  to  the  wholesome 
laws  of  each  common-wealth,  so  for  that  end,  they  may  lawfully  now 
under  the  New  Testament  wage  war  upon  just  and  necessary  occasion. 

III.  They  who  upon  pretence  of  Christian  liberty  shall  oppose  any 
lawful  power,  or  the  lawful  exercises  of  it,  resist  the  ordinance  of  God ; 
and  for  their  publishing  of  such  opinions,  or  maintaining  of  such  practices, 
as  are  contrary  to  the  light  of  nature,  or  to  the  known  principles  of  Chris- 
tianity, whether  concerning  faith,  worship  or  conversation,  or  to  the  power 
of  godliness,  or  such  erronious  opinions  or  practices,  as  either  in  their  own 
nature,  or  in  the  manner  of  publishing  or  maintaining  them,  are  destruc- 
tive to  the  external  peace  and  order  which  Christ  hath  established  in  the 
church,  they  may  lawfully  be  called  to  account,  and  proceeded  against  by 


:     I; 


202 


M^GNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


the  censures  of  toe  church,  and  by.  the  power  of  the  civil  magistrate;  yet 
in  such  differences  about  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel,  or  ways  of  the  wur> 
ship  of  God,  as  may  befal  men,  exercising  a  good  conscience,  manifesting 
it  in  their  conversation,  {ind  holding  the  foundation,  and  duly  observing 
the  rules  of  peace  and  order,  there  is  no  warrant  for  the  magistrnto  to 
abridge  them  of  their  liberty. 

IV.  It  is  the  duty  of  people  to  pray  for  magistrates,  to  honour  their 
persons,  to  pay  them  tribute  and  other  dues,  to  obey  their  lawful  com- 
mands, and  to  be  subject  to  their  authority  for  conscience  sake.  Infidelity 
or  difference  in  religion  does  not  make  void  the  magistrate's  just  and  legal 
authority,  nor  free  the  people  from  their  due  obedience  to  him:  From 
which  ecclesiastical  persons  are  not  exempted,  much  less  has  the  Po)  any 
power  or  jurisdiction  over  them  in  their  dominions,  or  over  any  of  their 
people,  and  least  of  all  to  deprive  them  of  their  dominions  or  lives,  if  he 
shall  judge  them  to  be  hereticks,  or  upon  any  other  pretence  whatsoever. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


OF    MARRIAOE. 


I.  Marriage  is  to  be  between  one  man  and  one  woman:  Neither  is 
it  lawful  for  any  man  to  have  more  than  one  wife,  nor  for  any  woman  to 
have  more  than  one  husband  at  the  same  time. 

II.  Marriage  was  ordained  for  the  mutual  help  of  husband  and  wife,  for 
the  increase  of  mankind  with  a  legitimate  issue,  and  of  the  church  with  an 
holy  seed,  and  for  preventing  of  unclcanness. 

III.  It  is  lawful  for  all  sorts  of  people  to  marry,  who  are  able  with 
judgment  to  give  their  consent.  Yet  it  is  the  duty  of  Christians  to  marry 
in  the  Lord;  and,  therefore,  such  as  profess  the  true  reformed  religion 
should  not  marry  with  infidels,  papists,  or  other  idolaters:  Neither  should 
such  as  are  godly  be  unequally  yoked,  by  marrying  such  as  are  wicked 
in  their  life,  or  maintain  damnable  heresie.  " 

IV.  Marriage  ought  not  to  be  within  the  degrees  of  consanguinity  or 
affinity  forbidden  in  the  word ;  nor  can  such  incestuous  marriages  ever  bo 
made  lawful  by  any  law  of  man  or  consent  of  parties,  so  as  those  persons 
may  live  together  as  man  and  wife. 


>!■ 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

OF     THE    CHURCH. 


I.  The  catholic  or  universal  church,  which  is  invisible,  consists  of  the 
whole  number  of  the  elect,  that  have  been,  are  or  shall  be  gathered  into 
one  under  Christ,  the  head  thereof,  and  is  the  spouse,  the  body,  the  fulness 
of  him  that  filleth  all  in  all. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


208 


IT.  The  whole  body  of  men,  throughout  the  world,  professing  the  faith 
of  the  gospel,  and  obedience  unto  God  by  Christ,  according  unto  it,  not 
destroying  their  own  profession,  by  any  errors  everting  the  foundation,  or 
unholiness  of  conversation,  they  and  their  children  with  them  are  and  may 
be  called  the  visible  catholic  church  of  Christ,  although,  as  such,  it  is  not 
intrusted  with  any  officers,  to  rule  or  govern  over  the  whole  body. 

III.  The  purest  churches  under  heaven  are  subject  both  to  mixture  and 
error,  and  some  have  so  degenerated,  as  to  become  no  churches  of  Christ, 
but  synagogues  of  Satan :  Nevertheless,  Christ  always  hath  had,  and  ever 
shall  have  a  visible  kingdom  in  this  world,  to  the  end  thereof,  of  such  as 
believe  in  him,  and  make  profession  of  his  name. 

IV.  There  is  no  other  head  of  the  church  but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ; 
nor  can  the  Pope  of  Rome  in  any  sense  be  head  thereof,  but  is  that  Anti- 
christ, that  man  of  sin,  and  son  of  perdition  that  exalteth  himself  in  the 
church  against  Christ,  and  all  that  is  called  God,  whom  the  Lord  shall 
destroy  with  the  brightness  of  his  coming. 

V.  As  the  Lord,  in  his  care  and  love  towards  his  church,  hath  in  his 
infinite  wise  Providence  exercised  it  with  great  variety  in  all  ages,  for  the 
good  of  them  that  love  him  and  his  own  glory:  So,  according  to  his 
promise,  we  expect  that  in  the  latter  days.  Antichrist  being  destroyed,  the 
Jews  called,  and  the  adversaries  of  the  kingdom  of  his  dear  Son  broken, 
the  churches  of  Christ  being  enlarged,  and  edified  through  a  free  and 
plentiful  communication  of  light  and  grace,  shall  enjoy  in  this  world  a 
more  quiet,  peaceable,  and  glorious  condition  than  they  have  enjoyed. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


OF    THE    COMMUNION    OF    SAINTS. 

I.  All  saints  that  are  united  to  Jesus  Christ  their  head  by  his  spirit 
and  faith,  although  they  are  not  made  thereby  one  person  with  him,  have 
fellowship  in  his  graces,  sufferings,  death,  resurrection  and  glory :  And 
being  united  to  one  another  in  love,  they  have  communion  in  each  otlier's 
gifts  and  graces,  and  are  obliged  to  the  performance  of  such  duties,  pub- 
lick  and  private,  as  do  conduce  to  their  mutual  good  both  in  the  inward 
and  outward  man. 

II.  All  saints  are  bound  to  mention  an  holy  fellowship  and  communion 
in  the  worship  of  God,  and  in  performing  such  other  spiritual  services  as 
tend  to  their  mutual  edification,  as  also  in  relieving  each  other  in  out- 
ward things,  according  to  their  several  abilities  and  necessities;  which 
communion,  though  especially  to  be  exercised  by  them  in  the  relations 
wherein  they  stand,  whether  in  families  or  churches,  yet  as  God  oflfereth 
opportunity,  is  to  be  extended  unto  all  those  who,  in  every  place,  call 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 


204 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


or    THB    SACRAMENTS. 


I.  Sacraments  are  holy  signs  and  seals  of  the  covenant  of  grace,  imme- 
diately instituted  by  Christ,  to  repreaent  him  and  hia  benefits,  and  to 
confirm  our  interest  in  him,  and  solemnly  to  engage  us  to  the  sAvice  of 
God  in  Christ,  according  to  his  word. 

II.  There  is  in  every  sacrament  a  spiritual  relation,  or  sacramental 
union  between  the  sign  and  the  thing  signified ;  whence  it  comes  to  pass 
that  the  names  and  effects  of  the  one  are  attributed  to  the  other. 

III.  The  grace  which  is  exhibited  in  or  by  the  sacraments,  rightly  used, 
is  not  conferred  by  any  power  in  them,  neither  doth  the  efficacy  of  a  sacra- 
ment depend  upon  the  piety  and  intention  of  him  that  doth  administer  it, 
but  upon  the  work  of  the  spirit  and  the  word  of  institution,  which  con- 
tains, together  with  a  pi  "jcept  authorizing  the  use  thereof,  a  promise  of 
benefit  to  worthy  receivers. 

IV.  There  be  only  two  sacraments  ordained  by  Christ  our  Lord  in  the 
gospel;  that  is  to  say.  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Supper;  neither  of  which 
may  be  dispensed  by  any  but  by  a  minister  of  the  word,  lawfully  called. 

V.  The  sacraments  of  the  Old  Testament,  in  regard  of  the  spiritual 
things  thereby  signified  and  exhibited,  were  for  substance  the  same  with 
those  of  the  New. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 


OF    BAPTISM. 

I.  Baptism  is  a  sacrament  of  the  New  Testament,  ordained  by  Jesus 
Christ,  ,  be  unto  the  party  baptized  a  sign  and  seal  of  the  covenant  of 
grace,  of  his  ingraffing  into  Christ,  of  regeneration,  of  remission  of  sins, 
and  of  his  giving  up  unto  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  walk  in  newness 
of  life ;  which  ordinance  is  by  Christ's  own  appointment  to  be  continued 
in  his  church  until  the  end  of  the  world. 

II.  The  outward  element  to  be  us'd  in  this  ordinance  is  water,  where- 
with the  party  is  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the 
Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  by  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  lawfully  called 
thereunto. 

III.  Dipping  of  the  person  into  the  water  is  not  necessary,  but  baptism 
is  rightly  administered  by  pouring  or  sprinkling  water  upon  the  person. 

IV.  Not  only  those  that  do  actually  profess  faith  in,  and  obedience  unto 
Christ,  but  also  the  infants  of  one  or  both  believing  parents,  are  to  be 
baptized,  and  those  only. 

V.  Although  it  be  a  great  sin  to  contemn  or  neglect  this  ordinance,  yet 


same:  so 


B,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


206 


grace  and  sJlvation  are  not  so  inseparably  annexed  to  it,  as  that  no  person 
can  be  regenerated  or  laaved  without  it;  or  that  all  that  are  baptized,  are 
undoubtedly  regenerated. 

VI.  The  efficacy  of  baptism  is  not  tyed  to  that  moment  of  time  wherein 
it  is  administered ;  yet  notwithstanding,  by  the  right  use  of  this  ordinance, 
the  grace  promised  is  not  only  offered,  but  really  exhibited  and  conferred 
by  the  Holy  Ghost  to  such  (whether  of  age  or  infants)  as  that  grace 
belongeth  unto,  according  to  the  counsel  of  God's  own  will,  in  his  ap- 
pointed time. 

VII.  Baptism  is  but  once  to  be  administered  to  any  person. 


CHAPTER  XXX- 
OF    THE    lord's    SUFFER. 

I.  Our  Lord  Jesus,  in  the  night  when  he  wis  betray 'd,  instituted  the 
sacrament  of  his  body  and  blood,  call'd  the  Lord's  Supper,  to  be  observed 
in  his  churches  to  the  end  of  the  world,  for  the  perpetual  remembrance 
and  shewing  forth  of  the  sacrfice  of  himself  in  his  death,  the  sealing  of  all 
benefits  thereof  unto  true  believers,  their  spiritual  nourishment,  and  growth 
in  him,  their  further  engagement  in  and  to  all  duties,  which  they  owe  unto 
hira,  and  to  be  a  bond  and  pledge  of  their  communion  with  him,  and 
with  each  other.  / 

II.  In  this  sacrament  Christ  ia  not  offered  up  to  his  Father,  nor  any 
real  sacrifice  made  at  all  for  remission  of  sin  of  the  quick  or  dead,  but 
only  a  memorial  of  that  one  offering  up  of  himself  upon  the  cross,  once 
for  all,  and  a  spiritual  oblation  of  all  possible  praise  unto  God  for  tlie 
same ;  so  that  the  popish  sacrifice  of  the  Mass  (as  they  call  it)  is  most 
abominably  injurious  to  Christ's  own  only  sacrifice,  the  alone  propitiation 
for  all  the  sins  of  the  elect. 

III.  The  Lord  Jesus  hath  in  this  ordinance  appclrted  his  ministers  to 
declare  his  word  of  institution  to  the  people,  to  pray  and  bless  the  elements 
of  bread  and  wine,  and  thereby  to  set  them  apart  from  a  common  to  an 
holy  use,  and  to  take  and  break  the  bread,  to  take  the  cup,  and  (they  com- 
municating also  themselves)  to  give  both  to  the  communicants,  but  to  none 
who  are  not  then  present  in  the  congregation. 

IV.  Private  masses,  or  receiving  the  sacrament  by  a  priest,  or  any  other 
alone,  as  likewise  the  denyal  of  the  cup  to  the  people,  worshipping  the 
elements,  the  lifting  them  up,  or  carrying  them  about  for  adoration,  and 
the  reserving  them  for  any  pretended  religious  use,  are  all  contrary  unto 
the  nature  of  this  sacrament  and  to  the  institution  of  Christ. 

V.  The  outward  elements  in  this  sacrament  duly  set  apart  to  the  uses 
ordained  by  Christ,  have  such  relation  to  him  crucified,  as  that  truly,  yet 
sacramentally  only,  they  are  sometimes  call'd  by  the  name  of  the  things 


tiM'-i- 


. „ !.»,f;iJS 


206 


MAQNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMERICANA; 


they  represent,  to  wit:  The  Body  and  Blood  of  Christ;  albeit  in  sub- 
stance and  nature  they  still  remain  truly  and  only  bread  and  wine,  as 
they  were  before. 

VI.  The  doctrine  which  maintains  a  change  of  the  substance  of  bread 
and  wine  into  the  substance  of  Christ's  body  and  blood  (commonly  called 
transuhstantiation)  by  consecration  of  a  priest,  or  by  any  other  way,  is 
repugnant,  not  to  the  Scripture  alone,  but  even  to  common  sense  and  reason, 
overthroweth  the  nature  of  a  sacrament,  and  hath  been  and  is  the  cause 
of  manifold  superstitions;  yea,  of  gross  idolatries. 

VII.  Worthy  receivers  outwardly  partaking  of  the  visible  elements  in 
the  sacrament,  do,  then,  also,  inwardly  by  faith,  really  and  indeed,  yet  not 
carnally  and  corporally,  but  spiritually  receive  and  feed  upon  Christ  cru- 
cified, and  all  benefits  of  his  death;  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ  being 
then  not  corporally  or  carnally  in,  with,  or  under  the  bread  and  wine,  yet 
as  really,  but  spiritually  present  to  the  faith  of  believers  in  that  ordinance, 
as  the  elements  themselves  are  to  their  outward  senses. 

VIII.  All  ignorant  and  ungodly  persons,  as  they  are  unfit  to  enjoy 
communion  with  Christ,  so  are  they  unworthy  of  the  Lord's  Table,  and 
cannot  without  great  sin  against  him,  whilst  they  remain  such,  partake  of 
these  holy  mysteries,  or  be  admitted  thereunto;  yea,  whosoever  shall 
receive  unworthily,  are  guilty  of  the  body  and  blood  of  the  Lord,  eating 
and  drinking  judgment  unto  themselves. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 
OF  THE  STATE  OF  MAN  AFTZR  DEATH,  AND   THE   RESURRECTION  OF  THE   DEAD. 

I.  The  bodies  of  men,  afl;er  death,  return  to  dust,  and  see  corruption,  but 
their  souls  (which  neither  dye  nor  sleep)  having  an  immortal  substance, 
immediately  return  to  God,  who  gave  them ;  the  souls  of  the  righteous 
being  then  made  perfect  in  holiness,  are  received  into  the  highest  heavens, 
■where  they  behold  the  face  of  God  in  light  and  glory,  waiting  for  the  full 
redemption  of  their  bodies:  and  the  souls  of  the  wicked  are  cast  into  hell, 
where  they  remain  in  torment  and  utter  darkness,  reserved  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  great-day :  besides  these  two  places  of  souls  separated  from 
their  bodies,  the  Scripture  acknowledgeth  none.  \ 

II.  At  the  last  day,  such  as  are  found  alive  shall  not  dye,  but  be  changed: 
and  all  the  dead  shall  be  raised  up  with  the  self-same  bodies,  and  none 
other,  altho'  with  different  qualities,  which  shall  be  united  again  to  their 
souls  for  ever. 

III.  The  bodies  of  the  unjust  shall  by  the  power  of  Christ  be  raised  to 
dishonour;  the  bodies  of  tht  just  by  his  spirit  unto  honour,  and  be  made 
conformable  unto  his  own  glorious  body 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    MEW-ENGLAND. 


207 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 
or    THE    T.AST    JUDOMEHT. 

I.  God  hath  appointed  a  day  wherein  he  will  judge  the  world  in  right- 
eousness by  Jesus  Christ,  to  whom  all  power  and  judgment  is  given  of  the 
Father:  in  which  day,  not  only  the  apostate  angels  shall  be  judged,  but 
likewise  all  persons  that  have  lived  upon  earth,  shall  appear  before  the 
tribunal  of  Christ,  to  give  an  account  of  their  thoughts,  words  and  deeds, 
and  to  receive  according  to  what  they  have  done  in  the  body,  whether 
good  or  evil. 

II.  The  end  of  God's  appointing  this  day,  is  for  the  manifestation  of  the 
glory  of  his  mercy  in  the  eternal  salvation  of  the  elect,  and  of  his  justice 
in  the  damnation  of  the  reprobate,  who  are  wicked  and  disobedient:  for, 
then  shall  the  righteous  go  into  everlasting  life,  and  receive  that  fulness 
of  joy  and  glory  with  everlasting  reward  in  the  presence  of  the  Lord;  but 
the  wicked,  who  know  not  God,  and  obey  not  the  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, 
shall  be  cast  into  eternal  torments,  and  be  punished  with  everlasting  de- 
struction from  the  presence  of  the  Lord,  and  from  the  glory  of  his  power. 

III.  As  Christ  would  have  us  to  be  certainly  perswaded  that  there  shall 
be  a  judgment,  both  to  deter  all  men  from  sin,  and  for  the  greater  consola- 
tion of  the  godly  in  their  adversity;  so  will  he  have  that  day  unknown  to 
men,  that  they  may  shake  off  all  carnal  security,  and  be  always  watchful, 
because  they  know  not  at  what  hour  the  Lord  will  come,  and  may  be  ever 
prepared  to  say,  Come  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly.    Amen. 


THE  SECOND  PART. 
THE  DISCIPLINE  PRACTISED  IN  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENULAND. 

Nihil  sine,  nihil  contra,  nihil  prater,  nihil  ultra,  divinam  aeripturam,  admittendum.* — P.  Martvr. 

§  1.  The  churches  of  New-England  enjoying  so  much  rest  and  growth 
as  they  had  now  seen,  for  some  sevens  of  years,  it  was,  upon  many  accounts, 
necessary  for  them  to  make  such  a  declaration  of  the  church-order,  wherein 
the  good  hand  of  God  had  moulded  'em,  as  might  convey  and  secure  the 
like  order  unto  the  following  generations.  Next  unto  the  Bible,  which  was 
the  professed,  perpetual  and  only  directory  of  these  churches,  they  had  no 
platform  of  their  church-government,  more  exact  than  their  famous  John 
Cotton's  well-known  book  of  "T/te  Keysf  which  book  endeavours  to  lay 
out  the  just  lines  and  bounds  of  all  church  power,  and  so  defines  the  mat- 

*  Nothing  without,  nothing  «.7ntrary  to,  nothing  oaide  from,  nothing  beyond  the  divine  Scripture),  is  admia- 
Biblo.— Pbtcr  Martyr, 


nm 


m 


206 


MAONALIA    CIIBI8TI    AMERICANA; 


ter,  that,  as  in  tho  Rtate,  there  is  a  dispersion  of  powers  into  several  handn, 
which  are  to  concur  in  all  acts  of  common  concernment;  from  whence  nri.icth 
the  healthy  constitution  of  a  common-wealth;  in  like  sort,  he  assigns  tho 
power  in  the  church  unto  severol  subjects,  wherein  the  united  light  of 
Scripture  and  of  Nature  have  placed  them,  with  a  very  satisfactory  diotri* 
bution.  He  asserts  that  a  prcabyterated  society  of  the  faithful  hath  within 
itself  a  tompleat  power  of  ae^-rc/ormafton,  or,  if  you  will,  o{  aelf-preaervaiion^ 
and  may  within  itself  manage  its  own  choices  of  officers  and  censures  uf 
delinquents.  Now,  a  special  statute-law  of  our  Lord  having  cxcc{)tcd 
women  and  children  from  enjoying  any  part  of  this  power,  he  finds  only 
elders  and  brethren  to  be  the  constituent  members,  who  may  act  in  such  a 
sacred  corporation;  the  elders,  he  finds  the  first  subject  entrusted  with 
government,  the  brethren  endowed  with  priviledge,  insomuch,  that  tho'  the 
elders  only  are  to  rule  the  church,  and  without  them  there  can  be  no  elec- 
tions, admissions,  or  excommunications,  and  they  have  a  negative  upon  the 
acts  of  the  fraternity,  as  well  as  'tis  they  only  that  have  the  power  of 
authoritative  preaching,  and  administring  the  sacraments;  yet  the  brethren 
have  such  a  liberty,  that  without  their  consent  nothing  of  common  concern- 
ment may  be  imposed  u{)on  them.  Nevertheless,  because  particular 
churches  of  elders  and  brethren  may  abuse  their  power  with  manifold  mis- 
carriages, he  asserts  the  necessaiy  communion  of  churches  in  synods,  wlio 
have  authority  to  determine,  declare  and  injoin,  such  things  as  may  roctilie 
the  irmlc-adininistrations,  or  any  disorder,s,  disscntiona  and  confusions  of 
the  congregations,  which  fall  under  their  cognizance :  but,  still,  so  as  to 
leave  unto  the  particular  churches  themselves  \^q  formal  acts,  which  are  to 
be  done  pursuant  unto  the  advice  of  the  council ;  upon  the  scandalous  and 
obstinate  refusal  whereof,  the  council  may  determine  "to  withdraw  com- 
munion from  them,"  as  from  those  who  will  not  be  counselled  against  a 
notorious  mismanagement  of  the  jurisdiction  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
has  given  them.  This  was  the  design  of  that  judicious  treatise,  whereiu 
was  contained  the  substance  of  our  church -discipline;  and  whereof  I  have 
one  remarkable  thing  to  relate,  as  I  go  along.  That  great  person,  who 
aflerwards  proved  one  of  the  greatest  scholars,  divines  and  writers  in  this 
age,  then  under  the  "prejudice  of  conversation,"  set  himself  to  write  a 
confutation  of  this  very  treatise  "of  the  Keys;"  but  having  made  a  con- 
siderable progress  in  his  undertaking,  such  was  the  strength  of  this  unan- 
swerable book,  that  instead  of  his  confuting  it,  it  conquered  him ;  and  the 
book  of  "  The  Keys  "  was  happily  so  blessed  of  God  for  the  convoy  ance  of 
congregational  principles  into  the  now  opened  mind  of  this  learned  man, 
that  he  not  only  wrote  in  defence  of  Mr.  Cotton  against  Mr.  Caudry,  but 
also  expos'd  himself  to  more  than  a  little  sorrow  and  labour,  all  his  days, 
for  the  maintaining  of  those  principles.  Upon  which  occasion,  the  words 
of  the  doctor  [Owen  in  his  Review  of  the  True  Nature  of  Schism]  are: 
"  This  way  of  impartial  examining  all  things  by  the  word,  and  laying  aside 


Oli,    TU£    UIBTORY    OF    NEW-IKOLAND. 


209 


all  prcjudicate  respects  unto  peraonii  or  present  traditions,  is  a  course  that 
I  wuuld  admonJHh  all  to  beware  of,  who  would  avoid  the  danger  of  being 
nmclo  (wl  '  they  cull)  iNDKi'KNDENTa."  Having  said  thus  much  of  that 
book,  nil  mat  I  shall  add  concerning  it  in,  that  the  famous  Mr.  liuthcrford 
himself,  in  his  treatise  intitlod,  "/I  Survey  of  the  Spiritual  Antichrist,^'  has 
these  words:  "Mr.  Cotton,  in  his  Tre.-rise  of  the  Keys  of  the  Kingdom  of 
Ueavcji,  is  well  sound  in  our  way,  if  he  had  giv.i'  some  more  power  to 
assctnblios  and  in  some  lesser  points."  But  it  wosi  convenient  the  churches 
of  Ncw-Kugland  should  have  a  system  of  their  discipline,  extracted  from 
the  word  of  God,  and  exhibited  unto  them,  with  a  more  eflcctual,  acknowl* 
edged  and  established  recommendation:  and  nothing  but  a  council  was 
proper  to  compose  the  system.  The  reader  is  now  to  expect  a  council  at 
Cambridge;  and,  in  truth,  another  sort  of  council  than  that  sham  "Council 
of  Trent,"  whereof  one  that  was  present,  wrote  this  account  unto  the 
Emperor  Maximilian  II. 

"We  d;iily  saw  hungry  and  needy  bishopa  come  to  Trent.  Youths,  for  the  most  part, 
given  to  luxury  and  riot,  hired  only  to  give  their  voice,  as  the  people  pleased.  They  were 
both  unlearn'd  and  simple,  yet  fit  for  the  purpose,  in  regard  of  their  impudent  boldnoss. 
Wlic:i  these  were  added  unto  the  Pope's  old  flatterers,  iniquity  triuroph'd ;  it  was  impossible 
to  duterniine  anything,  but  as  they  pleased.  The  council  seemed  not  to  consist  of  bishops, 
but  of  disguised  masquers ;  not  of  men,  but  of  images,  such  as  Daedalus  made,  moved  by 
nerves  none  of  their  own.  They  were  hireling  bishops,  which,  as  country  bag-pipes,  could 
not  spculi  but  ns  breath  was  put  into  them." 

The  difference  between  the  bishops  now  to  assemble  at  Cambridge,  and 
the  bishops  which  then  made  such  a  noise  by  their  conventicle  at  Trent, 
was  in  truth  not  much  less  than  that  between  angels  and  devils. 

§  2.  Wherefore,  a  bill  was  preferred  unto  the  general  court  in  the  year 
1640,  for  the  calling  of  a  synod,  whereby,  a  "  platform  of  church  disci- 
pline," according  to  the  dircQtion  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  blessed 
word,  might  most  advantageously  be  composed  and  published.  The 
magistrates  in  the  general  court  passed  the  bill,  but  the  deputies  had  their 
little  scruples  how  far  the  civil  authority  might  interpose  in  matters  of 
such  religious  and  ecclesiastical  cognizance;  and  whether  scaffolds  might 
not  now  be  raised,  by  the  means  whereof  the  civil  authority  should  pretend 
hereafter  to  impose  an  uniformity,  in  such  instances  which  had  better  be 
icft  at  liberty  and  variety.  It  was  reply'd,  that  it  belong'd  unto  magistrates 
by  all  rational  ways  to  encourage  truth  and  peace  among  their  peoj)le;  and 
that  the  council  now  called  by  the  magistrates  was  to  proceed  but  by  way 
of  council,  with  the  best  light  which  could  be  fetched  from  the  word  of 
God ;  but  the  court  would  be  after  all  free,  as  they  saw  cause  to  approve  or 
to  reject  what  should  be  offered. 

After  all,  tho'  the  objections  of  the  deputies  were  thus  answered,  yet,  in 
compliance  with  such  as  were  not  yet  satisfied,  the  order  for  the  calling  of 
the  intended  assembly  was  directed  only  in  the  form  of  a  motion,  and  not 
Vol.  II.— 14 


m 


i 


"■"IT 
•  ■■   u, 

•■'■  ■!! 


210 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


of  a  command,  unto  the  cliurches.  But  certain  persons,  come  lately  from 
England,  so  inflcamed  the  zeal  for  "liberty  of  conscience"  among  tlio 
people,  that  all  this  compliance  of  the  authority  could  not  remove  the  fear 
of  some  churches,  lest  some  invasion  of  that  liberty  were  threatened  by  a 
clause  in  the  order  of  the  court,  which  intimated  "  that  what  should  be 
presented  by  the  synod,  the  court  would  give  such  allowance  as  would  be 
meet  unto  it.  The  famous  and  leading  church  of  Boston,  particularly,  was 
ensnared  so  much  by  this  fear,  that  upon  the  Lord's  day,  when  the  "order 
of  the  court"  was  first  communicated  unto  them,  they  could  not  come 
unto  an  immediate  resolution  of  sending  any  delegates  unto  the  synod ; 
but  Mr.  Norton,  then  of  Ipswich,  at  Boston  lecture  the  Thursday  follow- 
ing, preached  an  elaborate  sermon  unto  a  vast  auditory,  on  Moses  and 
Aaron  kissing  each  other  in  the  mount  of  God:  and  in  that  sermon,  he  so 
represented  the  nature  and  power  of  synods,  and  the  respect  owing  from 
churches  to  rulers  calling  for  synods,  that  on  the  next  Lord's  day,  the 
church  voted  the  sending  of  three  messengers^  with  their  elders,  unto  this 
assembly.  Indeed,  the  happy  experience  of  New-England  has  taken  away 
from  its  churches  all  occasion  for  any  complaint  like  that  of  Luther's: 
Mihi  conciliorum  nomen,  pene  tarn  suspedum  et  invisuin,  qiiam  nomen  Libcri 
Arhitrii.* 

§  3.  It  being  so  near  winter  before  the  synod  could  convene,  that  ^t\\ 
of  the  ministers  invited  from  the  other  colonies  could  be  present  at  it, 
they  now  sat  but  fourteen  days;  and  then  adjourned  unto  the  eighth  of 
June  in  the  year  ensuing.  Nevertheless,  at  their  first  session,  there  was 
an  occasion  which  they  took  to  consider  and  examine  an  important  case ; 
and  it  came  to  this  result: 

A  PROPOSITION  ABOUT  THE  MAGISTRATE'S  POWER  LV  MATTERS  OF  RELIOIOIV, 

"The  civil  raagistrnte  in  mjittcrs  of  religion,  or  of  \)^q  first  table,  hath  foiver  civilly  to 
command  or  forbid  things  respecting  the  outward  man  wiiich  are  clearly  commanded  or  for- 
bidden in  the  word,  and  to  inflict  suitable  punishments,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  trans- 
gressions against  the  e  ;me." 

Several  arguments,  with  testimonies  for  the  confirmation  of  this  position 
annexed  thereunto,  were  afterwards  printed  at  London  in  the  year  1654, 
accompanied  with  a  discourse  of  Mr.  Tho.  Allen,  wherein  this  doctrine 
was  further  explained,  and  I  would  hope  so  explained,  that  if  so  renowned 
a  saint,  as  the  flimous  Martin,  who,  to  the  death,  renounced  communion 
with  the  synods  which  had  persAvaded  the  emperor  to  employ  the  civil 
sword  against  the  GnosticK  Priscillianists,  had  been  alive,  even  he  would 
not  have  altogether  disallowed  the  desires  of  these  good  men  to  see  the 
civil  magistrate  employing  his  power  to  discountenance  profane  and 
wicked  heresies. 

But  the  "platform  of  church  discipline"  to  be  commended  unto  the 

*  To  me  the  nBtno  orCounctU  Is  alinuBt  as  much  suspected  and  as  offensive  as  that  of  Free- Will. 


AND  ACRE 


or  THE  FORM 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


211 


churches,  was  the  main  chance  which  the  assembly  was  to  mind;  in  order 
wliereunto  they  directed  three  eminent  persons — namely,  Mr.  John  Cotton, 
Mr.  Richard  l-Iather,  and  Mr.  Ralph  Partridge — each  of  them  to  draw  up 
a  scriptural  "model  of  church  government;"  unto  the  end  that,  out  of 
those,  there  might  be  one  educed,  which  the  synod  might,  after  the  most 
filing  Oioughts  upon  it,  send  abroad.  When  the  synod  met,  at  the  time  to 
which  they  had  adjourned,  the  summer  proved  so  sickly  that  a  delay  of 
one  year  more  was  given  to  their  undertaking;  but  at  last  the  desired 
"platform  of  church  discipline"  was  agreed  upon,  and  the  synod  broke 
xip,  with  singing  the  "song  of  Moses  and  the  Lamb,"  in  the  fifteenth  chap- 
ter of  the  Revelation — adding  another  sacred  song  from  the  nineteenth 
chapter  of  that  book ;  which  is  to  be  found  metrically  paraphrased  in  the 
New-England  psalm-book:  so  it  was  presented  unto  the  general  court,  in 
the  month  of  October,  1648. 

And  the  court  most  thankfully  accepted  and  approved  of  it.    It  now 
follows: 

A   PLATFORM    OF    CHURCH   DISCIPLINE, 

GATHERED   OUT   OF    THE    WORD   OF   GOD, 
AND  AGREED  UPON  BY  THE  ELDERS  AND    MESSENGERS  OF  THE  CHURCHES 

ASSEMBLED   IN   THE  SYNOD,  AT  CAMBRIDGE,  IN   NEW-ENGLAND. 

TO  BE  PRESENTED  TO  THE  CHURCHES  AND  GENERAL  COURT  FOR  THEIR  CONSID- 
ERATION AND  ACCEPTANCE  IN  THE  liORD,  THE  8tu  MONTH,  ANNO  1649. 

CHAPTER  I. 


OF  THE  FORM  OF  CHURCH-GOVERNMENT ;    AND    THAT  IT   IS  ONE,  IMMUTABLE,  AND   PRESCRIBED 

IN  THE   WORD. 

1.  Ecclesiastical  polity,  or  church-government  or  discipline,  is  noth- 
ing else  but  that  form  and  order  that  is  to  be  observed  in  the  church  of 
Clirist  upon  earth,  both  for  the  constitution  of  it,  and  all  the  administra- 
tions that  therein  are  to  be  performed. 

2.  Church-government  is  considered  in  a  double  respect,  either  in  regard 
of  the  parts  of  government  themselves,  or  necessary  circumstances  thereof. 
The  parts  of  government  are  prescribed  in  the  word,  because  the  Lord 
Josns  Christ,  (Ileb.  iii.  5,  6;  Exo.  xxv.  40;  2  Tim.  iii.  16,)  the  King 
and  Law-giver  in  his  church,  is  no  less  faithful  in  the  house  of  God,  than 
wiis  Moses,  who  from  the  Lord  delivered  a  f)rm  and  pattern  of  govern- 
ment to  the  children  of  Israel  in  the  Old  Testament;  and  the  holy  Scrip- 
tures are  now  also  so  perfect  as  they  are  able  to  make  the  man  of  God 
l>eifect,  and  thoroughly  furnished  unto  every  good  work;  and  therefore 
doubtless  to  the  well-ordering  of  the  house  of  God. 

8.  Tlie  parts  of  church-government  are  all  of  them  exactly  described  in 
the  word  of  God,  (1  Tim.  iii.  15;  1  Chr.  xv.  13;  Exod.  ii.  4;'  1  Tim.  vi.  13. 


'     ''Ul 


1 1 


m 


212 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


16;  Heb.  xii.  27,  28;  1  Cor.  xv.  24,)  being  parts  or  means  of  instituted 
worship  according  to  the  second  commandment,  and  therefore  to  continue 
one  and  the  same  unto  the  appearing  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  a  kinw- 
doin  that  cannot  be  shalcen,  until  he  shall  deliver  it  up  unto  God,  even  to 
the  Father.  (Deut.  xii.  32;  Ezek.  xlv.  8;  1  Kin.  xii.  81,  32,  83.)  So  that 
it  is  not  left  in  the  power  of  men,  officers,  churches,  or  any  state  in  the 
world,  to  add,  or  diminish,  or  alter  any  thing  in  the  least  measure  therein. 
4.  The  necessary  circumstances,  as  time  and  place,  &c.,  belonging  unto 
order  and  decency,  are  not  so  left  unto  men,  as  that,  under  pretence  of 
them,  they  may  thrust  their  own  inventions  upon  the  churches,  (2  Kin. 
xii. ;  Exo.  xx.  19 ;  Isa.  xxviii.  13 ;  Col.  i.  22,  23,)  being  circumscribed  in 
the  word  with  many  general  limitations,  where  they  are  determined  with 
respect  to  the  matter  to  be  neither  worship  it  self,  nor  circumstances  sep- 
arable from  worship.  (Acts  xv.  28 ;  Mat.  xv.  9 ;  1  Cor.  xi.  23,  and  viii. 
34.)  In  respect  of  their  end,  they  must  be  done  unto  edification ;  in  respect 
of  the  manner,  decently  and  in  order,  according  to  the  nature  of  the  things 
themselves,  and  civil  and  church  custom.  Doth  not  even  nature  its  self 
teach  you?  Yea,  they  are  in  some  sort  determined  particularly — namely, 
that  they  be  done  in  such  a  manner  as,  all  circumstances  considered,  is 
most  expedient  for  edification:  (1  Cor.  xiv.  26,  andxiv.  40,  and  xi.  14.  16, 
and  xiv.  12.  19 ;  Acts  xv.  28.)  So  as,  if  there  be  no  error  of  man  con- 
cerning their  determination,  the  determining  of  them  is  to  be  accounted 
as  if  it  were  divine. 


CHAPTER  II. 


OF   THE   NATURE   OF   THE   CATHOLICK  CHURCH  IN  GENERAL,  AND  IN  SPECIAL  OF  A  PARTICULAR 

VISIBLE  CHURCH. 

1.  The  catholick  church  is  the  whole  company  of  those  that  are  elected, 
redeemed,  and  in  time  effectually  called  from  the  state  of  sin  and  death 
unto  a  state  of  grace  and  salvation  in  Jesus  Christ. 

2.  This  church  is  either  triumphant  or  militant.  Triumphant,  the  num- 
ber of  them  who  are  glorified  in  heaven;  militant,  the  number  of  them 
who  are  conflicting  with  their  enemies  upon  earth. 

3.  This  militant  church  is  to  be  consider'd  as  invisible  and  visible.  (2 
Tim.  ii.  19 ;  Rev.  ii.  17 ;  1  Cor.  vi.  17;  Eph.  iii.  17;  Rom.  i.  8;  1  Thes.  i. 8; 
Isa.  ii.  2;  1  Tim.  vi.  12.)  Invisible,  in  respect  to  their  relation,  wherein 
they  stand  to  Christ  as  a  body  unto  the  head,  being  united  unto  him  by 
the  Spirit  of  God  and  faith  in  their  hearts.  Visible,  in  respect  of  the  pro- 
fession of  their  faith,  in  their  persons,  and  in  particular  churches.  And 
80  there  may  be  acknowledged  an  universal  visible  church. 

4.  The  members  of  the  militant  visible  church,  considered  either  as  not 
yet  in  church  order,  or  walking  according  to  the  church  order  of  the  gos- 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


213 


pel.  (Acts  xix.  1;  Col.  ii.  5;  Mat.  xviii.  17;  1  Cor.  v.  12.)  In  order,  and 
go  besides  the  spiritual  union  and  communion  common  to  all  believers, 
they  enjoy  moreover  an  union  and  communion  ecclesiastical,  political.  ,  So 
we  deny  an  universal  visible  church. 

5.  The  state  of  the  members  of  the  militant  visible  church,  walking  in 
order,  was  either  before  the  law,  (Gen.  xviii.  19 ;  Exod.  xix.  6,)  economi- 
cal, that  is,  in  families;  or  under  the  law,  national;  or  since  the  coming 
of  Christ,  only  congregational  (the  term  independent,  we  approve  not): 
therefore  neither  national,  provincial,  nor  classical. 

6.  A  congregational  church  is  by  the  institution  of  Christ  a  part  of  the 
militant  visible  church,  consisting  of  a  company  of  saints  by  calling, 
united  into  one  body  by  an  holy  covenant,  for  the  publique  worship  of 
God,  and  the  mutual  edification  of  one  another  in  the  fellowship  of  the 
Lord  Jesus.  (1  Cor.  xiv.  23.  36,  and  i.  2,  and  xii.  27;  Ex.  xix.  5,  6; 
Deut.  xxix.  1,  and  9  to  15 ;  Acts  ii.  42 ;  1  Cor.  xiv.  26.) 


il«l 


CHAPTER  III. 

OF  THE  MATTER  OF  THE  VISIBLE  CHURCH,  BOTH  IN  RESPECT  OF  QUALITY  AND  QUANTITY. 

1.  The  matter  of  the  visible  church  are  saints  by  calling. 

2.  By  saints,  we  understand — 1,  Such  as  have  not  only  attained  the 
knowledge  of  the  principles  of  religion,  and  are  free  from  gross  and  open 
scandals,  but  also  do,  together  Avith  the  profession  of  their  faith  and 
repentance,  walk  in  blameless  obedience  to  the  word,  so  as  that  in  char- 
itable discretion  they  may  be  accounted  saints  by  calling,  (tho'  perhaps 
some  or  more  of  them  be  unsound  and  hypocrites  inwardly)  because  the 
members  of  such  particular  churches  are  commonly  by  the  Holy  Ghost 
called  "saints  and  faithful  brethren  in  Christ;"  and  sundry  churches  have 
been  reproved  for  receiving,  and  suffering  such  persons  to  continue  in 
fellowship  among  them,  as  have  been  offensive  and  scandalous^  the  name 
of  God  also,  by  this  means,  is  blasphemed,  and  the  holy  things  of  God 
drilled  and  profaned,  the  hearts  of  the  godly  grieved,  and  the  wicked 
themselves  hardened  and  holpen  forward  to  damnation.  (1  Cor.  i.  2; 
Eph.  i.  1;  Heb.  vi.  1;  1  Cor.  i.  5;  Eo.  xv.  14;  Psalm  1.  16, 17;  Acts  viii. 
87;  Mat.  iii.  6;  Ro.  vi.  17;  1  Cor.  i.  2;  Phil.  i.  2;  Col.  i.  2;  Eph.  i.  1;  1 
Cor.  V.  2.  13;  Rev.  ii.  14,  15.  20;  Ezek.  xliv.  7.  9,  and  xxiii.  38,  39; 
Numb.  xix.  20;  Hag.  ii.  13,  14;  1  Cor.  xi.  27.  29;  Psa.  xxxvii.  21;  1 
Cor.  V.  6 ;  2  Cor.  vii.  14.)  The  example  of  such  doth  endanger  the  sanctity 
of  others,  a  little  leaven  leaveneth  the  whole  lump.  2,  The  children  of 
siu'h  who  are  also  holy. 

3.  The  members  of  churches,  tho'  orderly  constituted,  may  in  time 
dogencrate,  and  grow  corrupt  and  scandalous,  which,  tho'  they  ought  not 
to  be  tolerated  in  the  church,  yet  their  continuance  therein,  thro'  the 


t      i^ 


2U 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


defect  of  the  execution  of  discipline  and  just  censures,  doth  not  immedi- 
ately  dissolve  the  being  of  a  church,  as  appears  in  the  church  of  Israel 
and  the  churches  of  Galatia  and  Corinth,  Pergamos  and  Thyatira.    (liev. 
ii.  14,  15;  and  xxi.  21.) 

4.  The  matter  of  the  church,  in  respect  of  its  quantity,  ought  not  to  ho 
of  greater  number  than  may  ordinarily  meet  together  conveniently  in  one 
place;  (1  Cor.  xiv.  21;  Mat.  xviii.  17,)  nor  ordinarily  fewer  than  may 
conveniently  carry  on  church-work.  Hence,  when  the  holy  Scripture 
makes  mention  of  the  saints  combined  into  a  church  estate  in  a  town  or 
city,  where  was  but  one  congregation,  it  usually  calleth  those  saints  ["  iho 
church"]  in  the  singular  number,  as  "the  church  of  the  Thessalonians," 
"the  church  of  Smyrna,  Philadelphia,"  &c.;  (Rom.  xvi.  1;  1  Thes.  i.  1; 
Rev.  ii.  28,  and  iii.  7,)  but  when  it  speaketh  of  the  saints  in  a  nation  or 
province,  wherein  there  were  sundry  congregations,  it  frequently  and 
usually  calleth  them  by  the  name  of  ["churches"]  in  the  plural  number, 
as  the  "churches  of  Asia,  Galatia,  Macedonia,"  and  the  like:  (1  Cor.  xvi. 
1.  19;  Gal.  i.  2;  2  Cor.  viii.  1;  Thes.  ii.  14,)  which  is  further  confirmed 
by  what  is  written  of  sundry  of  those  churches  in  particular,  how  they 
were  assembled  and  met  together  the  whole  church  in  one  place,  as  the 
church  at  Jerusalem,  the  church  at  Antioch,  the  church  at  Corinth  and 
Cenchrea,  tho'  it  were  more  near  to  Corinth,  it  being  the  port  thereof,  and 
answerable  to  a  village ;  yet  being  a  distinct  congregation  from  Corinth,  it 
had  a  church  of  its  own,  as  well  as  Corinth  had.  (Acts  ii.  46,  and  v.  12, 
and  vi.  2,  and  xiv.  27,  and  xv.  38;  1  Cor.  v.  4,  and  xiv.  23;  Rom.  xvi.  1.) 

5.  Nor  can  it  with  reason  be  thought  but  that  every  church  appointed 
and  ordained  by  Christ,  had  a  ministry  appointed  and  ordained  for  the 
same,  and  yet  plain  it  is  that  there  were  no  ordinary  officers  appointed  by 
Christ  for  any  other  than  congregational  churches;  (Acts  xx.  28,)  elders 
being  appointed  to  feed  not  all  flocks,  but  the  particular  flock  of  God,  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  had  made  them  overseers,  and  that  flock  they  must 
attend,  even  the  whole  flock :  and  one  congregation  being  as  much  as  any 
ordinary  elders  can  attend,  therefore  there  is  no  greater  church  than  a 
congregation  which  may  ordinarily  meet  in  one  place. 


CHAPTER  IV. 

OF  THE  FORM  OF  THE  VISIBLE  CHURCH,  AND  OF  CHURCH  COVENANT. 

1.  Saints  by  calling  must  have  a  visible  political  union  among  them- 
selves, or  else  they  are  not  yet  a  particular  church,  (1  Cor.  xii.  27;  1  Tim. 
iii.  15;  Eph.  ii.  22;  1  Cor.  xii.  15,  16,  17,)  as  those  similitudes  hold  forth, 
which  the  Scripture  makes  use  of  to  shew  the  nature  of  particular  churches; 
as  a  body,  a  building,  house,  hands,  eyes,  feet  and  other  members,  must  be 
united,  or  else  (remaining  separate)  are  not  a  body.    Stones,  timber,  tho' 


OR,    THE    niSTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


215 


squared,  hewcn  and  polished,  are  not  an  house,  until  they  are  compacted 
ami  united :  (Rev.  ii.)  so  saints  or  believers  in  judgment  of  charity,  are  not 
a  ciiurch  unless  orderly  knit  together. 

2.  Particular  churches  cannot  be  distinguished  one  from  another  but  by " 
their  forms.    Ephesus  is  not  Smyrna,  nor  Pergamos  Thyatira;  but  each 
uiie  a  distinct  society  of  itself,  having  officers  of  their  own,  which  had  not 
the  charge  of  others;  virtues  of  their  own,  for  wh'oh  others  are  not  praised; 
corruptions  of  their  own,  for  which  others  are  not  blamed. 

3.  This  form  is  the  visible  covenant^  agreement  or  consent,  whereby  they 
give  up  themselves  unto  the  Lord,  to  the  observing  of  the  ordinances  of 
Christ  together  in  the  same  society,  which  is  usually  call'd  the  "church 
covenant."  (Ex.  xix.  5.  8;  Deut.  xxix.  12,  18;  Zee.  xi.  14,  and  ix.  11,) 
for  we  see  not  otherwise  how  members  can  have  church-power  over  one 
another  mutually.  The  comparing  of  each  particular  church  to  a  cili/,  and 
unto  a  spouse^  (Eph.  ii.  19;  2  Cor.  xi.  2,)  seemeth  to  conclude  not  only  a 
form,  but  that  that  form  is  by  way  of  covenant.  The  covenant,  as  it  was 
that  which  made  the  family  of  Abraham  and  children  of  Israel  to  be  a 
church  and  people  unto  God,  (Gen.  xvii.  7 ;  Eph.  ii.  12.  18,)  so  is  it  that 
which  now  makes  the  several  societies  of  Gentile  believers  to  be  churches 
in  these  days. 

4.  This  voluntary  agreement,  consent  or  covenant — for  all  these  are 
here  taken  for  the  same — altho'  the  more  express  and  plain  it  is,  the  more 
"uUy  it  puts  us  in  mind  of  our  mutual  duty;  and  stirreth  us  up  to  it,  and 
leaveth  less  room  for  the  questioning  of  the  truth  of  the  church-estate  of 
a  company  of  professors,  and  the  truth  of  membership  of  particular  per- 
sons; yet  we  conceive  the  substance  of  it  is  kept  where  there  is  real 
agreement  and  consent  of  a  company  of  faithful  persons  to  meet  constantly 
together  in  one  congregation,  for  the  publick  worship  of  God,  and  their 
mutual  edification:  which  real  agreement  and  consent  they  do  express  by 
their  constant  practice  in  coming  together  for  the  publick  worship  of  God 
and  by  their  religious  subjection  unto  the  ordinances  of  God  there :  (Exod. 
xi\.  5,  and  xx.  8,  and  xxiv.  3.  17;  Josh.  xxiv.  18  to  24;  Psal.  1.  5;  Neh. 
ix.  38,  and  x.  1 ;  Gen.  xvii. ;  Deut.  xxix.)  the  rather,  if  we  do  consider  how 
Scripture-covenants  have  been  entred  into,  not  only  expressly  by  word  of 
mouth,  but  by  sacrifice,  by  hand-writing  and  seal;  and  also  sometimes  by 
silent  consent,  without  any  writing  or  expression  of  words  at  all. 

5.  This'form  being  by  mutual  covenant,  it  followeth,  it  is  not  faith  in 
the  heart,  nor  the  profession  of  that  faith,  nor  cohabitation,  nor  baptism. 
1,  Not  faith  in  the  heart,  because  that  is  invisible.  2,  Not  a  hare  profession, 
because  that  declareth  them  no  more  to  be  members  of  one  church  than 
another.  3,  Not  cohabitation:  Atheists  or  Infidels  may  dwell  together  with 
believers.  4,  Not  Baptism,  because  it  presupposcth  a  church-estate,  as  cir- 
cumcision in  the  Old  Testament,  which  gave  no  being  to  the  church,  the 
church  being  before  it,  and  in  the  wilderness  without  it.     Seals  prcsup- 


m 

I 


'I     I 
/     I 


r 


216 


MAONALIA    OHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


ill 

[  ; 

ri'" 


pose  a  covenant  already  in  being.    One  person  is  a  compleat  subject  of 
baptism,  but  one  person  is  uncapable  of  being  a  church. 

6.  All  believers  ought,  as  God  giveth  them  opportunity  thereunto,  to 
endeavour  to  join  themselves  unto  a  particular  church,  and  that  in  respect 
of  the  honour  of  Jesus  Christ,  in  his  example  and  institution,  by  the  pro- 
fessed acknowledgment  of  and  subjection  unto  the  order  and  ordinances 
of  the  gospel:  (Acts  ii.  47,  and  ix.  26;  Mat.  iii.  18,  14,  15,  and  xxviii.  19, 
20;  Psa.  cxxxiii.  2,  8,  and  Ixxxvii.  7;  Mat.  xviii.  20;  1  John  i.  8,)  as  also 
in  respect  of  their  good  communion  founded  upon  their  visible  union,  and 
contained  in  the  promises  of  Chi  ist's  special  presence  in  the  church ;  whence 
they  have  fellowship  with  him,  and  in  him,  one  with  another:  also  in  the 
keeping  of  them  in  the  way  of  God's  commandments,  and  recovering  of 
them  in  case  of  wandering,  (which  all  Christ's  sheep  are  subject  to  in  this 
life,)  being  unable  to  return  of  themselves;  together  with  the  benefit  of 
their  mutual  edification,  and  of  their  posterity,  that  they  may  not  be  cut 
off  from  the  privilege  of  the  covenant.  (Psa.  cxix.  176;  1  Pet.  ii.  25; 
Eph.  iv,  16;  Job  xxii.  24,  25;  Mat.  xviii.  15,  16,  17.)  Otherwise,  if  a 
believer  offends,  he  remains  destitute  of  the  remedy  provided  in  that 
behalf.  And  should  all  believers  neglect  this  duty  of  joining  to  all  par- 
ticular congregations,  it  might  follow  thereupon  that  Christ  should  have 
no  visible,  political  churches  upon  earth. 


CHAPTER  V. 
OF  THE  FIRST  SUBJECT  OF  CHURCH-FOWER ;  OR,  TO  WHOM  CHURCH-POWER  DOTH  FIRST  BELONG. 

1.  The  first  subject  of  church-power  is  either  s\  jjreme,  or  subordinate 
and  ministerial.  The  supreme  (by  way  of  gift  from  the  Father)  is  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ.  (Mat.  xviii.  18;  Eev.  iii.  7;  Isa.  ix.  6;  Joh.  xx.  21. 
23;  1  Cor.  xiv.  82;  Tit.  i.  5;  1  Cor.  v.  12.)  The  ministerial  is  either 
extraordinary,  as  the  apostles,  prophets  and  evangelists;  or  ordinary,  as 
every  particular  Congregational  church. 

2.  Ordinary  church  power  is  either  power  of  office — that  is,  such  as  is 
proper  to  the  eldership — or  power  of  privilege,  such  as  belongs  to  the 
brotherhood.  (Rom.  xii.  4.  8 ;  Acts  i.  23,  and  vi.  3,  and  xiv.  23 ;  1  Cor. 
X.  29,  30.)  The  latter  is  in  the  brethren  formally  and  immediately  from 
Christ — that  is,  so  as  it  may  be  acted  or  exercised  immediately  by  them- 
selves; the  former  is  not  in  them  formally  or  immediately,  and  therefore 
cannot  be  acted  or  exercised  immediately  by  them,  but  is  said  to  be  in 
them,  in  that  they  design  the  persons  unto  office,  who  only  are  to  act  or 
to  exercise  this  power. 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND.  217 


^  .  CHAPTER  VL 

OF  THE  OFFICERS  OF  THE  CHURCH,  AND  E8FECIALLT  OF  PASTORS  AND  TEACHERS. 

1.  A  CHURCH  being  a  company  of  people  combined  together  by  covenant 
for  the  worship  of  God,  it  appeareth  thereby  that  there  may  be  the  essence 
and  being  of  a  church  without  any  officers,  seeing  there  is  both  the  form 
and  matter  of  a  church ;  which  is  implied  when  it  is  said,  "  the  apostles 
ordained  elders  in  every  church."    (Acts  xiv.  23.) 

2.  Nevertheless,  tho'  officers  be  not  absolutely  necessary  to  the  simple 
being  of  churches,  when  they  be  called;  yet  ordinarily  to  their  calling 
they  are,  and  to  their  well-being:  (Rom.  x.  17;  Jer.  iii.  15;  1  Cor.  xii.  28,) 
and  therefore  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  out  of  his  tender  compassion,  hath 
appointed  and  ordained  officers,  which  he  would  not  have  done,  if  they 
had  not  been  useful  and  needful  to  the  church;  (Eph.  iii.  11;  Psa.  Ixviii. 
18;  Eph.  iv.  8.  11,)  yea,  being  ascended  up  to  heaven,  he  received  gifts 
for  men;  whereof  officers  for  the  church  are  justly  accounted  no  small 
parts,  they  being  to  continue  to  the  end  of  the  world,  and  for  the  perfect- 
ing of  all  the  saints. 

3.  These  officers  were  either  extraordinary  or  ordinary :  extraordinary, 
as  apostles,  prophets,  evangelists;  ordinary,  as  elders  and  deacons.  The 
apostles,  prophets,  and  evangelists,  us  they  were  called  extraordinarily  by 
Christ,  so  their  office  ended  with  themselves:  (1  Cor.  xii.  28,  Eph.  iv.  11; 
Acts  viii.  6.  16.  19,  and  xi.  28;  Rom.  xi.  13;  1  Cor.  iv.  9,)  whence.it  is 
that  Paul,  directing  Timothy  how  to  carry  along  church-administration, 
giveth  no  direction  about  the  choice  or  course  of  apostles,  prophets  or 
evangelists,  but  only  of  elders  and  deacons;  and  when  Paul  was  to  take 
his  last  leave  of  the  church  of  Ephesus,  he  committed  the  care  of  feeding 
the  church  to  no  other,  but  unto  the  elders  of  that  church.  The  like 
charge  does  Peter  commit  to  the  elders.  (1  Tim.  iii.  1,  2.  8  to  13 ;  Tit.  i. 
5;  Acts  XX.  17.  28;  1  Pet.  v.  1,  2,  3.) 

4.  Of  elders  (who  are  also  in  Scripture  called  bishops)  some  attend  chiefly 
to  the  ministry  of  the  word,  as  the  pastors  and  teachers;  (1  Tim.  ii.  3; 
Phil.  i.  1 ;  Acts  XX.  17.  28,)  others  attend  especially  unto  rule,  who  are, 
therefore,  called  ruling-elders.     (1  Tim.  v.  17.) 

5.  The  office  of  pastor  and  teacher  appears  to  be  distinct.  The  pastor's 
special  work  is,  to  attend  to  exhortation,  and  therein  to  administer  a  word 
of  wisdom:  (Eph.  iv.  11;  Rom.  xii.  7,  8;  1  Cor.  xii.  8,)  the  teacher  is  to 
attend  to  doctrine,  and  therein  to  administer  a  word  of!  knoivledge:  (1  Tim. 
iv.  1,  2;  Tit.  i.  9,)  and  either  of  them  to  administer  the  seals  of  that  cove- 
nant, unto  the  dispensation  whereof  they  are  alike  called;  as  also  to 
execute  the  censures,  being  but  a  kind  of  application  of  the  word:  the 
preaching  of  which,  together  with  the  application  thereof,  they  are  alike 
charged  withal. 


1  C''A  m 


I 


fit 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


6.  Forasmuch  as  both  pastors  and  teachers  are  given  by  Christ  for  the 
perfecting  of  the  saints  and  edifying  of  his  body;  (Eph.  iv.  11,  12,  and  i. 
22,  23,)  which  saints  and  body  of  Christ  is  his  church:  and  therefore  wo 
account  pastors  and  teachers  to  be  both  of  them  church-olBcera,  and  not 
the  pastor  for  the  church,  and  the  teacher  only  fbr  the  schools:  (1  Sam.  x, 
12.  19,  20,)  tho'  this  we  gladly  acknowledge,  that  schools  are  both  lawful, 
profitable,  and  necessary,  for  the  training  up  of  such  in  good  literature  or 
learning  as  may  afterwards  be  called  forth  unto  office  of  pastor  or  teacher 
in  the  church.    (2  Kings  ii.  3.  15.) 


CHAPTER  VII. 


OF    RULING    ELDERS    AND    DEACONS. 


1.  The  ruling  elder's  office  is  distinct  from  the  office  of  pastor  and 
teacher;  (Rom.  xii.  7,  8,  9;  1  Tim.  v.  17;  1  Cor.  xii.  28;  Ileb.  xiii.  17; 
1  Tim.  V.  17,)  the  ruling  elders  are  not  so  called  to  exclude  the  pastors 
and  teachers  from  ruling,  because  ruling  and  governing  is  common  to 
these  with  the  other;  whereas  attending  to  teach  and  preach  the  word 
is  peculiar  unto  the  former. 

2.  The  ruling  elder's  work  is  to  join  with  the  pastor  and  teacher  in 
those  acts  of  spiritual  rule,  which  are  distinct  from  the  ministry  of  tlio 
word  and  sacraments  ccmmitted  to  them:  (1  Tim.  v.  17;  2  Chron.  xxiii. 
19;  Rev.  xxi.  12;  1  Tim,  iv.  14;  Matth.  xviii.  17;  2  Cor.  ii.  7,  8;  Acts 
ii.  6;  Acts  xxi.  18.  22,  23.)  Of  which  sort  these  be  as  followeth:  1,  To 
open  and  shut  the  doors  of  God's  house,  by  the  admission  of  menibcrs 
approved  by  the  church;  by  ordination  of  officers  chosen  by  the  church, 
and  by  excommunication  of  notorious  and  obstinate  olVcnders  renounced 
by  the  church,  and  by  restoring  of  penitents  forgiven  by  the  church.  2, 
To  call  the  church  together  when  there  is  occasion,  (Acts  vi.  2,  3;  and  xiii. 
15,)  and  seasonably  to  dismiss  t.hem  again.  3,  To  prepare  matters  in  pri- 
vate, that  in  publick  they  may  be  carried  an  end  with  less  trouble,  and 
more  speedy  dispatch.  (2  Cor.  viii.  19;  Heb.  xiii.  7,  17;  2  Thess.  ii.  10, 
11,  12.)  4,  To  moderate  the  carriage  of  all  matters  in  thi  church  assem- 
bled, as  to  propound  matters  to  the  church.  To  order  the  season  of  speech 
and  silence,  and  to  pronounce  sentence  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ, 
with  the  consent  of  the  church.  5,  To  be  guides  and  leaders  to  the  church 
in  all  matters  whatsoever  pertaining  to  church-administrations  and  actions. 
6,  To  see  that  none  in  the  church  live  inordinately,  out  of  rank  and  place 
without  a  calling,  or  idlcly  in  their  calling.  (Acts  xx.  28.  32;  1  Thoss.  v. 
12;  Jam.  v.  14;  Acts  xx.  20.)  7,  To  prevent  and  heal  such  offences  in 
life  or  in  doctrine  as  might  corrupt  the  church.  8,  To  feed  the  flock  of 
God  with  a  word  of  admonition.     9,  And,  as  they  shall  be  sent  for,  to 


visit  and 
opportunit 
8,  The  c 

(Acts  vi.  8 
Acts  iv.  8i 
The  Script 
tongued,  n 
first  be  pro 
The  office 
gifts  given 
therewith  < 
Lord's  tabl 
whom  thej 

4.  Thee 
things  of  t 
and  admin 
ments,  and 

6.  The  ( 
the  churcli 
of  the  sain 

6.  The  i 
himself,  of 
Eph.  iv.  8. 
appointed, 
be  retainec 
inventions 
Jesus,  the 
patriarchs, 
and  the  WU 
plants  o;'  t 
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7.  The  : 
they  may  1 
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1.  No  n 
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2.  Callir 
the  call  of 
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OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENOLAND. 


219 


visit  and  pray  over  their  sick  brethren.    10,  And  at  other  times,  as 
opportunity  shall  serve  thereunto. 

3.  The  office  of  a  deacon  is  instituted  in  the  church  by  the  Lord  Jesus. 
(Acts  vi.  8.  6;  Phil.  i.  1;  1  Tim.  iii.  8;  1  Cor.  xii.  28;  1  Tim.  iii.  8,  9; 
Acta  iv.  85,  and  vi.  2,  8;  Rom.  xii.  8.)  Sometimes  they  are  called  helps. 
The  Scripture  telleth  us  how  they  should  be  qualified :  "  Grave,  not  double- 
tongued,  not  given  to  much  wine,  not  given  to  filthy  lucre."  They  must 
first  be  proved,  and  then  use  the  office  of  a  deacon,  being  found  blameless. 
The  office  and  work  of  a  deacon  is  to  receive  the  offerings  of  the  church, 
gifts  given  to  the  church,  and  to  keep  the  treasury  of  the  chuich,  and 
therewith  to  serve  the  tables,  which  the  church  is  to  provide  foi';  as  the 
Lord's  table,  the  table  of  the  ministers,  and  of  such  as  are  in  necessity,  to 
whom  they  are  to  distribute  in  simplicity. 

4.  The  office,  therefore,  being  limited  unto  the  care  of  the  temporal  good 
things  of  the  church,  (1  Cor.  vii.  17,)  it  extends  not  to  the  attendance  upon, 
and  administration  of  the  spiritual  things  thereof,  as  the  word,  and  sacra- 
ments, and  the  like. 

6.  The  ordinance  of  the  apostle,  (1  Cor.  xvi.  1,  2,  3,)  and  practice  of 
the  church,  commends  the  Lord's-day  as  a  fit  time  for  the  contributions 
of  the  saints. 

6.  The  instituting  of  all  these  officers  in  the  church  is  the  work  of  God 
himself,  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  (1  Cor.  xii.  28; 
Eph.  iv.  8.  11 ;  Acts  xx.  28.)  And  therefore  such  officers  as  he  hath  not 
appointed,  are  altogether  unlawful,  either  to  be  placed  in  the  church  or  to 
be  retained  therein,  and  are  to  be  looked  at  as  humane  creatures,  meer 
inventions  and  appointments  of  man,  to  the  great  dishonour  of  Christ 
Jesus,  the  Lord  of  his,  the  King  of  his  church,  whether  popes,  cardinals, 
patriarchs,  arch-bishops,  lord-bishops,  arch-deacons,  officials,  commissaries, 
and  the  like.  These  and  the  rest  of  that  hierarchy  and  retinue,  not  being 
pl.ints  o ;'  the  Lord's  planting,  shall  all  be  certainly  rooted  out  and  cast 
forth.    (Matth.  xv.  13). 

7,  The  Lord  hath  appointed  ancient  widows  (1  Tim.  v.  9,  10,)  (where 
they  may  be  had)  to  minister  in  the  church,  in  giving  attendance  to  the 
sick,  and  to  give  succour  unto  them  and  others  in  the  like  necessities. 


CHAPTER   VIII. 

OF   THE   ELKCTION   OF   CHURCH  OFFICERS. 

1.  No  man  may  take  the  honour  of  a  church-officer  unto  himself  but 
he  that  was  called  of  God,  as  was  Aaron.    (Heb.  v.  4.) 

2.  Calling  unto  office  is  either  immediate^  by  Christ  himself — such  was 
the  call  of  the  apostles  and  prophets;  (Gal.  i.  1 ;  Acts  xiv.  23,  and  vi.  3,) 
this  manner  of  calling  ended  with  them,  as  hath  been  said — or  mediate, 
by  the  church. 


220 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


8.  It  is  meet  that,  before  any  be  ordained  or  chosen  officers,  they  should 
first  be  tried  and  proved,  because  hands  are  not  suddenly  to  be  laid  upon 
any,  and  both  elders  and  deacons  must  be  of  both  honest  and  good  report 
(1  Tim.  V.  22,  and  vii.  10;  Acts  xvi.  2,  and  vi.  8.) 

4.  The  things  in  respect  of  which  they  are  to  be  tried,  are  those  gifts 
and  vertues  which  the  Scripture  requireth  in  men  that  are  to  be  elected 
unto  such  places,  viz:  That  elders  must  be  "blameless,  sober,  apt  to  teach," 
and  endued  with  such  other  qualifications  as  are  laid  down :  1  Tim.  iii.  2 ;  Tit. 
1.  6  to  9.    Deacons  to  be  fitted  as  is  directed :  Acts  vi.  3 ;  1  Tim.  iii.  8  to  11, 

5.  Officers  are  to  be  called  by  such  churches  whereunto  they  are  to 
minister.  Of  such  moment  is  the  preservation  of  this  power,  that  the 
churches  exercised  it  in  the  presence  of  the  apostles.  (Acts  jciv.  23,  and 
i.  23,  and  vi.  3,  4,  5.) 

6.  A  church  being  free,  cannot  become  subject  to  any  but  by  a  free  elec- 
tion ;  yet  when  such  a  people  do  chuse  any  to  be  over  them  in  the  Lord, 
then  do  they  become  subject,  and  most  willingly  submit  to  their  niiriistry 
in  the  Lord,  whom  they  have  chosen.     (Gal.  v.  13;  Ileb.  xiii.  17.) 

7.  And  if  the  church  have  power  to  chuse  their  officers  and  ministuis, 
(Rom.  xvi.  17,)  then,  in  case  of  manifest  unworthiness  and  delinquorcy, 
they  have  power  also  to  depose  them:  for  to  open  and  shut,  to  chuse  and 
refuse,  to  constitute  in  office,  and  to  remove  from  office,  are  acts  belonging 
to  the  same  power. 

8.  We  judge  it  much  conducing  to  the  well-being  and  communion  of 
the  churches,  (Cant.  viii.  8,  9,)  that,  where  it  may  conveniently  be  done, 
neighbour  churches  be  advised  withal,  and  their  help  1 1  made  use  of  in 
trial  of  church-officers,  in  order  to  their  choice. 

9.  The  choice  of  such  church-officers  belongeth  not  to  the  civil  magis' 
trate  as  such,  or  diocesan  bishops,  or  patrons:  for  of  these,  or  any  such 
like,  the  Scripture  is  wholly  silent,  as  having  any  power  therein. 


CHAPTER    IX. 


OF   ORDINATION   AND   IMPOSITION   OF  HANDS. 


1.  Church-officers  are  not  only  to  be  chosen  by  the  church,  (Acts 
xiii.  3,  and  xiv.  23,)  but  also  to  be  ordained  by  imposition  of  hands  and 
prayer,  with  which  at  the  ordination  of  elders,  fasting  also  is  to  be  joined. 
(1  Tim.  V.  22.) 

2.  This  ordination  (Numb.  viii.  10;  Acts  vi.  5,  6,  and  xiii.  2,  3,)  we 
account  nothing  elsf  but  the  solemn  putting  a  man  into  his  place  and  office 
in  the  church,  whereunto  he  had  right  before  by  election;  being  like  the 
installing  of  a  nr.agistrate  in  the  common-wealth.  Ordination  therefore  is 
not  to  go  before,  but  to  follow  election,  (Acts  vi.  5,  6,  and  xiv.  23.)  The 
essence  and  substahce  of  the  outward  calling  of  an  ordinary  officer  in  tho 


/■:? 

i 


OR,    TUii.    IIISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND.  4^1 

church  does  not  consist  in  his  ordination,  but  in  his  voluntary  and  free 
election  by  the  church,  and  his  accepting  of  that  election;  whereupon  is 
founded  that  relation  between  pastor  and  flock,  between  such  ti  minister 
and  such  a  people.  Ordination  does  not  constitute  an  officer,  nor  give  • 
him  the  essentials  of  his  office.  The  apostles  were  elders,  without  imposi- 
tion of  hands  by  men :  Paul  and  Barnabas  were  officers  before  that  impo- 
bition  of  hands,  (Acts  xiii.  8.)  The  posterity  of  Levi  were  priests  and 
Levites  before  hands  were  laid  on  them  by  the  children  of  Israel. 

8.  In  such  churches  where  there  are  elders,  imposition  of  hands  in 
ordination  is  to  be  performed  by  those  elders.  (1  Tim.  iv.  10;  Acts  xiii. 
8;  1  Tim.  v.  22.) 

4.  In  such  churches  where  there  are  no  elders,  (Numb.  iii.  10,)  imposi- 
tion of  hands  may  be  performed  by  some  of  the  brethren  orderly  chosen 
by  the  church  thereunto.  For,  if  the  people  may  elect  officers,  which  is 
the  greater,  and  wherein  the  substance  of  the  office  doth  consist,  they 
may  much  more  (occasion  and  need  so  requiring)  impose  hands  in  ordina- 
tion; which  is  less,  and  but  the  accomplishment  of  the  other. 

6.  Nevertheless,  in  such  churches  where  there  are  no  elders,  and  the 
church  so  desire,  we  see  not  why  imposition  of  hands  may  not  be  performed 
by  the  elders  of  other  churches.  Ordinary  officers  laid  hands  upon  the 
officers  of  many  churches:  the  presbytery  at  Ephesus  laid  hands  upon 
Timothy  an  evangelist;  (1  Tim.  iv.  14;  Acts  xiii.  3,)  the  presbytery  at 
Antioch  laid  hands  upon  Paul  and  Barnabas. 

6.  Church-officers  are  officers  to  one  church,  even  that  particular  over 
which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath  made  them  overseers.  Insomuch  as  elders 
are  commanded  to  feed  not  all  flocks,  but  the  flock  which  is  committed  to 
their  faith  and  trust,  and  dependeth  upon  them.  Nor  can  constant  resi- 
dence at  one  congregation  be  necessary  for  a  minister — no,  nor  yet  lawful 
— if  he  be  not  a  minister  to  one  congregation  only,  but  to  the  church  uni- 
versal; (1  Pet.  V.  2;  Acts  xx.  28,)  because  he  may  not  attend  one  part 
only  of  the  church  to  which  he  is  a  minister,  but  he  is  called  to  attend  unto 
all  the  flock. 

7.  He  that  is  clearly  released  from  his  office  relation  unto  that  church 
whereof  he  was  a  minister,  cannot  be  looked  at  as  an  officer,  nor  perform 
any  act  of  office  in  any  other  church,  unless  he  be  again  orderly  called 
unto  office:  which,  when  it  shall  be,  we  know  nothing  to  hinder;  but 
imposition  of  hands  also  in  his  ordination  (Acts  xx.  28,)  ought  to  be  used 
towards  him  again:  for  so  Paul  the  apostle  received  imposition  of  hands 
twice  at  least  from  Ananias,  (Acts  ix.  17,  and  xiii.  3.) 


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222  MAONALIA    ClIRISTI    Alf£.   iCANA} 


CHAPTER    X. 
OF    THE    POWER    OF    THE    CHURCH    AND    ITS    FRESBYTERr. 

1.  Supreme  and  Lordly  power  over  all  the  churches  upon  eari'i  doth 
only  belong  to  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  king  of  the  church,  and  the  head 
thereof  (Ps.  ii.  6;  Eph.  i.  21,  22;  Isa.  ix.  6;  Mat.  xxviii.  18.)  He  hath 
the  government  upon  his  shoulders,  and  hath  all  power  given  to  him,  butli 
in  heaven  and  earth. 

2.  A  company  of  professed  believers,  ecclesiastically  confederate,  as 
they  are  a  church  before  they  have  officers,  and  without  them;  so,  even 
in  that  estate,  subordinate  church-power  (Acts  i.  23,  and  xiv.  23,  and  vi. 
8,  4;  Mat.  xviii.  17;  1  Cor.  v.  4,  5,)  under  Christ  delegated  to  them  by 
him,  doth  belong  to  them  in  such  a  manner  as  is  before  expressed,  Chai'. 
V.  Sec.  2,  and  as  flowing  from  the  very  nature  and  essence  of  a  church;  it 
being  natural  unto  all  bodies,  and  so  unto  a  church-body,  to  be  furnished 
with  sufficient  power  for  its  own  preservation  and  subsistence. 

8.  This  government  of  the  church  (Rev.  iii.  7;  1  Cor.  v.  12,)  is  a  mixt 
government  (and  so  has  been  acknowledged,  long  before  the  term  of  inde- 
pendency was  heard  of);  in  respect  of  Christ,  the  head  and  king  of  the  churtii, 
and  the  Sovereign  Power  residing  in  him,  and  exercised  by  him,  it  is  a 
monarchy;  in  respect  of  the  body  or  brotherhood  of  the  church,  and  power 
from  Christ  granted  unto  them  (1  Tim.  v.  27,)  it  resembles  a  democracy; 
in  respect  of  the  presbytery  and  pov.er  committed  unto  them,  it  is  an 
ai'istocracy, 

4.  The  Sovereign  Power,  which  is  peculiar  unto  Christ,  is  exercised — 1, 
In  calling  the  church  out  of  the  world  into  an  holy  fellowship  with  him- 
self. (Gal.  i.  4;  Rev.  v.  8,  9;  Mat.  xxviii.  20;  Eph.  iv.  8.  11;  Jam.  iv. 
12;  Is.  xxxiii.  22;  1  Tim.  iii.  15;  2  Cor.  x.  4,  5;  Is.  xxxii.  2;  Luke  i. 
71.)  2,  In  instituting  the  ordinances  of  his  worship,  and  appointing  his 
ministers  and  officers  for  the  dispensing  of  them.  3,  In  giving  laws  for 
the  ordering  of  all  our  ways,  and  the  ways  of  his  house.  4,  In  giving 
power  and  life  to  all  his  institutions,  and  to  his  people  by  them.  5,  In 
protecting  and  delivering  his  church  against  and  from  all  the  enemies  of 
their  peace. 

5.  The  power  granted  by  Christ  unto  the  body  of  the  church  and  broth- 
erhood, is  a  jurero^a/jVe  or  ^)m'i7ef/;(7e  which  the  church  doth  exorcise — 1, 
In  choosing  their  own  officers,  whether  elders  or  deacons.  (Acts  vi.  8.  o. 
and  xiv.  23,  and  ix.  26;  Mat.  xviii.  15,  16,  17.)  2,  In  admission  of  thtso 
members;  and  therefore  there  is  great  reason  they  should  have  power  to 
remove  any  from  their  fellowship  again.  Hence,  in  case  of  offence,  any 
brother  hath  power  to  convince  and  admonish  an  offending  brother:  and, 
in  case  of  not  hearing  him,  to  take  one  or  two  more  to  set  on  the  admoni- 
tion: and  in  case  of  not  hearing  them,  to  proceed  to  tell  the  church:  and 


OS 

as  his  offence  ma 
censure  of  him,  i 
Col.  iv.  17;  Mat, 
rt'8tf)re  him  agaii 

6.  In  case  an  ( 
church  had  pow( 
order  (the  ;oun 
thereto)  to  renio^ 
iv.  17;  Ho.  xvi. 
the  church,  that 
the  same  power 
member. 

7.  Church-gov 
church,  (1  Tim. 
called  rulers,  wh 
tion,  they  are  sul 
(Rom.  xii.  8;  1  ' 
Uoly  Ghost  free 
and  church  gov€ 
of  the  people  is 
"submitting  thei 
an  organick  or  c 
are  governours  i 

8.  The  power 
rule  the  church  ( 
any  weighty  occj 
10;  Acts  xiii.  1( 
cause,  may  not 
they  are  dismiss 
the  elders,  nor  c( 
oppose  or  contra 
ficient  and  weig 
unto  order  and  g 

9.  It  belongs 
members  before 
Acts  xxi.  18.  22 
tlie  church,  and 
of  offences  and 
declare  and  pub 
sentence  with  tl 
They  have  pow( 
of  the  Lord. 

10.  This  pow< 
the  power  of  pr 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


228 


as  his  offence  may  require,  the  whole  church  has  power  to  proceed  to  the 
censure  of  him,  whether  by  admonition  or  excommunication:  (Tit.  iii.  10; 
Col.  iv.  17;  Mat.  xviii.  17;  2  Cor.  ii.  7,  8,)  and  upon  hia  repentance  to 
restore  him  again  unto  his  former  communion. 

6.  In  case  an  elder  oftcnd  incorrij^ibly,  the  matter  so  requiring,  as  the 
church  had  power  to  cull  him  to  ofTice,  so  they  have  power  according  to 
order  (the  iounsel  of  oluer  churches,  where  it  may  bo  had,  directing 
thereto)  to  remove  him  from  his  office,  and  being  now  but  a  member,  (Col. 
iv.  17;  Ro.  xvi.  17;  Mat.  >viii.  17,)  incase  he  add  contumacy  to  his  sin, 
the  church,  that  had  power  *o  receive  him  into  their  fellowship,  hath  also 
the  same  power  to  cast  him  out  that  they  have  concerning  any  other 
member. 

7.  Church-government  or  rule  is  placed  by  Christ  in  the  ofllcers  of  tho 
church,  (1  Tim.  v.  17;  Heb.  xiii.  17;  1  Thes.  v.  12,)  who  are  therefore 
called  rulers,  while  they  rule  with  God:  yet,  in  case  of  male-administra- 
tion, they  are  subject  to  the  power  of  the  church,  as  hath  been  said  before. 
(Rom.  xii.  8;  1  Tim.  v.  17;  1  Ccn  xii.  28,  29;  Ileb.  xiii.  7.  17.)  Tho 
Uoly  Ghost  frequently — yea,  always — where  it  mentioneth  churoh-rulo 
and  church  government,  ascribeth  it  to  elders:  whereas  the  work  and  duty 
of  the  people  is  expressed  in  the  phrase  of  "obeying  their  ciders,"  and 
"submitting  themselves  unto  them  in  the  Lord."  So  as  it  is  manifont  that 
an  organick  or  compleat  church  is  a  body  politick,  consisting  ot  some  that 
are  governours  and  some  that  are  governed  in  the  Lord. 

8.  The  power  which  Christ  hath  committed  to  tho  ciders  is  to  feed  and 
rule  the  church  of  God,  and  accordingly  to  call  the  church  together  upon 
any  weighty  occasion;  (Acts  xx.  28,  and  vi.  2;  Numb.  xvi.  12;  Ezek.  xlvi. 
10;  Acts  xiii.  15;  Hos.  iv.  4,)  w,  n  the  members  so  called,  without  just 
cause,  may  not  refuse  to  come,  nor  when  they  are  come,  depart  bofbro 
they  are  dismissed,  nor  speak  in  the  church,  before  they  have  leave  from 
the  elders,  nor  continue  so  doing  when  they  require  silence;  nor  may  they 
oppose  or  contradict  the  judgment  or  sentence  of  the  elders,  without  suf- 
ficient and  weighty  cause,  because  such  practices  are  manifestly  contrary 
unto  order  and  government,  and  inlets  of  disturbance,  and  tend  to  confiu  ion. 

9.  It  belongs  also  unto  the  elders  before  to  examine  any  oOiccrs  or 
members  before  they  be  received  of  ihe  church,  (Rev.  ii.  2;  1  Tim.  v.  19; 
Acts  xxi.  18.  22,  23;  1  Cor.  v.  4, 5,)  to  receive  the  accusations  brought  to 
the  church,  and  to  prepare  them  for  the  churches  hearing.  In  handling 
of  offences  and  other  matters  before  the  church,  they  have  jiowcr  to 
declare  and  publish  the  will  of  God  touching  the  same,  and  to  pn)nounco 
sentence  with  the  consent  of  the  church.  (Numb.  vi.  23  to  26.)  Lastly, 
They  have  power,  when  they  dismiss  the  people,  to  bless  them  in  tho  name 
of  the  Lord. 

10.  This  power  of  government  in  the  elders  doth  not  any  wise  prejudice 
the  power  of  privilege  in  the  brotherhood;  as  neither  the  power  of  privi- 


tip 


224 


MAGNALIA    CHSISTI    AMERICANA; 


lege  in  the  brethren,  doth  prejudice  the  power  of  government  in  the  elders 
(Acts  xiv.  15.  23,  and  vi.  2;  1  Cor.  v.  4;  2  Cor.  ii.  6,  7,)  but  they  may 
sweetly  agree  together;  as  we  may  see  in  the  example  of  the  apostles 
furnislied  with  the  greatest  church-power,  who  took  in  the  concurrence  and 
consent  of  the  brethren  in  church-administrations.  Also  that  Scripture  (2 
Cor.  ii.  9,  and  x.  6)  doth  declare  that  what  the  churches  were  to  act  and  to  do 
in  these  matters,  they  were  to  do  in  a  way  of  obedience,  and  that  not  only  to 
the  direction  of  the  apostles,  but  also  of  their  ordinary  elders.  (Heb.  xiii.  17.) 
11.  From  the  promises,  namely,  that  the  ordinary  power  of  government 
belonging  only  to  the  elders,  power  of  privilege  remaining  with  the  broth- 
erhood, (as  the  power  of  judgment  in  matters  of  censure  and  power  of 
liberty  in  matters  of  liberty,)  it  followeth  that  in  an  organick  church  and 
right  administration,  all  church-acts  proceed  after  the  manner  of  a  mixt 
administration,  so  as  no  church-act  can  be  consummated  or  perfected 
without  the  consent  of  both. 


CHAPTER  XI. 


OF   THE    MAINTENANCE    OF    CHURCH-OFFICERS. 

1.  The  apostle  concludes  that  necessary  and  sufficient  maintenance  is 
due  unto  tlie  ministers  of  the  word  from  the  law  of  nature  and  nations, 
from  the  law  of  Moses,  the  equity  thereof,  as  also  the  rule  of  common 
reason.  Moreover,  the  Scripture  doth  not  only  call  elders  labourers  and 
workmen,  (Gal.  vi.  6,)  but  also,  speaking  of  them,  doth  say  that  "the 
labourer  is  worthy  of  his  hire:"  (1  Cor.  ix.  9. 14;  1  Tim.  v.  18,)  and  requires 
that  he  which  is  taught  in  the  word,  should  communicate  to  him  in  all 
good  things,  and  mention  it,  as  an  ordinance  of  the  Lord,  that  they  which 
preach  the  gospel,  should  live  of  the  gospel,  and  forbiddeth  the  muzzling 
of  the  mouth  of  the  ox  that  treadeth  out  the  corn. 

2.  The  Scriptures  alledged  requiring  this  maintenance  as  a  bounden 
duty,  and  due  debt,  and  not  as  a  matter  of  alms  and  free  gift,  therefore 
people  are  not  at  liberty  to  do  or  not  to  do,  what  and  when  they  please  in 
this  matter,  no  more  than  in  any  other  commanded  duty  and  ordinance  of 
the  Lord;  (Rom.  xv.  27;  1  Cor.  ix.  21,)  but  ought  of  duty  to  minister  of 
their  "carnal  things"  to  them  that,  labour  among  them  in  word  and  doc- 
trine, as  well  as  they  ought  to  pay  any  other  workmen  their  wages,  i.nd 
to  discharge  and  satisfie  their  debts,  or  to  submit  themselves  to  observe 
any  other  ordinance  of  the  Lord. 

3.  The  apohile  (Gal.  vi.  6)  enjoyning  that  he  which  is  taught  communi- 
cate to  him  that  teacheth  "in  all  good  things,"  doth  not  leave  it  arbitrary, 
(1  Cor.  xvi.  2,)  what  or  how  much  a  man  shall  give,  or  in  what  propor- 
tion, but  even  the  latter,  as  well  as  the  former,  is  prescribed  and  appointed 
by  the  Lord. 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


225 


4.  Not  only  members  of  churches,  but  "all  that  are  taught  in  the  word," 
are  to  contribute  unto  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good  things.  In  case  that 
congregations  are  defective  in  their  contributions,  the  deacons  are  to  call 
upon  them  to  do  their  duty:  (Acts  vi.  3,  4,)  if  their  call  sufficeth  not,  the 
church  by  her  power  is  to  require  it  of  their  members;  and  where  church 
power,  thro'  the  corruption  of  men,  doth  not  or  cannot  attain  the  end,  the 
magistrate  is  to  see  that  the  ministry  be  duly  provided  for,  as  appears 
from  the  commended  example  of  Nehemiah.  (Neh.  xiii.  11;  Isa.  xliv. 
23;  2  Cor.  viii.  13,  14.)  The  magistrates  are  nursing-fathers  and  nursing- 
mothers,  and  stand  charged  with  the  custody  of  both  tables ;  because  it  is 
better  to  prevent  a  scandal,  that  it  may  not  come,  and  easier  also,  than  to 
remove  it,  when  it  is  given.  It's  most  suitable  to  rule,  that  by  the  church's 
care  each  man  should  know  his  proportion  according  to  rule,  what  he 
should  do  before  he  do  it,  that  so  his  judgment  and  heart  may  be  satisfied 
in  what  he  doth,  and  just  offence  prevented  in  what  is  done. 


i  i 


'I    I 


CHAPTER  XII. 


1        i! 


OF    THE    ADMISSION    OF    MEMBERS    INTO    THE    CHURCH. 

1.  The  doors  of  the  churches  of  Christ  upon  earth  do  not  by  God's 
appointment  stand  so  wide  open,  that  all  sorts  of  people,  good  and  bad, 
may  freely  enter  therein  at  their  pleasure,  (2  Chr.  xxix.  19 ;  Mat,  xiii.  25, 
and  xxii.  12,)  but  such  as  are  admitted  thereto,  as  members,  ought  to  be 
cxainin'd  and  tryed  first,  whether  they  be  fit  and  meet  to  be  received  into 
church-society  or  not.  The  Eunuch  of  Ethiopia,  before  his  admission,  was 
examined  by  Philip,  (Acts  viii.  37,)  whether  he  did  believe  on  Jesus 
Christ  with  all  his  heart.  Tiie  angel  of  the  church  at  Ephesus  (Rev.  ii.  2; 
Acts  ix.  26,)  is  commended  for  trying  such  as  said  they  were  apostles,  and 
were  not.  There  is  like  reason  for  trying  of  them  that  profess  themselves 
to  be  believers.  The  officers  are  charged  with  the  keeping  of  the  doors  of 
the  church,  and  therefore  are  in  a  special  manner  to  make  tryal  of  the  fit- 
ness of  such  who  enter.  Twelve  angels  are  set  at  the  gates  of  the  temple, 
(Rev.  xxi.  12;  2  Chr.  xxiii.  19,) lest  such  as  Avere  "ceremonially  unclean" 
should  enter  thereunto. 

2.  The  things  which  are  requisite  to  be  found  in  all  church-members, 
are  repentance  from  sin,  and  faith  in  Jesus  Christ:  (Acts  ii.  38  to  42,  and 
viii.  37,)  and  therefore  these  are  the  things  whereof  men  are  to  be  exam- 
ined at  their  admission  into  the  church,  and  w^ich  then  they  must  profess 
and  hold  forth  in  such  sort  as  may  satisfie  "rational  charity"  that  the 
things  arfi  indeed.  John  Baptist  admitted  men  to  baptism  confessing  and 
bewailing  their  sins:  (Mat.  iii.  6;  Acts  xix.  18,)  and  of  others  it  is  said 
that  "they  came  and  confessed,  and  shewed  their  deeds." 

Vol.  IL— 15 


ih 


226 


MAGNALIA    CIIR18TI    AMERICANA; 


8.  The  weakest  measure  of  faith  is  to  be  accepted  in  those  that  desire  to 
be  admitted  into  the  church,  (Rom.  xiv.  1,)  if  sincere,  have  the  substance 
of  that  faith,  repentance  and  holiness,  which  is  required  in  church  mem- 
bers; and  such  have  most  need  of  the  ordinances  for  their  confirmatii)ii 
and  growth  in  grace.  The  Lord  Jesus  would  not  quench  the  smoaking 
flax,  nor  break  the  bruised  reed,  (Mat.  xii.  20;  Isa.  xl.  11,)  but  gather  the 
tender  lambs  in  his  arms,  and  carry  them  gently  in  his  bosom.  Smh 
charity  and  tenderness  is  to  be  used,  as  the  weakest  Christian,  if  sincere, 
may  not  be  excluded  nor  discouraged.  Severity  of  examination  is  to 
be  avoided. 

4.  In  case  any,  thro'  excessive  fear  or  other  infirmity,  be  unablo  to 
make  their  personal  relation  of  their  spiritual  estate  in  publick,  it  is  siilVi- 
cient  that  the  dders,  having  received  private  satisfaction,  make  relation 
thereof  in  publick  before  the  church,  they  testifying  their  assents  tlioro- 
unto:  this  being  the  way  that  tendeth  most  to  edification.  But  whereas 
persons  are  of  greater  abilities,  there  it  is  most  expedient  that  they  nvAv. 
their  relations  and  confessions  personally  with  their  own  mouth,  as  Daviil 
professeth  of  himself.    (Psal.  Ixvi.  6.) 

5.  A  personal  and  publick  confession  and  declaring  of  God's  mannrr 
of  working  upon  the  soul,  is  both  lawful,  expedient  and  useful,  in  sumlry 
respects  and  upon  sundry  grounds.  Those  three  thousand,  (Acts  ii.  '67. 
41,)  before  they  were  admitted  by  the  apostles,  did  manifest  that  they 
were  pricked  at  the  heart  by  Peter's  sermon,  together  with  earnest  desire 
to  be  delivered  from  their  sins,  which  now  wounded  their  conscieneesj, 
and  their  ready  receiving  of  the  word  of  promise  and  exhortation.  AVe 
are  to  be  ready  to  "render  a  reason  of  the  hope  that  is  in  us,  to  every  one 
that  asketh  us;"  (1  Pet.  iii.  15;  Heb.  xi.  1;  Eph.  i.  18,)  therefore  we  must 
be  able  and  ready  upon  any  occasion  to  declare  and  shew  our  repentance 
for  sin,  faith  unfeigned,  and  effectual  calling,  because  these  are  the  reason 
of  a  well-grounded  hope.  "I  have  not  hidden  thy  righteousness  from  the 
great  congregation."    (Psalm  xl.  10.) 

fi.  This  profession  of  faith  and  repentance,  as  it  must  be  made  by  such 
at  their  admission  that  were  never  in  church  society  before;  so  nothing 
hindereth  but  the  same  way  also  be  performed  by  such  as  have  formerly 
been  members  of  some  other  church,  (Mat.  iii.  5,  6;  Gal.  ii.  4;  1  Tim.  v. 
24,)  and  the  church  to  which  they  now  join  themselves  as  members  may 
lawfully  require  the  same.  Those  three  thousand  (Acts  ii.)  which  made 
their  confession,  were  members  of  the  church  of  the  Jews  before;  so  were 
those  that  were  baptised  by  John.  Churches  may  err  in  heir  admission; 
and  persons  regularly  admitted  may  fall  into  offence.  Otherwise,  if 
churches  might  obtrude  their  members,  or  it  church  members  might  <.h- 
trude  themselves  upon  other  churches  without  due  trial,  the  n  atter  so 
requiring,  both  the  liberty  of  the  churches  would  thereby  be  infringed,  ni 
that  they  might  not  examine  those,  concerning  whose  fitness  for  com- 


I  iV 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    (/ F    NEW-ENGLAND, 


227 


munion  they  were  unsatisfied;  and  besides  the  infringing  of  their  liberty, 
tlie  churches  themselves  would  unavoidably  be  corrupted,  and  the  ordi- 
nances defiled:  whilst  they  might  not  refuse,  but  must  receive  the  unworthy,  - 
which  is  contrary  unto  the  Scripture,  teaching  that  all  churches  are  sisters, 
and  therefore  equal.     (Cant.  viii.  8." 

7.  The  like  trial  is  to  be  required  from  such  members  of  the  church  as 
were  born  in  the  same,  or  received  their  membership,  or  were  baptised  iu 
their  infancy  or  minority  by  virtue  of  the  covenant  of  their  parents,  when 
being  grown  up  into  years  of  discretion,  they  shall  desire  to  be  made  par- 
takers of  the  Lord's  Supper;  unto  which,  because  holy  things  must  not 
be  given  unto  the  unworthy,  therefore  it  is  requisite  (Mat.  vii.  6 ;  1  Cor. 
xi.  27,)  that  these,  as  well  as  others,  should  come  to  their  trial  and  examin- 
ation, and  manifest  their  faith  and  repentance  by  an  open  profession 
thereof,  before  they  are  received  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  otherwise  not 
to  be  admitted  thereunto.  Yet  these  church  members  that  were  so  born, 
or  received  in  their  childhood,  before  they  are  capable  of  being  made  par- 
takers of  full  communion,  have  many  priviledges  which  others  (not  church 
members)  have  not ;  they  are  in  covenant  with  God,  have  the  seal  thereof 
upon  them,  viz:  baptism;  and  so,  if  not  regenerated,  yet  are  in  a  more 
hopeful  way  of  attaining  regenerating  grace,  and  all  the  spiritual  blessings, 
both  of  the  covenant  and  seal;  they  are  also  under  church-watch,  and 
consequently  subject  to  the  reprehensions,  admonitions  and  censures 
thereof,  for  their  healing  and  amendment,  as  need  shall  require. 


coin* 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

OF  CHURCH-MEMBERS,  THEIR  REMOVAL  FROM  ONE  CHURCH  TO  ANOTHER,  AND  OF 

RECOMMENDATION  AND  DISMISSION. 

L  Church-members  may  not  remove  or  depart  from  the  church,  and 
so  one  from  another  as  the}'  please,  nor  without  just  and  weighty  cause, 
hut  ought  to  live  and  dwell  together,  (Ileb.  x.  25,)  forasmuch  as  they  are 
commanded  not  to  forsake  the  assembling  of  themselves  together.  Such 
departure  tends  to  the  dissolution  and  ruine  of  the  body,  as  the  pulling  of 
stones  and  pieces  of  timber  from  the  building,  and  of  members  from  the 
natural  body,  tend  to  the  destruction  of  the  whole. 

2.  It  is,  therefore,  the  duty  of  church-members,  in  such  times  and 
places,  where  counsel  may  be  had,  to  consult  with  the  church  whereof 
they  are  members  (Pro.  xi.  16,)  about  their  removal,  that,  accordingly, 
they  having  their  approbation,  may  be  encouraged,  or  otherwise  desist. 
They  who  are  joined  with  consent,  should  not  depart  without  consent, 
except  forced  thereunto. 

8.  If  a  member's  departure  be  manifestly  unsafe  and  sinful,  the  church 
may  not  consent  thereunto;  for  in  so  doing,  (Ro.  xiv.  23,)  they  should 


ft 


228 


MAGNOLIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICAXA; 


not  act  in  faith,  and  should  partake  with  him  in  his  sin.  (1  Tim.  v.  22.) 
If  the  case  be  doubtful  and  the  person  not  to  be  persuaded,  (Acts  xxi. 
14,)  it  seemeth  best  to  leave  the  matter  unto  God,  and  not  forcibly  to 
detain  him.  « 

4.  Just  reasons  for  a  member's  removal  of  himself  from  the  churcli, 
are — 1,  If  a  man  cannot  continue  without  partaking  in  sin.  (Eph.  v.  11.) 
2,  In  case  of  personal  persecution :  (Acts  ix.  25.  29,  30,  and  viii.  1,)  so 
Paul  departed  from  the  disciples  at  Damascus;  also,  in  case  of  genernl 
persecution,  when  all  are  scattered.  In  case  of  real,  and  not  only  pio- 
tended  want  of  competent  subsistence,  a  door  being  opened  for  belter 
supply  in  another  place,  (Neh.  xiii.  20,)  together  with  the  means  of  spirit- 
ual  edification.  In  these  or  like  cases,  a  member  may  lawfully  :.'emovc, 
and  the  church  cannot  lawfully  detain  him. 

5.  To  separate  from  a  church,  either  out  of  contempt  of  their  holy  fel- 
lowship, (2  Tim.  iv.  10,)  or  out  of  covetousness,  or  for  greater  enlarge- 
ments, with  just  grief  to  the  church,  or  out  of  schism,  or  want  of  love, 
and  out  of  a  spirit  of  contention  in  respect  of  some  unkindness,  or  some 
evil  only  conceived  or  indeed  in  the  church,  which  might  and  should  bo 
tolerated  and  healed  with  a  spirit  of  meeknetis,  and  of  which  evil  the 
church  is  not  yet  convinced  (tho'  perhaps  himself  be)  nor  admonished ; 
for  these  or  the  like  reasons,  to  withdraw  from  publique  communion  in 
word  or  seals,  or  censures,  is  unlawful  and  sinful. 

6.  Such  members  as  have  orderly  iwoved  their  habitation,  ought  to  join 
themselves  unto  the  church  in  order  (Isa.  Ivi.  8,)  where  they  do  inhabit, 
(Acts  ix.  26,)  if  it  may  be ;  otherwise,  they  can  neither  perform  the  duties 
nor  veceive  the  priviledges  of  members.  Such  an  example,  tolerated  in 
some,  is  apt  to  corrupt  others,  which,  if  many  should  follow,  would 
threaten  the  dissolution  and  confusion  of  churches,  contrary  to  the  Scrip- 
ture.   (1  Cor.  xiv.  33.) 

7.  Order  requires  that  a  member  thus  removing,  have  letters  testimonial 
and  of  dismission  from  the  church  (Act.  xviii.  27,)  whereof  he  yet  is,  unto 
the  church  wheretmto  he  desireth  to  be  joined,  lest  the  churcu  should  bo 
deluded;  that  the  church  may  receive  him  in  faith,  and  not  be  corrupted 
in  receiving  deceivers  and  false  brethren.  Until  the  person  dismissed  be 
received  unto  another  -^hurch,  he  ceaseth  not  by  his  letters  of  dismission  to 
be  a  member  of  the  church  whereof  he  was.  The  church  cannot  make  a 
member  no  member  but  byexcommunication. 

8.  If  a  member  be  called  to  remove  only  for  a  time  where  a  church  is, 
(Rom.  xvi.  1,  2,)  letters  of  recommendation  are  requisite  and  sufficient  for 
communion  with  that  church  (2  Cor.  iii.  1)  in  the  ordinances  and  in  their 
watch;  as  Phoebe,  a  servant  of  the  church  at  Cenchrea,  had  a  letter  written 
for  her  to  the  church  at  Rome,  that  she  might  be  received  as  becometh  saints. 

9.  Such  letters  of  recommendation  and  dismission  (Acts  xviii.  27)  wero 
written  for  Apollos,  for  Marcus  to  the  Colossians,  (Col.  iv.  10,)  for  Phcebe 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


220 


to  the  Romans,  (Rom.  xvi.  1,)  for  sundry  other  churches.  (2  Cor.  iii.  6.) 
And  the  apostle  tells  us  that  some  persons,  not  sufficiently  known  other- 
wise, have  special  need  of  such  letters,  tho'  he,  for  his  part,  had  no  need 
thereof.  The  use  of  them  is  to  be  a  benefit  and  help  to  the  party  for 
whonj  they  are  written,  and  for  the  furthering  of  his  receiving  among  the 
saints,  in  the  place  whereto  he  goeth,  and  the  due  satisfaction  of  them 
in  their  receiving  of  him. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


OF    EXCOMMUNICATION    AND    OTHER    CENSURES. 

1.  The  censures  of  the  church  are  appointed  by  Christ  fhr  the  prevent 
ing,  removing  and  healing  of  offences  in  the  church;  (1  Tim.  v.  20;  Jude 
19;  Deu.  xiii.  11:  1  Cor.  v.  6;  Rom.  ii.  24;  Rev.ii.  14, 15,  16.  20,)  for  the 
reclaiming  and  gaining  of  oftending  brethren;  for  the  deterring  others 
from  the  like  offences;  for  purging  out  the  leaven  which  may  infect  the 
whole  lump;  for  vindicating  the  honour  of  Christ  and  of  his  church,  and 
the  holy  profession  of  the  gospel ;  and  for  preventing  of  the  wrath  of  God, 
that  may  justly  fall  upon  the  church,  if  they  should  suffer  his  covenant 
and  the  seals  thereof  to  be  profaned  by  notorious  and  obstinate  offenders. 

2.  If  an  offence  be  private,  (Mat.  v.  23,  24,)  (one  brother  offending 
another)  the  offender  is  to  go  and  acknowledge  his  repentance  for  it  unto 
his  offended  brother,  who  is  then  to  forgive  him;  but  if  the  offender 
neglect  or  refuse  to  do  it,  the  brother  offended  is  to  go,  and  convince  and 
admonish  him  of  it,  between  themselves  privately :  if  therefore  the  offender 
be  brought  to  repent  of  his  offence,  the  admonisher  has  won  his  brother: 
but  if  the  offender  hear  not  his  brother,  the  brother  of  the  offended  is  to 
take  with  him  one  or  two  more,  (verse  16,)  that  in  the  mouth  of  two  or 
three  witnesses  every  word  may  be  established,  (whether  the  word  of 
admonition,  if  the  offender  receive  it ;  or  the  word  of  complaint,  if  he  refuse 
it,)  for  if  he  refuse  it,  (verse  17,)  the  offended  brother  is  by  the  mouth  of 
the  eldero  to  tell  the  church,  and  if  he  hear  the  church,  and  declare  the 
same  by  penitent  confession,  he  is  recovered  and  gained:  And  if  the 
church  discern  him  to  be  willing  to  hear,  yet  not  fully  convinced  of  his 
offence,  as  in  case  of  heresie,  they  are  to  dispence  to  him  a  publick  admoni- 
tion; which,  declaring  the  offender  to  lye  under  the  publick  offence  of 
the  church,  doth  thereby  with-hold  or  suspend  him  from  the  holy  fel- 
lowship of  the  Lord's  Supper,  till  his  offence  be  removed  by  penitent 
confession.  If  he  still  continue  obstinate,  they  are  to  cast  him  out  by 
excom  munication . 

8.  But  if  the  offence  be  more  publick  at  first,  and  of  a  more  hainous  and 
criminal  nature,  (1  Cor.  v.  4.  8,  11,)  to  wit,  such  as  are  condemned  by  the 
light  of  nature;  then  the  church,  without  such  gradual  proceeding,  is  to 


.  ■■  lii.. 


230 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


cast  out  the  offender  from  their  holy  communion,  for  tlie  further  niortif\  ing 
of  his  sin,  and  the  healing  of  his  aoul  in  the  day  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

4.  In  dealing  with  an  offender,  great  care  is  to  be  taken  that  we  lie 
neither  over-strict  or  rigorous,  nor  too  indulgent  or  remiss:  our  proceed- 
ing herein  ought  to  be  with  a  spirit  of  meekness,  considering  ourselves, 
lest  we  also  be  tempted,  (Gal.  vi.  1,)  and  that  the  best  of  us  have  need  of 
much  forgiveness  from  the  Lord.  (Math,  xviii.  34,  35.)  Yet  the  winning 
and  healing  of  the  offender's  soul  being  the  end  of  these  endeavours, 
(Ezek.  xiii.  10,)  we  must  not  daub  with  untempered  mortar,  nor  heal 
the  wounds  of  our  brethren  slightly.  On  some,  have  compassion ;  others, 
save  with  fear. 

5.  While  the  offender  remains  excommunicate,  (Mat.  xviii.  17,)  the 
church  is  to  refrain  from  all  member-like  communion  with  him  in  spiritual 
things,  (1  Cor.  v.  11,)  and  also  from  all  familiar  communion  with  him  in 
civil  things,  (2  Thes.  iii.  6.  14,)  farther  than  the  necessity  of  natural  or 
domestical  or  civil  relations  do  require;  and  are  therefore  to  forbear  to 
eat  and  drink  with  him,  that  he  may  be  ashamed. 

6.  Excommunication  being  a  spiritual  punishment,  it  doth  not  prejudice 
the  excommunicate  in,  or  deprive  him  of  his  civil  rights,  and  therefore 
toucheth  not  princes  or  magistrates  in  respect  of  their  civil  ^iignity  or 
authority ;  (1  Cor.  xiv.  24,  26,)  and  the  excommunicate  being  but  as  a 
publican  and  a  heathen,  (2  Thes.  iii.  14,)  heathens  being  lawfully  per- 
mitted to  hear  the  word  in  church-assemblies,  we  acknowledge  therefore 
the  like  liberty  of  hearing  the  word  may  be  permitted  to  persons  excom- 
municate that  is  permitted  unto  heathen.  And  because  we  are  not  with- 
out hope  of  hid  recovery,  we  are  not  to  account  him  as  an  enemy,  but  to 
admonish  him  as  a  brother. 

7.  If  the  Lord  sanctifie  the  censure  to  the  offender,  so  as  by  the  grace 
of  Christ,  he  doth  testifie  his  repentance  with  humble  confession  of  his  sin, 
and  judging  of  himself,  giving  glory  unto  God,  (2  Cor.  ii.  7,  8,)  the  church 
iu  then  to  forgive  him,  and  to  comfort  him,  and  to  restore  him  to  the 
wonted  brotherly  communion,  which  formerly  he  enjoyed  with  'em. 

8.  The  suffering  of  prophane  or  scandalous  livers  to  continue  in  fellow- 
ship, and  partake  in  the  sacraments,  (Rev.  ii.  14,  15.  20,)  is  doubtless  a 
great  sin  in  those  that  have  power  in  their  hands  to  redress  it,  and  do  it 
not:  Nevertheless,  in  so  much  as  Christ,  and  his  apostles  in  their  times, 
and  the  prophets  and  other  godly  men  in  theirs,  (Mat.  xxiii.  3;  Acts  iii.  1,) 
did  lawfully  partake  of  the  Lord's  commanded  ordinances  in  the  Jewish 
church,  and  neither  taught  nor  practised  separation  from  the  same,  though 
unworthy  ones  were  permitted  therein:  and  inasmuch  as  the  faithful  in 
the  church  of  Corinth,  wherein  were  many  unworthy  persons  and  prac- 
tises, (1  Cor.  vi.  and  xv.  12,)  are  never  commanded  to  absent  themselves 
from  the  sacraments,  because  of  the  same;  therefore  the  godly,  in  like 
cases,  are  not  to  separate. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


231 


9.  As  separation  from  such  a  church  wherein  profane  and  scandalous 
persons  are  tolerated,  is  not  presently  necessary;  so  for  the  members 
thereof,  otherwise  unworthy,  hereupon  to  abstain  from  communicating 
with  such  a  church  in  the  participation  of  the  sacraments,  is  unlawful. 
(2  Chr.  XXX.  18;  Gen.  xviii.  2c.)  For  as  it  were  unreasonable  for  an 
innocent  person  to  be  punished  or  the  faults  of  others,  wherein  he  hath 
no  hand,  and  whereunto  he  gave  no  consent;  so  is  it  more  unreasonable 
that  a  godly  man  should  neglect  duty,  and  punish  himself,  in  not  coming 
for  his  portion  in  the  blessing  of  the  seals,  as  he  ought,  because  others  are 
suffered  to  come  that  ought  not;  especially  considering  that  himself  doth 
neither  consent  to  their  sin,  nor  to  their  approaching  to  the  ordinance  in 
llieir  sin,  nor  to  the  neglect  of  others,  who  should  put  them  away,  and  do 
not,  but,  on  the  contrary,  doth  heartily  mourn  for  these  things,  (Ezek.  ix. 
4,)  modestly  and  seasonably  stir  up  others  to  do  their  duty.  If  the  church 
cannot  be  reformed,  they  may  use  their  liberty,  as  is  specified.  Chap. 
XIII.  Sect.  4.  But  this  all  the  godly  are  bound  unto,  even  every  one  to  his 
endeavour,  according  to  his  power  and  place,  that  the  unworthy  may  be 
duly  proceeded  against  by  the  church,  to  whom  this  matter  doth  pertain. 


CHAPTER    XV. 


OF    THE    COMMUNION    OF    CHURCHES    ONE    WITH    ANOTHER. 

1.  Altho'  churches  be  distinct,  and  therefore  may  not  be  confounded  one 
with  another,  and  equal,  and  therefore  have  not  dominion  one  over  another; 
(Rev.  i.  4;  Cant.  viii.  8;  Rom.  xvi.  16;  1  Cor.  xvi.  19;  Acts  xv.  23;  Rev. 
ii.  1,)  yet  all  the  churches  ought  to  preserve  church-communion  one  with 
another,  because  they  are  all  united  unto  Christ,  not  only  as  a  mystical,  but 
as  a  political  head:  whence  is  derived  a  communion  suitable  thereunto. 

2.  The  communion  of  churches  is  exercised  several  ways.  (Cant.  viii. 
8.)  1,  By  way  of  mutual  care  in  taking  thought  for  one  another's  welfare. 
2,  By  way  of  consultation  one  with  another,  when  we  have  occasion  to 
require  the  judgment  and  counsel  of  other  churches,  touching  any  person 
or  cause,  wherewith  they  may  be  better  acquainted  than  our  selves;  (Acts 
XV.  2,)  as  the  church  of  Antioch  consulted  with  the  Apostles  and  elders 
of  the  church  at  Jerusalem,  about  the  question  of  circumcision  of  the  Gen- 
tiles, and  about  the  false  teachers  that  broached  that  doctrine.  In  which 
case,  when  any  church  wauteth  light  or  peace  among  themselves,  it  is  a 
way  of  communion  of  the  churches,  according  to  the  word,  to  meet  together 
by  their  elders  and  other  messengers  in  a  synod,  (ver.  22,  23,)  to  considei 
and  argue  the  point  in  doubt  or  difference;  and,  having  found  out  the 
way  of  truth  and  peace,  to  commend  the  same  by  their  letters  and  mes- 
sengers to  the  churches  whom  the  same  may  concern.  But  if  a  church  be 
rent  with  divisions  among  themselves,  or  lye  Uiider  any  ooen  scandal,  and 


282 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


yet  refuse  to  consult  with  other  churches  for  healing  or  removing  of  tlio 
same,  it  is  matter  of  just  offence,  both  to  the  Lord  Jesus  nnd  to  oilier 
churches,  (Ezek.  xxxiv.  4,)  as  bewraying  too  much  want  of  mercy  ami 
faithfulness,  not  to  seek  to  bind  up  the  breaches  and  wounds  of  the  church 
and  brethren ;  And  therefore  the  state  of  such  a  church  calleth  aloud  upuu 
other  churches  to  exercise  a  fuller  act  of  brotherly  communion,  to  wit,  by 
way  of  admonition.  8,  A  way,  then,  of  communion  of  churches,  is  by 
way  of  admonition;  to  wit,  in  case  any  publio>offence  be  found  in  a  charuli, 
which  they  either  discern  not,  or  are  slow  in  proceeding  to  use  tlio  means 
for  the  removing  and  healiilg  of.  Paul  had  no  authority  over  Peter,  yet 
when  he  saw  Peter  not  walking  with  a  right  foot,  he  publickly  rebuked 
him  before  the  church.  (Gal.  ii.  11  to  14.)  Tho'  churches  have  no  more 
authority  one  over  another,  than  oncapostle  had  over  another,  yet,  as  one 
apostle  might  admonish  another,  so  may  one  church  admonisli  another, 
and  yet  without,  usurpation.  (Matth.  xviii.  15,  16,  17,  by  proportion.) 
In  which  case,  if  the  church  that  lieth  under  offence,  do  not  hearken  to 
the  church  that  doth  admonish  her,  the  church  is  to  acquaint  other  neigh- 
bour churches  with  that  offence,  which  the  offending  church  still  lieth 
under,  together  with  the  neglect  of  their  brotherly  admonition  given  unto 
them:  Whereupon  those  other  churches  are  to  join  in  seconding  the 
admonition  formerly  given:  and  if  still  the  offending  church  continue  in 
obstinacy  and  impenitency,  they  may  forbear  communion  with  them,  and 
are  to  proceed  to  make  use  of  the  help  of  a  synod  or  counsel  of  neighbour 
churches,  walking  orderly  (if  a  greater  cannot  conveniently  be  had)  for 
their  conviction.  If  they  hear  not  the  synod,  the  synod  having  declared 
them  to  be  obstinate,  particular  churches  accepting  and  approving  of  the 
judgment  of  the  synod,  are  to  declare  the  sentence  of  non-communion 
respectively  concerning  them;  and  thereupon,  out  of  religious  care  to 
keep  their  own  communion  pure,  they  may  justly  withdraw  themselves 
from  partici^^ation  with  them  at  the  Lord's  table,  and  from  such  other  acts 
of  holy  communion,  as  the  communion  of  churches  doth  otherwise  allow 
and  require.  Nevertheless,  if  any  members  of  such  a  church  as  live  under 
public  offence,  do  not  consent  to  the  offence  of  the  church,  but  do  in  due 
sort  bear  witness  against  it,  (Gen.  xviii.  25,)  they  are  still  to  be  received 
to  wonted  communion,  for  it  is  not  equal  that  the  innocent  should  suft'er 
with  the  offensive.  Yea,  furthermore,  if  such  innocent  members,  after 
due  waiting  in  the  use  of  all  due  means  for  the  healing  of  the  offence  of 
their  own  church,  shall  at  last  (with  the  allowance  of  the  counsel  of  neigh- 
bour churches,)  withdraw  from  the  fellowship  of  their  own  church,  and 
offer  themselves  to  the  fellowship  of  another,  we  judge  it  lawful  for  tho 
other  church  to  receive  them  (being  otherwise  fit)  as  if  they  had  been 
orderly  dismissed  to  them  from  their  own  church.  4,  A  fourth  way  of 
communion  with  churches,  is  by  way  of  ■participation :  the  members  of  one 
church  occasionally  coming  to  another,  we  willingly  admit  them  to  partake 


OR,    THE    HI8T0EY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


233 


UT. 


witli  them  at  the  Lord's  table,  (1  Cor.  xii.  13,)  it  being  the  seal  of  our 
communion  not  only  with  Christ,  not  only  with  the  members  of  our  own 
church,  but  also  of  all  the  churches  of  the  saints:  In  which  regard  we 
refuse  not  to  baptize  their  children  presented  to  us,  if  either  their  own 
minister  be  absent,  or  such  a  fruit  of  L^uiy  fellowship  be  desired  with  us. 
In  like  cases,  such  churches  as  are  furnished  with  more  ministers  than  one, 
do  willingly  afford  one  of  their  own  ministers  to  sup{)ly  the  absence  or 
place  of  a  sick  minister  of  aijpther  church  for  a,  needful  season.  5,  A  fifth 
way  of  church  communion  is  by  recommendation ,  (Rom.  xvi.  1,)  when  the 
member  of  one  church  hath  occasion  to  reside  in  another  church,  if  but 
for  a  season,  we  commend  him  to  their  watchful  fellowship  by  letters  of 
recommendation:  But  if  he  be  called  to  settle  his  abode  there,  we  commit 
him,  according  to  his  desire,  to  the  fellowship  of  their  covenant  by  letters 
of  dismission.  6,  A  sixth  way  of  church  communion,  (Acts  xviii.  27,)  is 
in  case  of  need  to  minister  succour  one  unto  another,  (Acts  xi.  22,)  eitlier 
of  able  members  to  furnish  them  with  officers,  or  of  outward  support  to  the 
necessities  of  poorer  churches,  (verse  29,)  as  did  the  churches  of  the  Gen- 
tiles contribute  liberally  to  the  poor  saints  at  Jerusalem.    (Rom.  xiii.  2H,  27.) 

3.  When  a  company  of  believers  purpose  to  gather  into  church-fellow- 
ship, it  is  requisite  for  their  safer  proceeding  and  the  mentioning  of  the 
communion  of  churches,  that  they  signifie  their  intent  unto  the  neighbour- 
ing churches,  walking  according  to  the  order  of  the  gospel,  and  desire  their 
presence  and  help,  and  right  hand  of  fellowship;  (Gal.  ii.  1,  2,  and  ix.,  by 
proportion,)  which  they  ought  readily  to  give  unto  them,  when  there  is  no 
just  cause  to  except  against  their  proceedings. 

4.  Besides  these  several  ways  of  communion,  there  is  also  a  way  of 
propagation  of  churches:  When  a  church  shall  grow  too  numerous,  it  is  a 
way,  and  fit  season  to  propagate  one  church  out  of  another,  by  sending 
forth  such  of  their  members  as  are  willing  to  remove,  and  to  procure  some 
officers  to  them,  (Isa.  xl.  20;  Cant.  viii.  8,  9,)  as  may  enter  with  them  into 
church  estate  among  themselves.  As  bees,  when  the  hive  is  too  full,  issue 
out  by  swarms,  and  are  gathered  into  other  hives,  so  the  churches  of  Christ 
may  do  the  same  upon  the  like  necessity ;  and  therein  hold  forth  to  them 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  both  in  their  gathering  into  a  church  and  in 
the  ordination  of  their  oflS.cers. 


•  1) 
I  i 


f ,' 


1 1 

i   I    if 


CHAPTER    XVI. 

OF    STNODS. 


1.  Synods,  orderly  assembled,  (Acts  xv.  2  to  15,)  and  rightly  proceed- 
injf  according  to  the  pattern,  (Acts  xv.)  we  acknowledge  as  the  ordinance 
of  Christ:  and  tbo'  not  absolutely  necessary  to  the  being,  yet  many  times, 
thro'  the  iniquity  of  men  and  perverseness  of  times,  necessary  to  the  well- 
bt'iiig  of  churches,  for  the  establishment  of  truth  and  peace  therein. 


'H 


:^ 


204 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


2.  Synods  hc'n,^^  oi)iriiual  and  ecclesinaticnl  assemblies,  nro  tlierofore 
made  up  of  spiritual  and  ecclesiastical  causes.  The  next  efficient  cause 
of  them,  under  Christ,  is  the  power  of  the  churches  sending  forth  their 
ciders  and  other  messengers,  (Acts  xv.  2,  8,)  who  being  mot  together  in 
the  name  of  Christ,  are  the  matter  of  a  synod;  and  they  in  arguing  and 
debating  and  determining  matters  of  religion,  (verse  (\)  according  to  the 
word,  and  publishing  the  same  to  the  churches  it  concerneth,  (verse  7  to 
23,)  do  put  forth  the  proper  and  formal  acts.of  a  synod,  (verse  31,)  to  the 
conviction  of  errors,  and  heresies,  and  the  establishment  of  trutii  and 
peace  in  the  churches,  which  is  the  end  of  a  synod.    (Acts  xvi.  4.  15.) 

8.  Magistrates  have  power  to  call  a  synod,  by  calling  to  the  churches  to 
send  forth  their  elders  and  other  messengers  to  counsel  and  assist  them  in 
matters  of  religion;  (2  Chr.  xxix.  4,  5  to  11,)  but  yet  the  constituting  of  a 
synod  is  a  church-act,  and  may  be  transacted  by  the  churches,  (Acts  xv.)  even 
when  civil  magistrates  may  be  enemies  to  churches  and  to  church-assemblies. 

4.  It  belongeth  unto  synods  and  councils  to  debate  and  determine  con- 
troversies of  faith  and  cases  of  conscience;  (Acts  xv.  1,  2.  6,  7;  1  Chr. 
XV.  13;  2  Chr.  xxix.  6,  7;  Acts  xv.  24.  28,  29,)  to  clear  from  the  word 
holy  directions  for  the  holy  worship  of  God  and  good  government  of  the 
church;  to  bear  witness  against  mal-administration  and  corruption  in  doc- 
trine or  manners,  in  any  particular  church;  and  to  give  directions  for  the 
reformation  thereof;  not  to  exercise  church-censures  in  way  of  discipline, 
nor  any  other  act  of  church-authority  or  jurisdiction  which  that  presiden- 
tial synod  did  forbear. 

5.  The  synod's  directions  and  determinations,  so  far  as  consonant  to  the 
word  of  God,  are  to  be  received  with  reverence  and  submission ;  not  only 
for  their  agreement  therewith,  (Acts  xv.)  (which  is  the  principal  ground 
thereof,  and  without  which  they  bind  not  at  all,)  but  also,  secondarily,  for 
the  power  whereby  they  are  made,  as  being  an  ordinance  of  God  appointed 
thereunto  in  his  word. 

6.  Because  it  is  difficult,  if  not  impossible,  for  many  churches  to  come 
together  in  one  place,  in  their  members  universally;  therefore  they  may 
assemble  by  their  delegates  or  messengers,  as  the  church  at  Antioch  went 
not  all  to  Jerusalem,  but  some  select  men  for  that  purpose.  (Acts  xv.  2.) 
Because  none  are  or  should  be  more  fit  to  know  the  state  of  the  churches, 
nor  to  advise  of  ways  for  the  good  thereof,  than  elders;  therefore  it  is  fit 
that,  in  the  choice  of  the  messengers  for  such  assemblies,  they  have  special 
respect  unto  such ;  yet,  inasmuch  as  not  only  Paul  and  Barnabas,  but  cer- 
tain others  also,  (Acts  xv.  2.  22,  23,)  were  sent  to  Jerusalem  from  Anti- 
och, (Acts  XV.)  and  when  they  were  come  to  Jerusalem,  not  only  the 
apostles  and  elders,  but  other  bretheren,  also  do  assemble  and  meet  about 
the  matter;  therefore  synods  are  to  consist  both  of  elders  and  other 
church-members,  endued  wit'  gifts,  and  sent  by  the  churches,  not  exclud- 
ing the  presence  of  any  Oiv-oheren  in  the  churches. 


or   THE    CIV 


OR,    THE    UISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


235 


CUAPTEB  XVII. 
or   THE    CIVIL    magistrate's    POWEn    IN    MATTERS    ECCLESIASTICAL. 

1.  It  is  lawful,  profitable  and  necessary  for  Christians  to  gather  them- 
selves together  into  church  estate,  and  therein  to  exercise  all  the  ordi- 
nances of  Clirist,  according  unto  the  word,  (Acts  ii.  41.  47,  and  iv.  1,  2,  3,) 
although  the  consent  of  the  magistrate  could  not  be  had  thereynto;  be- 
cause the  apostles  and  Christians  in  their  time  did  frequently  thus  pniutise, 
when  the  magistrates,  being  all  of  them  Jewish  and  Pagan,  and  most  per- 
secuting enemies,  would  give  no  countenance  or  consent  to  such  matters. 

2.  Church-government  stands  in  no  opposition  to  civil  government  of 
conunonwealths,  nor  any  way  intrencheth  upon  the  authority  of  civil 
magistrates  in  their  jurisdictions;  nor  any  whit  weakeneth  their  hands 
in  governing,  but  rather  strengtheneth  them,  and  furthereth  the  people  in 
yielding  more  hearty  and  conscionable  obedience  to  them,  whatsoever 
some  ill  affected  persons  to  the  ways  of  Christ  have  suggested,  to  alienate 
the  affections  of  kings  and  princes  from  the  ordinances  of  Christ ;  as  if 
the  kingdom  of  Christ  in  his  church  could  not  rise  and  stand,  without  the 
falling  and  weakening  of  their  government,  which  is  also  of  Christ,  (Isa. 
xlix.  23,)  whereas  the  contrary  is  most  true,  that  they  may  both  stand 
together  and  flourisO,  the  one  being  helpful  unto  the  other,  in  their  dis- 
tinct and  due  administrations. 

3.  The  power  and  authority  of  magistrates  is  not  for  the  restraining  of 
churches  (Rom.  xiii.  4;  1  Tim.  ii.  2,)  or  any  other  good  works,  but  for  help- 
ing in  and  furthering  thereof;  and  therefore  the  consent  and  countenance 
of  magistrates,  when  it  may  be  had,  is  not  to  be  slighted,  or  lightly 
esteemed;  but,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  part  of  that  honor  due  to  Christian 
magistrates  to  desire  and  crave  their  consent  and  approbation  therein; 
which  being  obtained,  the  churches  may  then  proceed  in  their  way  with 
much  more  encouragement  and  comfort. 

4.  It  is  not  in  the  power  of  magistrates  to  compel  their  subjects  to 
become  church-members,  and  to  partake  of  the  Lord's  Supper;  (Ezek. 
xliv.  7.  9,)  for  the  priests  are  reproved  that  brought  unworthy  ones  into 
the  sanctuary:  (1  Cor.  v.  11;)  then  it  was  unlawful  for  the  priests,  so  it  is 
its  unlawful  to  be  done  by  civil  magistrates ;  those  whom  the  church  is  to 
cast  out,  if  they  were  in,  the  magistrate  ought  not  to  thrust  them  into  the 
church,  nor  to  hold  them  therei;^. 

5.  As  it  is  unlawful  for  church-officers  to  meddle  with  the  sword  of  the 
magistrate,  (Mat.  ii.  25,  26,)  so  it  is  unlawful  for  the  magistrate  to  meddle 
with  the  work  proper  to  church-officers.  The  acts  of  Moses  and  David, 
who  were  not  only  princes  but  prophets,  were  extraordinary,  therefore 
uot  inimitable.  Against  such  usurpation  the  Lord  witnessed  by  smiting 
Uzziah  with  leprosie  for  presuming  to  offer  incense.  (2  Chr.  xxvi.  16, 17.) 


'  :ii 


ij  ''L  .  ill 


1  '( 


i'  t!  i  ', 


^.1 


■''.     i 


':  n 


n;ii 


236 


MAOKALIA    CHRISTl    AMERICANA; 


6.  It  is  the  duty  of  tlio  magistrate  to  take  care  of  matters  of  religion 
and  to  improve  his  civil  authority  for  the  observing  of  the  duties  com- 
nuinded  in  the  first,  aa  well  as  for  observing  of  the  duties  commanded  in 
the  second  table.  They  are  called  yods.  (Psa.  Ixxxviii.  8.)  The  end  of 
the  magistrate's  office  is  not  only  the  quiet  and  peaceable  life  of  the  Hiih. 
ject  in  matters  of  righteousness  and  honesty,  but  also  in  matters  ot  godlj. 
ness;  yea,  of  all  godliness.  (1  Tim.  ii.  1,  2;  1  Kings  xv.  14,  and  xxii. 
43;  2  Kings  xii.  8,  and  xiv.  4,  and  xv.  85.)  Moses,  Joshua,  David,  bol... 
mon,  Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  Hezekiuh,  Josiah,  are  much  commended  by  the 
Holy  Ghost,  for  the  putting  forth  their  authority  in  matters  of  religion; 
on  the  contrary,  such  kings  as  have  been  failing  this  way,  are  frequently 
taxed  and  reproved  of  the  Lord.  (1  Kings  xx.  42;  Job  xxix.  25,  anl 
xxxi.  26.  28;  Neh.  xiii.;  Jonah  iii.  7;  Ezra  vii.;  Dan.  iii.  29.)  And  not 
only  the  kings  of  Juda,  but  also  Job,  Nehemiah,  the  king  of  Nincveli, 
Darius,  Artaxerxes,  Nebuchadnezzar,  whom  none  looked  at  as  types  of 
Christ,  (tho'.were  it  so  there  were  no  place  for  any  just  objection)  are 
commended  in  the  books  of  God  for  exercising  their  authority  this  way. 

7.  The  objects  of  the  power  of  the  magistrate  are  not  things  meerly 
inward,  and  so  not  subject  to  his  cognizance  and  views:  as  unbelief,  hard- 
ness of  heart,  erroneous  opinions  not  vented,  but  only  such  things  as  aro 
acted  by  the  outward  man:  neither  their  power  to  be  exercised  in  cotn- 
manding  such  acts  of  the  outward  man,  and  punishing  the  neglect  tliereof, 
as  are  but  meer  inventions  and  devices  of  men,  (1  Kings  xx.  28.  42,)  but 
about  such  acts  as  are  commanded  and  forbidden  in  the  word :  yea,  sutli 
as  the  word  doth  clearly  determine,  tho'  not  always  clearly  to  the  judg- 
ment of  the  magistrate  or  others,  yet  clearly  in  its  self.  In  these  lie,- of 
right,  ought  to  put  forth  bis  authority,  tho'  oft-times  actually  he  doth  it  not. 

8.  Idolatry,  blasphemy,  heresie,  (Deut.  xiii. ;  1  Kings  xx.  28.  42,)  vent- 
ing corrupt  and  pernicious  opinions,  that  destroy  the  foundation,  (Dan. 
iii.  29.)  open  contempt  of  the  word  preached,  (Zeeh.  xiii.  3,)  prophanation 
of  the  Lord's-Day,  (Neh.  xiii.  31,)  disturbing  the  peaceable  administration 
and  exercise  of  the  worship  and  holy  things  of  God,  (1  Tim.  ii.  2,)  and 
the  like,  (Rom.  xiii.  4,)  are  to  be  restrained  and  punished  by  civil  authority. 

9.  If  any  church,  one  or  more,  shall  grow  schismatical,  rending  itself 
from  the  communion  of  other  churches,  or  shall  walk  incorrigibly  and 
obstinately  in  any  corrupt  way  of  their  own,  contrary  to  the  rule  of  the 
word;  in  such  case,  the  magistrate  (Josh,  xxii.)  is  to  put  forth  his  coer- 
cive power,  as  the  matter  shall  require.  The  tribes  on  this  side  Jordan 
intended  to  make  war  against  the  other  tribes  for  building  the  altar  of 
witness,  whom  they  suspected  to  have  turned  away  therein  from  following 
of  the  Lord. 

FINIS. 


UPON  THE  D 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLANL 


HISTORICAL    REMARKS 


237 


BPON  THE  DISCIPLINE  PRACTISED  IN  THE  CHURCHES  OP  NEW-KN(J  LAN  D. 

§  1.  When  the  "platform  of  church-disciplino"  had  been  prcaeiitod  by 
the  synod  unto  the  general  court  which  called  it,  several  persons  from 
several  churches  gave  into  the  court  some  objections  against  sundry  pas- 
sages and  paragraphs  of  this  platform.     The  secretary  did,  by  order,  lay 
these  written  objections  before  the  chief,  and  most  of  the  ministers  in  the 
COLONY,  who  appointed  Mr.  Richard  Mather  to  draw  up  an  answer  to 
them:  the  answer  by  him  composed,  and  by  the  rest  approvnl,  was  given 
in;  and  the  result  of  all  was,  that  the  ecclesiastical  model  thus  fortified, 
obtained  a  more  abundant  recommendation  unto  and  among  this  people 
of  God.    The  churches  have  cheerfully  embraced  it,  practised  it,  and  Iwjen 
prospered  in  it,  unto  this  very  day.    And  some  have  imagined  that  there 
has  been  herein  fulfilled  the  observation,  if  not  inspiration  of  the  holy 
Brightman  (in  Apoc.  xvii.  3.)  "That  some  faithful  people  in  a  wilderness 
should  have  most  clear  discoveries  of  the  abominations  of  the  Man  of  Sin." 
§  2.   More  than  thirty  years  after  this,  there  was  a  synod  of  all  the 
churches  in  the  colony,  assembled  at  Boston,  wherein  a  vote  was  pro- 
jjounded,  "Whether  the  'platform  of  church-discipline'  were  approved 
by  that  assembly?"    Upon  which,  both  the  elders  and  brethren  unani- 
mously lifted  up  their  hands  in  the  affirmative — in  the  negative,  not  one 
appearing.    The  vote  was  passed  in  these  words: 

"A  synod  of  the  churches  in  the  colony  of  the  Massachusetts  being  called  by  the  hon> 
our'd  general  court,  to  convene  at  Boston  the  10th  of  September,  1679,  luiving  rend  and 
considered  the  '  platform  of  church-diHcipline,'  agreed  upon  by  the  synod  ossenibled  at  Cam- 
bridge, anno  1648,  do  unanimously  approve  of  the  snid  platform,  fur  the  subslatice  of  il; 
desiring  that  the  churches  may  continue  stcdfast,  in  the  '  order  of  tiio  gospel,'  according  to 
what  is  therein  declared  from  the  word  of  God." 

Now,  in  this  vote  there  is  that  clause,  ["for  the  substance  of  it"]  which 
must  be  explain'd  by  my  acknowledgment,  that  there  arc  several  circum' 
stantials  in  the  platform  which  are  disputed  by  many  judicious  ministers 
of  the  present  generation:  who  upon  long  enquiry  and  experience  think 
that  in  those  points  the  platform  indeed  is  not  substantial.  Header,  we 
will  for  a  while  entertain  ourselves  with  the  particulars. 

§  3.  It  is  very  true  that  the  platform  denies  not  the  power  of  a  pastor 
to  "administer  the  sacraments  unto  other  congregations  besides  his  own," 
upon  their  desires  to  have  their  necessities  thus  relieved;  by  the  same 
token  that  in  the  first  copy  of  the  answer  to  the  objections  brought  into 
the  general  court,  against  the  platform,  there  were  those  words  inserted : 
"As  we  receive  the  members  of  other  churches  to  communion  in  our 
churches,  so  we  know  no  just  reason  why,  in  the  want  or  absence  of  the 


fit 


;  kf 


1 '      i 


238 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


minister  of  another  cburcb,  we  may  not,  at  their  request,  administer  an 
act  of  our  office  unto  them,  by  virtue  of  church-communion ;"  yet  the 
platform,  in  a  complaisance  unto  the  many  bretheren  which  were  other- 
wise perswaded,  asserts  not  such  a  power,  so  fully  as  has  been  by  many 
wished.    The  fullest  words  used  by  the  synod  unto  this  purpose  are  those 
in  the  second  section  of  the  fifteenth  chapter;  but  they  were  not  so  full 
as  to  have  hitherto  encouraged  (that  I  can  learn)  any  one  pastor  in  the 
country  to  administer  the  Supper  (tho'  some  do  the  baptism)  of  our  Lord, 
in  any  other  assembly  but  his  own;   only  Mr.  Philips,  the  pastor  of 
Watertown,  did,  as  I  have  been  inform'd,  administer  that,  as  well  as  the 
other  sacrament,  unto  the  church  of  Boston,  when  Mr.  Wilson,  the  pastor 
of  that  church,  was  gone  for  England.     However,  as  'tis  well  known  that 
in  the  primitive  times  of  the  New  Testament,  the  power  of  a  pastor  to 
dispense  the  seals  of  the  new-covenant,  as  well  as  to  preach  and  bless 
authoritatively  in  other  churches  besides  his  own,  calling  for  it,  was  not 
question'd;  when  some  difference  in  opinion  happened  between  Anicetus, 
the  pastor  of  the  church  at  Rome  and  Poly  carpus,  the  pastor  of  the  church 
at  Smyrna,  the  latter  took  a  long  journey,  even  from  Smyrna  unto  Rome, 
to  visit  the  former,  for  the  better  comprehending  and  composing  of  the 
difference.     Anicetus  there,  to  testifie  his  respect  unto  Polyoarpus,  re- 
quested him  to  administer  the  Eucharist  unto  that  pure  and  great  church, 
with  which  he  was  now  but  sojourning  as  a  visitant,  and  the  thing  was 
done  by  this  excellent  man,  of  whom  Irenseus  testifies,  "that  he  always 
taught  the  churches  to  observe  those  things  which  he  had  learned  of  the 
apostles;"  and  of  whom  other  interpreters  judge  that,  as  he  was  the 
scholar  of  John,  so  he  was  the  unblameable  angel  addressed  by  the  second 
of  the  seven  epistles  in  John's  Revelation.    Thus,  in  the  primitive  times 
of  our  New-England,  the  most  eminent  of  our  divines  acknowledged  this 
power,  defended  it,  and  maintained  it.     There  is  now  publish'd  a  letter 
of  Mr.  Richard  Mather  unto  Mr.  Thomas  Hooker,  which  demonstrates 
that  it  is  altogether  as  lawful  for  an  officer  of  a  church  to  administer  the 
sacraments  to  another  congregation,  at  their  entreaty,  as  it  would  be  to 
accept  a  member  of  another  congregation  unto  an  occasional  communion 
in  the  sacraments  with  his  own;  and  that  the  presence  of  his  own  church 
is  not  at  all  more  necessary  unto  such  an  administration,  than  the  pres- 
ence of  the  other  coifgregation  would  be  to  the  transient  communior  of 
that  particular  member.    Mr.  Norton,  in  his  answer  to  Apolloniiip,  affirms, 
"a  pastor  may  charitably  perform  the  ministerial  acts  of  his   office  in 
another  church."    Mr.  Shepard,  in  the  defence  of  the  nine  positions,  affirms, 
(tho'  Mr.  Davenport,  in  the  positions  themselves,  does  deny  it,)  that  a  min- 
ister, occasionally  called  thereto,  by  the  desire  of  the  church,  may  law- 
fully administer  the  seals  to  another  congregation."    And  I  suppose  there 
are  now  few  ministers  in  the  country  but  what  consent  unto  the  words  of 
Dr.  Owen:  "Altho'  we  have  no  concernment  in  the  figm  iit  of  an  indelible 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


289 


(^arojcter^  accompanying  sacred  orders,  yet  we  do  not  tbink  the  pastoral 
office  is  such  a  thing  as  a  man  must  leave  behind  him  every  time  he  goes 
from  home.  For  my  own  part,  if  I  did  not  think  myself  bound  to  preach 
as  a  minister  authorized  in  all  places  and  on  all  occasions,  when  I  am  called 
thereunto,  I  think  I  should  never  preach  more  in  this  world." 

Nor  are  there  many  that  would  withhold  their  consent  from  the  thoughts 
of  Dr.  Goodwin:  "An  elder,  one  set  apart  for  that  office  in  any  church, 
is  truly  a  minister,  occasionally  to  exercise  ministerial  acts,  as  he  is  called 
thereunto.  Every  true  minister,  actually  to  such  his  own  church,  is 
medium  applicabile:  a  means  and  instrument  that  may  apply  any  minis- 
terial act,  out  of  his  own  church  in  any  other  church,  if  he  be  called 
thereunto." — Wherefore,  for  the  fuller  explanation  of  the  platform,  in  this 
article,  there  was  this  vote  passed  in  a  meeting  of  the  neighbouring  min- 
isters at  Cambridge: 

IT  Inasmuch  as  the  pastors  of  any  evangelical  churches  are,  tho'  not  having  a  pastoral 
charge  of  more  than  one,  to  be  acknowledged  in  all  of  them  as  ordained  ministers  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  actually  acknowledged  as  preaching  in  that  capacity,  when  they 
are  oceasionaly  put  upon  preaching  of  the  gospel  abroad; 

Inasmuch  also  as  the  "communion  of  churches,"  which  makes  the  members  of  an^  capable 
of  admission  to  the  special  ordinances  of  the  Lord  Jest's  rh;lst  in  all  of  them,  doth  likewise 
render  it  reasonable  for  the  pastors  of  ant/  to  be  cap^'Vie  of  administring  those  ordinances  in  all; 

It  is  therefore  our  judgment,  that  the  pastor  of  a  neighbouring  church  may,  upon  the  request 
of  a  destitute  church,  occasionally  administer  the  sacraments  unto  them. 

And  it  is  our  further  judgment,  that  the  second  article  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  our 
"platform  of  church-discipline,"  is  to  be  understood  as  approving  of  it. 

Nor  is  it  unknown,  that  eminent  Congregational  churches  have,  by  their  practice,  manifested 
themselves  to  have  been  of  this  judgment  before  us. 

And  it  seems  in  the  purest  and  earliest  of  the  primitive  times  to  have  been  allowed. 

Nevertheless,  we  think  it  convenient  that,  as  the  destitute  churches  do,  by  their  vote,  call 
the  neighbouring  pastors  to  that  occasional  service,  before  they  attend  it,  so  that  the  consent 
of  the  churches  whereto  those  pastors  belong  be  not  left  unconsidered  in  it. 

We  do  moreover  think  that  nothing  should  be  done  in  this  matter  that  may,  in  any  wise, 
obstruct  the  welfare  of  any  bereaved  churches,  in  their  speedy  seeking  of  ii'settled  supply  for  all 
ordinances  among  them ;  or  otherwise  interrupt  and  incommode  common  edification. 

4.  Another  point  in  the  platform,  not  Uuiversally  received,  is  the  "dis- 
tinct office  of  ruling  elders,"  to  join  with  the  pastors  in  those  acts  of 
church-rule  which  are  "distinct  from  the  ministry  of  the  word  and  sacra- 
ments," or  "to  watch  over  the  conversation  of  the  church-members  with 
authority."  There  are  some  who  cannot  see  ar.y  such  officer  as  what  we 
call  a  riding  elder  directed  and  appointed  iu  the  word  of  God;  and  the 
inconveniencies  whereunto  many  churches  have  been  plunged  by  elders 
not  of  such  a  number  or  not  of  such  a  wisdom  as  were  desirable,  have 
much  increased  a  prejudice  against  the  office  itself;  be  sure,  partly  through 
a  prejudice  against  the  office,  and  partly,  indeed  chiefly,  through  upenuri/ 
of  men  well  qualified  for  the  discharge  of  it,  as  it  has  been  heretofore 
understood  and  applied,  our  churches  are  now  generally  destitute  of  such 


-It     !l 
i<  •■  1,/ 

"       'I 
1  WtH 


4i 

.  -si 


I    n 


240 


MAGXALIA    CHKISTI    AMERICANA: 


lielps  in  government.  On  the  other  side,  there  are  others  who,  if  thov 
jisked,  "What  orders  for  lay-elders  in  the  word  of  God?"  answer  that. 
properly,  the  only  lay-elders  known  to  be  in  any  church  are  the  chancd- 
lours  in  the  church  of  England;  persons  entrusted  with  the  rules  of  the 
church,  and  yet  not  ordained  unto  any  office  in  it.  But  that,  unless  a 
church  have  divers  elders,  the  church-government  must  needs  become 
cither  ^reZa<tc  or  popular ;  and  that  a  church's  needing  but  one  elder,  is  an 
opinion  contrary  not  only  to  the  sense  of  the  faithful  in  all  ages,  but  .il^o 
to  the  law  of  the  Scriptures,  where  there  can  be  nothing  plainer  th.,ii, 
"elders,  who  rule  well,  and  are  worthy  of  double  honour,"  though  they 
"do  not  labour  in  word  and  doctrine;"  whereas,  if  there  were  any  teach- 
ing elders,  who  do  not  "labour  in  word  and  doctrine,"  they  would  be  so 
far  from  "  worthy  of  double  honour,"  that  they  would  not  be  worthy  of 
any  honour  at  all.  Towards  the  adjusting  of  the  diflference,  which  has 
thus  been  in  the  judgments  of  judicious  men,  some  essays  have  been 
made :  and  one  particularly,  in  such  terms  as  these : 

'*Let:it  bo  first  recognized,  that  all  the  other  church-officers  arc  the  assistints  of  the  pitstor; 
who  was  himself  (as  you  find  even  about  what  the  deacon  has  now  to  do)  entrusted  with 
the  whok  care  of  all,  until  tiic  further  pity  and  kindness  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  joined  other 
officers  unto  him,  for  his  assistance  in  it.  I  suppose  none  will  be  so  absurd  as  to  deny  this  nt 
least:  that  nil  the  church-officers  are  to  take  the  advice  of  the  pastor  with  them.  Upon 
which  I  subjoin,  that  a  man  may  be  a  distinct  officer  from  his  pastor,  and  yet  not  havo 
a  distinct  office  from  him ;  the  pastor  may  bo  the  ruling  elder,  and  yet  ho  m:iy  have  eldcris  to 
assist  him  in  ruling,  and  in  the  actual  discharge  of  some  things,  which  they  arc  ablu  and 
proper  to  be  serviceable  to  him  in.  This  consideration  being  laid,  I  will  perswadc  myst'll' 
every  pastor  among  us  will  allow  me  that  there  is  much  work  to  be  done  for  God,  in  pi.'. 
paring  of  what  belongs  to  the  admission  and  exclusion  of  church-members;  in  carcfiilly 
inspecting  the  way  and  walk  of  them  all,  and  the  first  appearance  of  evil  with  them ;  in  pre- 
venting the  very  beginnings  of  Ul  blood  among  them,  and  instructing  of  all  from  hoiisi-  to 
house'  more  privately,  and  warning  of  all  persons  unto  the  things  more  peculiarly  iiieiini- 
bent  on  them ;  in  visiting  all  the  afflicted,  and  informing  of  and  consulting  with  the  minis. 
ters  for  the  welfare  of  the  whole  flock.  And  they  must  allow  me,  that  this  work  is  ton 
heavy  for  any  one*man;  and  that  more  than  one  man — yea,  all  our  churches— do  suffer 
beyond  measure,  because  no  more  of  this  work  is  thoroughly  performed.  Moreover,  they 
will  acknowledge  to  me  that  it  is  an  usual  thing  with  a  prudent  and  faithful  pastor  hiniseil' 
to  single  out  some  of  the  more  grave,  solid,  aged  brethren  in  his  congreg:itioti,  to  assis/  him  in 
many  parts  of  this  work,  on  many  occasions  in  a  year;  nor  will  such  a  pastor  or<lin:;iily  do 
any  important  thing  in  his  government,  without  having  first  heard  the  counsel  of  such 
brethren.  In  short,  there  are  few  discreet  pastors  but  what  make  many  occasional  rnlinjj 
elders  every  year.  I  say,  then,  suppose  the  church  by  a  vote  recommend  some  suil;  br'tli. 
ren,  the  fittest  they  have,  and  always  more  than  one,  unto  the  more  sUited  assistiuicc  of  tlieir 
pastor  in  the  church-rule,  wherein  they  may  be  helps  unto  him;  I  do  not  propose  tli:it  they 
should  be  Biennial  or  Triennial  only,  tho'  I  know  very  famous  churches  throughout  Europe 
have  them  so!  yea,  and  what  if  they  should,  by  solemn  fasting  and  prayer,  be  coninictuied 
unto  tho  benediction  of  God  in  what  service  they  have  to  do?  What  objection  can  he  made 
against  the  lawfulness  ?  I  think  none  can  be  made  against  the  usefulness  of  such  a  tiling. 
Truly,  for  my  part,  if  the  fifth  chapter  of  tho  first  epistle  to  Timothy  would  not  boar  me 
out,  when  conscience,  both  of  my  duty  and  my  weakness,  made  me  desire  such  assistance,  I 
would  see  whether  the  first  chapter  of  Deuteronomy  would  not." 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF   NEW-ENOLAND. 


241 


Such  things  as  these  have  been  offered  unto  the  consideration  of  the 
diver8ely-pers waded;  and  accordingly,  in  a  meeting  of  ministers  that  had 
been  diversely-perswaded  in  this  matter,  at  Cambridge,  an  unanimous  vote 
was  passed  for  these  conclusions. 

f  PROPOSITIOWS  CONCERNirrO  THE  OFFICE  OF  RULINO-EIDERS. 

I.  Though  the  pastors  of  churches  are  originally  entrusted  with  the 
whole  care  of  what  is  to  be  done,  in  the  feeding  and  ruling  of  the  societies, 
whereof  the  Holy  Spirit  hath  made  them  overseers,  yet  the  wisdom  and 
goodness  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  made  provision  for  their  assistance 
in  the  management  of  those  church-affairs,  which  would  otherwise  too 
much  incumber  them  in  devoting  themselves  unto  the  word  and  prayer. 

II.  Ruling-elders  are  appointed  for  the  assistance  of  their  pastors  in  the 
government  of  their  churches,  and  the  inspection  of  the  flocks.  And 
although  these  officers  may  not  be  furnished  with  all  those  attainments 
which  are  necessary  to  a  pastor,  yet,  if  they  are  so  accomplished  as  that 
they  may  be  helps  to  their  pastor  in  the  management  of  their  church 
rule,  they  may  be  chosen  thereunto  with  much  benefit  and  advantage  to 
the  people  of  God. 

III.  Wh'Mv  'i's  the  business  of  a  ruling-elder  to  assist  his  pastor,  in 
visiting  of  tl-  i  -.  eased,  instructing  oi  \kiG  ignorant,  reducing  of  the  errone- 
ous, comforting  of  the  afflicted,  advising  of  the  defective,  rebuking  of  the 
unruly,  discovering  the  state  of  the  whole  flock,  exercising  the  discipline 
of  the  gospel  upon  offenders,  and  promoting  the  desirable  growth  of  the 
church;  'tis  necessary  that  he  be  a  person  of  a  wisdom,  courage,  leisure, 
and  exemplary  holiness  and  gravity,  agreeable  to  such  employments. 

§  5.  One  more  passage  in  the  platform,  which  hath  been  but  rarely  prac- 
tised, and  as  little  approved,  is,  "that  in  churches  where  there  are  no  elders, 
imposition  of  hands  for  the  ordination  of  elders  may  be  performed  by 
some  of  the  brethren,  orderly  chosen  by  the  church  thereunto:"  which  is 
indeed  mollified  with  a  concession,  "that  in  churches  where  there  are  no 
elders,  and  the  church  so  desire,  the  imposition  of  hands  may  be  per- 
formed by  the  elders  of  other  churches."  It  was  the  opinion  of  those 
worthy  men,  that  the  call  and  power  whereof  a  pastor  becomes  (indeed 
thej(irs<)  recipient  subject,  is  derived  unto  him  from  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
by  the  choice  of  a  church  inviting  him  to  the  pastoral  care  of  their  souls. 
The  essence  of  his  vocation,  they  judged  wa?  in  an  election  by  the  multitude 
of  the  faithful,  agreeing'  to  submit  themselves  unto  his  conduct  in  the 
Lord,  and  his  acceptance  of,  his  compliance  with,  that  election.  Ordina- 
tion they  looked  upon  but  as  a  ceremony,  whereby  a  called  minister  was 
declared  by  imposition  of  hands  to  be  solemnly  set  apart  for  his  ministry,, 
and  in  the  same  rite,  the  assistances  and  protections  and  manifold  bloss^ 
ings  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  in  the  exercises  of  his  ministry  were  solenwilj; 
implored  for  him. 

Vol.  XL— 16 


!J?^ 


■  II 


i 


w  n 


242 


MAONALTA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


Briefly,  they  reckoned  not  ordination  to  be  essential  unto  the  vocation 
of  a  minister,  any  mors  than  coronation  to  the  being  of  a  king;  but  that 
it  is  only  a  consequent  and  convenient  adjunct  of  his  vocation ;  and  a 
solemn  acknowledgement  of  it,  with  an  useful  and  proper  benediction  i»f 
him  in  it. 

Now,  in  as  much  as  the  x*'p6''o»'»a  ("lifting  up  of  the  hands  of  the  frater- 
m<^,")  was  that  which  performed  the  greater  things — even  to  apply  tlio 
vocation  of  »  pastor — said  they,  why  may  not  the  x^'po^scia  {^'laying  on  of 
the  hands  of  the  fraternity")  also  perform  the  lesser  thing;  the  thing  which, 
indeed,  is  but  the  accomplishment  of  what  they  have  already  begun,  even 
to  publish,  proclaim  and  pray  over  that  vocation?  To  countenance  tliis 
liberty  of  the  fraternity,  they  brought  the  example  of  what  was  done  in 
the  church  of  Israel,  when  certain  principal  members  of  the  congregation, 
which  were  certainly  no  ecclesiastical  officers,  did,  in  the  name  of  the  rest, 
"impose  hands"  upon  the  Levites:  and  afterwards,  when  all  the  congre* 
gation,  in  like  manner,  anointed  Zadok,  to  be  the  priest;  and  they  further 
considered  that  there  were  several  cases  wherein  an  ordination  by  tlie 
hands  of  elders  could  not  be  obtained  in  any  tollerable  circumstances; 
perhaps  America  had  more  than  once  afforded  such ;  in  which  cases,  they 
said,  "  Why  may  not  the  people  of  the  land  now  take  a  man  of  their 
coasts,  and,  then,  do  all  that  is  necessary  to  set  him  up  for  their  watch- 
man?" But  whereas  it  was  objected  unto  our  New-English  divines,  by 
such  writers  as  the  sweet-spirited  Herle  and  warm-spirited  Rutherford, 
"that  the  New-Testament  affords  no  example  of  imposition  of  hands  by 
the  people,"  it  was  answered,  "that  the  New-Testament  instances  not  the 
"imposition  of  hands"  on  ordinary  pastors,  by  any  ordinary  pastors  at  all. 
In  all  the  examples,  there,  concerning  this  matter,  either  the  persons  by 
whom,  or  the  persons  on  whom,  hands  were  imposed,  were  extraordinary 
officers:  and  thus  the  objectors  will  find  as  much  dissonancy  from  the 
scriptural  example  in  their  own  practice  as  they  could  in  ours:  besides,  the 
example  in  the  Old  Testament  was  of  a  moral  and  of  a  lasting  equity. 
And,  in  time,  they  supposed  that  they  had  on  their  side  a  thousand  con- 
cessions, in  the  chie{  defenders  and  principles  of  the  reformation:  particularly 
the  words  of  the  incomparable  Whitaker  {de  Eccles.  Quaes,  v.  cap.  6):*  "If 
they  grant  the  calling  of  our  ministers  to  be  lawful,  we  care  the  less  tor 
ordination,  for  they  that  have  authority  to  call,  have  also  authority  to 
ordain,  if  lawful  ordination  cannot  otherwise  be  gotten:  for  ordination 
doth  follow  calling;  he  that  is  called  is,  as  it  were,  thereby  put  into  pos- 
session of  his  office."  And  it  v/as  the  learned  Calderwood  who  taught 
them  to  distinguish  between  what  was  received  by  {5ia)  and  what  was 
received  only  witJi  (fxera)  the  "laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery;" 
the  former  notes  a  casual  virtue  in  the  rite,  which  accordingly  is  not 
affirmed  in  the  text:  the  latter  notes  only  the  concurring  and  approving  of 

*  Church  QumUods,  chapter  S.  - 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


243 


them  that  used  the  rite;  and  accordingly  our  good  men  were  desirous  to 
have  tlie  consent  of  a  neighbouring  presbytery  unto  their  elections  testi- 
fied, in  their  ordinations,  where  it  could  be  comfortably  procured.  On  the 
other  side:  because  the  Scripture  so  expressly  mentions  the  "laying  on 
of  the  hands  of  the  presbytery,"  very  judicious  men,  throughout  the 
country,  were  altogether  averse  to  "the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the 
fraternity."  They  reckoned  that,  in  the  "imposition  of  hands,"  there  was 
their  consecration  to  their  ministry,  and  by  this  consecration  they  were  to 
he  owned,  as  admitted  into  the  order  of  pastors,  through  the  whole  church 
of  God ;  but  they  could  not  allow  the  rites  of  this  order  to  be  regularly 
and  conveniently  performed  by  any  but  such  as  were  themselves  of  tha 
sJmc  order;  which  perswasion  has  been  so  general,  that  setting  aside  a 
few  plebeian  ordinations,"  in  the  beginning  of  the  world  here  among  us, 
there  have  been  rarely  any  ordinations  managed  in  our  churches  but  by 
the  hnnds  of  presbyters:  yea,  any  ordinations  but  such  would  be  but 
matters  of  discourse  and  wonder.  The  custom  of  New-England  cannot 
be  better  described  than  in  the  terms  which  describe  the  modes  of  the 
African  churches  {Synod.  African,  apud  Cyprian.  Epit.  68.  §  6.  p.  202); 
Apiid  nos,  et  fere  per  Provinicas  xmiversas  tenetur,  ut  ad  ordinationes,  rite 
celebrandas,  ad  earn  pkbem,  cui  Proepositus  ordinatur^  Episcopi  Ejusdem 
PwviJicicB  proximi  quique  conveniant,  et  ^piscopus  deligatur,  plehe  proisente, 
quae  singulorum  vitam  plenissime  novit,  ei  unitis  cujusqve  actum  de  ejus  conver- 
satione  perspexit;  quod  factum  vidcmus  in  Sahini  ordinatione^  ut  de  universce 
fraternitatis  suffragio,  et  de  Episcoporum  Judicio,  episcopatus  ei  Deferatur.* 

And  so  much  respect  have  our  churches  had  unto  the  interests  of  the 
presbytery  in  this  point  of  ordination,  that  altho'  upon  the  translation  of 
pasters  from  one  church  unto  another  among  us,  few  of  the  pastors  thus 
translated  have  scrupled  being  re-ordained,  yet,  upon  the  arrival  of  some 
desirable  pastors  formerly  ordained  in  England,  who  scrupled  at  it,  our 
destituted  churches  have  gladly  elected  them,  and  embraced  them,  and,  sol- 
emnizing the  transaction  with  fasting  and  prayer,  have  enjoyed  them  to 
all  evn*-  ^elicai  intents  and  purposes,  without  their  being  re-ordained  at  all. 

§  6.  If  I  have  reported  i/jree  difficulties  in  our  "platform  of  church  disci- 
pline," I  can  add  a  fourth,  which  hath  been  as  difficult  as  any  of  the  rest. 

The  direction  given  by  the  Synod  about  the  admission  of  members  into 
the  church,  amounts  to  thus  much : 

"Repentance  towards  God  and  faith  towards  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  are  the  things 
whereof  men  are  io  be  examined  at  their  admission  into  the  chua-h,  and  which,  then,  they 
must  profess  and  hold  forth  in  such  sort  as  may  satisfie  ration.^1  charity  that  the  things  are 
there  indeed.    The  wealiest  measure  of  faith  i?  to  be  accepted  in  those  that  desire  to  be 

*  AmonK  us  and  throiiKlioiit  almost  all  the  provinces  it  Is  held,  that  it  is  needful  to  the  due  performance  of 
the  service  uf  ordinutinn,  that  the  bishops  of  the  same  province  from  the  neighbouring  districts  should  meet  with  the 
puuiilu,  over  whom  the  candidate  is  to  be  ordained,  and  a  bishop  is  selected  In  the  presence  of  the  people,  who  are 
best  acqimlnttid  with  the  liv<>s  of  each  individual.,  und  have  witnessed  the  daily  life  and  conversation  of  all.  We 
have  lui  lUustmtion  In  the  ordiniition  of  Sablnus,  on  whom  the  bishopric  was  conferred  by  the  unanlmoui  vote  of 
Ibe  bruthroD  and  the  dvcisiim  uf  the  biehopa. 


I       i   'J 
1    1 


1   '      '  '! 


'   •! 


1         i' 


2U 


MAQNALIA    OUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


admitted  into  the  churvh :  such  chnrity  and  tenderneaa  ia  to  be  used,  as  the  weakest  Chris- 
tian,  if  sincere,  may  not  be  excluded  or  discournged.  Severity  of  examination  is  to  be 
avoided ;  in  case  any,  through  excessive  fear  or  otiier  infirmity,  be  unable  to  miilie  their  per- 
aonal  relation  of  their  spiritual  estate  in  publlck,  it  is  sufliuient  thiit  the  elders,  hnvliig  re- 
ceived private  satisfuction,  make  relation  thereof  in  publick  before  the  church,  they  testifying 
their  assents  thereunto:  this  being  the  way  that  tends  most  to  edification.  But  where  per- 
sons are  of  greater  abilities,  there  it  is  most  expedient  that  they  make  their  relations  and 
confessions  personally  with  their  own  mouth,  as  David  professeth  of  himself.  A  personal 
and  publkk  confession,  and  declaring  of  God's  manner  of  working  upon  the  soul,  is  buth 
lawful,  expedient  and  useful." 

And  the  platform  in  Chap.  XII.  §  5,  gives  the  grounds  of  this  direction. 
The  Jews  tell  ns  of  K'So,  or  a  scare-crow  upon  the  top  of  the  tempk,  whieh 
kept  oS  the  fowls  from  defiling  of  it;  and  it  has  been  the  opinion  of  many 
that  this  custom  of  relations,  to  be  made  by  candidates  for  admission  to 
the  church,  of  what  operations  of  the  regenerating  spirit  have  been  upon 
their  souls,  is  a  scare-crow  to  keep  men  out  of  the  temple ;  but,  it  may  be, 
it  has  been  the  opinion  of  as  many  that  none  but  the  defilers  of  the  temple 
would  be  kept  out  by  such  a  scare-crow. 

On  the  one  side,  the  churches  demanding  an  account  of  experiences  from 
those  which  they  receive  to  stated  church-fellowship,  has  been  by  some 
decryed  as  an  humane  invention ;  and  they  tell  us  that,  indeed,  according 
to  the  report  of  Csesarius,  there  have  been  popish  monasteries  which  have 
demanded  such  an  account  from  those  that  entred  thereinto;  but  that  few 
pi'otestant  societies  have,  till  of  late,  observed  such  an  usage.    Yea,  they 
say  that,  instead  of  having  any  divine  precept  for  the  bottom  of  this  prac- 
tice, there  is  no  bottom  at  all  for  it  but  this,  that  it  has  been  a  practice. 
The  first  churches  of  New-England  began  only  with  a  profession  of  assent 
and  consent  unto  the  "confession  of  faith,"  and  the  "covenant"  of  com- 
munion.   Afterwards,  they  that  sought  for  the  communion,  were  but 
privately  examined  about  a  work  of  grace  in  their  souls,  by  the  elders, 
and  then  publickly  propounded  unto  the  congregation,  only  that  so,  if 
there  were  any  scandal  in  their  lives,  it  might  be  objected  and  considered. 
But  in  the  year  1634,  one  of  the  brethren  having  leave  to  hear  the  exam- 
ination of  the  elders,  niagnified  so  much  the  advantage  of  being  present  at 
such  an  exercise,  that  many  others  desired  and  obtained  the  like  leave  to 
be  present  at  it;  until,  at  length,  to  gratifie  this  useful  curiosity,  the  whole 
church  always  expected  the  liberty  of  being  thus  particularly  acquainted 
with  the  religious  dispositions  of  those  with  whom  they  were  afterwards 
to  sit  at  the  table  of  the  Lord;  and  that  church  which  began  this  way  was 
^juickly  imitated  by  most  of  the  rest,  who,  when  all  come  to,  have  little 
else  to  plead  for  it,  but  that  the  good  men  find  themselves  exceedingly 
edified  when  they  hear  other  good  men  describing  the  "  means  which  the 
Lord  has  devised  for  the  bringing  back  of  their  banished  souls." 

On  the  other  side,  it  has  been  argued  by  others:  "that  nothing  less  than 
a  probable  and  a  credible  profession  of  a  saving  faith  must  be  made  by  a 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-SNOLAND. 


245 


man,  before  the  Supper  of  the  Lord  may  be  administered  unto  him."  The 
dmrches  to  whom  the  apostles  directed  their  epistles,  were  sLill  visibly 
saints,  and  such  as  "  were  made  meet  to  be  partakers  of  the  inheritance  of 
the  saints  in  light;"  how  many  scores  of  passages  to  this  purpose  have  we 
concerning  those  churches,  about  the  understanding  whereof  we  may  use 
the  words  of  Calvin,  Quod  exponunt  quidam  de  sola  professione  mihi  frigid' 
um  videtur,  et  ah  usu  Scripturce  est  altenum?*  It  is  on  all  hands  agreed, 
that  the  Lord's  Supper  is  an  ordinance  communicable  unto  none  but  pen- 
itents. Now,  the  primitive  churches,  if  Dyonysius  of  Alexandria  may  be 
credited,  would  not  accept  a  penitent  until,  having  "examined  him,  they 
discerned  his  conversion  and  repentance"  to  be  such  "as  would  be  ac- 
cepted by  God."  And  the  Council  of  Nice  gave  this  for  a  general  rule, 
"that  the  inward  state  of  penitents  be  obser\  ed  in  order  to  their  admission 
to  the  communion.  Whereupon  'tis  argued,  if  they  that  are  impenitent 
for  this  or  that  particular  sin,  may  not  come  to  the  table  of  the  Lord,  surely, 
they  that  may  be  thought  impenitent  for  a  whole  course  of  sin,  are  also  to 
be  kept  out  of  doors;  which  is  to  be  esteemed  the  case  of  all  them  whom 
we  may  not  reasonably,  as  well  as  charitably,  judge  "renewed  by  the  Holy 
Ghost."  Accordingly,  Origen  writes:  "that  the  Christians  of  the  first 
churches  did  most  exquisitely  search  the  souls  of  them  that  asked  a  full 
communion  with  them;  and  says,  when  men  have  made  such  a  proficiency 
that  they  appear  sanctified  by  the  divine  word,  then  we  call  them  up  to 
our  mysteries."  TertuUian,  among  others,  doth  advise  us  of  the  strict 
scrutiny  used  in  his  days,  upon  the  hearts  of  the  catechumens;  "whether 
they  did,  indeed,  renounce 'all  their  former  vanities." 

It  was  the  order,  Fiant  scrutinia,  an  verba  Fidei  radicitus  Corde  dejixerint.f 
Cyprian  reports,  Vix  ]}ld)i  persuadeo;  he  could  not  easily  "persuade  the 
fraternity  of  his  flock  to  consent  unto  the  receiving  of  such  in  whom  sin- 
cerity was  questionable."  Austin  affirms,  that  "according  to  the  ancient 
custom,  grounded  on  the  most  evident  truth,  none  were  admitted  into  the 
church  on  earth,  who  were  visibly  such  as  the  Scripture  excludes  from 
the  kingdom  of  God  in  heaven."  And  the  agreement  of  the  pastors  in 
the  days  of  Constance,  about  the  discerning  of  the  sincere,  is  very  memor- 
able. If  the  question  be  put,  "  what  it  is  that  we  may  safely  judge  a  prob- 
able and  a  credible  profession  of  a  saving  faith?"  it  has  been  answered 
that  Scripture  must  be  followed  and  applied  by  reason  in  t,his  matter;  if 
the  Scripture  assert  such  and  such  marks  to  be  in  the  experiences  of  all 
the  regenerate,  then  reason  is  in  this  case  to  make  an  humane  enquiry, 
whether  our  neighbours  have  those  marks  in  their  experiences?  'Tis  not 
enough  to  restore  a  man  under  church-censure,  for  the  man  barely  to  say 
"I  repent;"  no,  but  for  us  to  proceed  rationally  in  observing  whether  the 

*  The  ideu  advanced  by  loino  concerning  mere  profesiloD  leem  to  um  to  be  cold  and  unwarranlad  by  Scrip- 
tore  utuage. 

t  I^  there  be  MrutloUlng  inquiry  to  accertain  whether  the  wordi  of  the  creed  are  fundamentally  fixed  on 
the  heart. 


:    '1;     \-:%i 


■'.i„ 


i    .■    ; 


11' 


246 


HAONALIA    CnRISTI    AMERICANA; 


likely  symptoms  of  repenting  do  appear  upon  him,  is  to  proceed  scripturalhj; 
even  so,  'tis  not  enough  to  qualifie  a  man  under  church-trial,  for  tiie  man  to 
say  "I  believe;"  while  there  may  be  discovered  in  him  such  an  ignorant 
or  insipid  state  of  soul,  as  may  render  it  justly  suspicious  that  ho  is  yet  a 
stranger  to  the  new  birth.  Briefly  the  thing  has  been  thus  discoursed. 
We  must  beware  of  unscriptural  impositions  in  this  affair;  we  must  not 
impose  any  modes  of  profession,  which  we  have  no  warrant  for.  'Tis  a  tjr- 
army  to  enjoin  upon  every  man,  "a  relation  about  the  precise  time  and  way 
of  their  conversion  unto  God."  Few  that  have  been  restrained  by  a  roll- 
gious  education,  can  give  such  an  one.  Nor  is  it  any  other  than  a  cruelly 
to  enjoin  upon  every  man  "an  oral  and  a  publick  relation  of  their  experi- 
ences." Every  good  man  has  not  such  a  courage  and  presence  of  mind  as 
can  speak  pertinently  before  a  congregation  of  many  hundreds.  But,  still, 
as  the  prohat'oners  for  our  communion  are  to  make  a  profession  of  their 
faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  that  redoemor  "in  whom  all  fulness 
dwells,"  and  on  whom  they  rely  for  communications  from  that  fulness  to 
their  own  souls:  thus  we  must  look  for  some  justifying  circumstance  of 
that  profession.  Our  charity  towards  all  men,  of  whom  we  know  nothing 
amiss,  is  to  "hope  all  things,"  and  believe  the  best;  but  when  we  come 
to  make  a  judgment  of  them  that  lay  claim  to  privileges  with  us,  'tis  but 
reason  that  our  charity  should  require  a  more  positive  evidence  of  the  quali- 
fication on  which  the  claim  is  made.  In  the  primitive  times  they  made 
such  a  profession,  at  their  being  "added  unto  the  church;"  and  the  pro- 
fession had  this  justifying  circumstance  in  it,  when  they  endangered  their 
very  lives  to  make  it.  I  make  no  doubt  but,  m  such  a  time  of  persecu- 
tion, the  like  profession  ought  to  be  esteemed  sufficient. — But  in  places 
where  the  true  religion  is  in  repute  andfashiony  then  to  look  for  some  other 
justifying  circumstance  of  a  profession,  is  but  a  reasonable  conformity  to 
the  custom  and  manner  of  the  apostles.  Now,  reason  cannot  readily  dic- 
tate an  easier,  a  fairer,  a  fitter  method  for  this,  than  that  a  man  of  a  blame- 
less and  fruitful  conversation,  should  either  by  tongue  or  pen  express 
"  what  impressions  the  word  of  God  has  made  upon  him."  The  savour 
of  such  a  relation  will  usually  very  much  manifest  the  spirit  of  him  that 
makes  it;  and  besides,  nothing  is  more  for  the  honour  of  God,  or  for  the 
comfort  of  his  people,  than  to  hear  good  Christians  thus  making  that 
invitation,  "Come  and  hear,  all  ye  that  fear  God,  and  I  will  declare  what 
he  hath  done  for  my  soul."  It  is  true  that,  after  all,  we  cannot  be  infal- 
libly sure  that  we  do  not  admit  an  hypocrite  in  heart  into  our  commu- 
nion; nor,  indeed,  after  the  distinctest  profession  of  a  dogmatical  and  his- 
torical faith,  can  we  be  sure  that  the  person  whom  we  admit  is  not  an 
heretick  in  heart.  Nevertheless,  no  man  scarce  ever  doubted  that  com- 
municants must  be  examined  about  their  ortliodoxy.  But  we  should  go  as 
far  as  we  reasonably  can  to  prevent  the  pollution  of  holy  things  by  the 
unregenerate. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


24V 


^'uelly 


Well,  the  result  of  these  various  apprehensions  has  been  this:  that  some 
niiscriplural  severities^  urged  in  this  matter  by  several  of  our  churches  in 
tiic  beginning  of  the  plantation,  are  now  generally  laid  aside;  but  still,  for 
llie  most  part,  there  is  expected  from  those  thr.t  would  join  unto  'em,  a 
brief  address,  in  the  language  of  an  experhnental  Christian,  intimating 
something  of  what  the  eternal  spirit  of  God  has  done  to  conform  their 
heiirts  and  lives  unto  those  "principles  of  Christianity,"  whereof  they  then 
iiiiike  a  profession.  'Tis  true,  in  some  churches,  if  the  elders  declare  their 
satisfaction  about  the  qualifications  of  those  that  offer  themselves,  the  peo- 
jtkare,  without  any  further  inquiry,  satisfied:  but  in  most  churches,  the 
people  do  desire  the  elders  to  entertain  them  with  a  more  particular  account 
of  such  things,  as  the  persons  have  to  present  for  their  own  more  thorough 
recommendation  unto  the  good  affection  of  those  with  whom  they  are  to 
"eat  bread  in  the  kmgdom  of  God."  Nevertheless,  there  seems  to  have 
been  thought  needful  on  both  sides  i  concession  to  what  has  been  some- 
times propounded  in  such  terms  as  these: 

"Our  churches  do  ordinarily  expect  from  those  whom  they  admit  unto  constant  nnd  com* 
pleat  communion  with  them,  some  few  savoury  expressions  [wriltev,  if  nut  oral]  of  what 
re<rcnerating  influences  the  ordinances  or  the  providences  of  God  h:ive  hnd  upon  their  souls. 
There  are  some  who  demand  this,  as  a  thing  required  by  the  word  of  God,  when  'a  confes- 
sion with  the  mouth*  and  'a  profession  of  repentance  as  well  as  faith,'  and  '  a  giving  a  reason 
of  the  hope  that  is  in  us,'  is  required :  and  they  look  upon  this  as  a  'justifying  circumstance,* 
which  a  reasonable  charity  is  to  seek,  before  it  pronounce  upon  the  credibility  of  that  con> 
ffssion  and  profession,  whereupon  men  lay  claim  to  privileges.  Others  can't  see  thro*  this ; 
they  rather  decry  it,  as  an  humane  invention ;  yet,  rather  than  church-work  should  be  at  any 
slay,  both  sides  may  grant  that  it  is  but  a  piece  of  '  reasonable  civility,'  for  any  that  would 
be  accepted  as  members  of  any  society  whatsoever,  to  address  that  society  fur  their  accept- 
ance ;  and  that  whoever  doth  address  a  church  oi  the  Lord  Jesus  for  their  fellowship,  should 
endeavour  to  do  it  in  such  language  and  matter  as  may  be  like  that  of  one  '  returning  unto 
God.'  If  there  be  any  further  contest  whether  the  brethren,  of  riglU,  are  to  have  an  acquaint- 
ance with,  or  interest  in,  the  management  of  this  matter,  I  am  confident  that  as  the  pastors, 
wlio  arc  the  porters  to  the  house  of  God,  will  generally  examine  what  experiences  their 
communicants  have  attained  unto ;  so  the  pastors  will  as  generally  grant  that  it  \g  not  unlaw- 
ful for  them  to  communicate  unto  the  brethren  of  the  church  the  taste  which  they  have  hod 
of  the  graces  in  such  as  they  now  propound  unto  them,  to  be  received  as  brethren ;  yea, 
that  it  is  many  ways  comfortable  and  profitable,  if  not  altogether  necessiiry.  Behold  then 
a  temper,  wherein  we  may,  as  hitherto  we  do,  in  this  thing  unite.  I  have  been  concerned 
with  some  godly  people  of  the  Scotch  nation,  who  have  at  first  shewn  much  and  hot  antip- 
athy against  this  way  of  our  churches,  and  yet  asked  admittance  to  the  table  of  the  Lord. 
These  have  consented  unto  me  that  I  should  put  what  questions  I  pleased  in  my  trials  of 
ti>oin ;  that  I  should  herewithal  take  in  writing  what  minutes  I  pleaded  of  their  answers  to 
mc ;  that  being  myself  now  satisfied  concerning  them,  I  might,  if  I  pleased,  offer  that  satis- 
f.ution  unto  any  or  all  of  the  church  who  looked  for  it  at  our  usual  opportunity.  Tl'.ese 
nincessions  immediately  opened  their  way  in  ours  unto  the  table  of  the  Lord,  without  any 
dilliculty  unto  either  of  us."  . 

^  7.  I  think  I  have  now  reported  the  most  contested  passages  of  our 
plattbrm;  nevertheless,  to  give  a  furtiier  elucidation  of  some  other  pas- 
sages in  that  platform,  I  will  subjoin  the  determination  given  by  a  late 


ni^'Kii 


ri>.:'i 


,'    ^r 


;..i 


248 


HAONALIA    CHRISTI    AHKBICANA; 


assembly  of  our  ministers  at  Cambridge,  upon  these  two  points:  the  power 
of  Bynodsj  and  the  power  of  elders. 

f  PSOPOSITIOHS 

Coneemtng  the  Powtr  of  Sfnodi,  with  reiptet  unto  Particular  Churehet. 

I.  Particulab  churches,  having  the  same  original  ends  aud  interests, 
and  being  mutually  concerned  in  the  good  and  evil  of  each  other,  there  is 
the  light  of  nature,  as  well  as  of  Scripture,  to  direct  the  "meeting  of 
churches,"  by  their  delegates,  to  consult  and  conclude  things  of  common 
concernment  unto  them. 

II.  Synods,  duly  composed  of  messengers  chosen  by  them  whom  they 
are  to  represent,  and  proceeding  with  a  due  regard  unto  the  will  of  God  in 
his  word,  are  to  be  reverenced,  as  deteiiniving  the.  mind  of  the  Holy  Spirit 
concerning  things  necessary  to  be  "received  and  practised,"  in  order  to  the 
edification  of  the  churches  therein  represented. 

III.  All  the  commands  of  God,  which  bid  us  to  "be  well-advised,"  and 
"regard  a  multitude  of  counsellors,"  do  particularly  oblige  us  with  rever- 
ence to  entertain  the  advice  of  synods  assembling  in  the  name  and  fear  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  an  enquiry  after  his  directions.  And  if  one 
church  be  to  be  heard,  much  more  are  many  churches  to  be  so,  in  things 
that  properly  fall  under  the  cognizance  thereof. 

IV.  Synods  being  of  apostolic  example,  recommend  as  a  necessary  ordi- 
nance, it  is  but  reasonable  that  their  judgment  be  acknowledged  as  decisive, 
the  affairs  for  which  they  are  ordained;  and  to  deny  them  the  power  of 
such  a  judgment,  is  to  render  a  necessary  ordinance  "of  none  effect." 

V.  The  power  of  synods  is  not  to  abate,  much  less  to  destroy,  the  liber- 
ties of  particular  churches,  but  to  strengthen  and  to  direct  those  churches,  in 
the  right  use  of  the  powers  given  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  them. 
And  such  assemblies  are  therefore  to  be  used  as  a  relief  ordained  by  God 
for  those  difiiculties,  for  which  the  care  and  state  of  a  particular  church 
affords  not  a  sufficient  remedy. 

The  rights  allowed  unto  synods,  in  the  Ire7iicum  of  the  excellent  Jere- 
miah Burroughs,  chap,  vii.,  we  fully  consent  and  subscribe  unto. 

Y  PR0P0SITI0H8 

•-,■••  ^ 

Coneeming  the  Power  of  Eldert  in  the  Government  of  the  Church. 

I.  The  power  of  church  government  belongs  only  to  the  elders  of  the 
church.  The  names  of  the  elders,  in  the  Scriptures,  are  but  insignificant 
and  unintelligible  metaphors,  if  the  rule  of  the  church  be  not  only  in  the 
hands  of  its  elders.  The  word  of  God  hath  ordered  tke  people  to  "obey 
the  elders"  of  the  church,  as  having  the  rule  over  them,  and  a  loatch  over 
their  souls.  An  ability  to  rule  well  is  a  qualification  particularly  required 
in  the  elders  of  the  church,  that  they  may  be  able  to  take  a  due  care  of  it. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    MEW-ENOL AMD. 


249 


Governments  are  enumerated  among  those  things  in  the  church,  which  all 
are  not,  but  which  are  compatible  to  some  only:  now,  who  but  the  elders? 
Were  the  government  of  the  church  as  much  in  the  brethren  as  in  the 
elders,  then  the  whole  body  were  all  eye;  which  it  is  not. 

II.  There  are  yet  certain  cases,  whterein  the  elders,  in  the  management 
of  their  church  government,  are  to  take  the  concurrence  of  the  Jratemit!/. 
'Tia  to  be  done  in  those  acta,  to  attain  the  ends  wheieof,  there  are  to  follow 
certain  duties  of  the  fraternity — namely,  elections,  and  admissions,  and  ce7i- 
sures.  Hence,  in  such  things,  we  find  the  injunctions  of  the  Scripture 
addressed  unto  the  whole  church.  Hence,  all  antiquity  assures  us  that  such 
matters  were,  in  the  primitive  church,  done  still  Ccmsentiente  plebe.*  And 
the  brethren  of  the  church  might  otherwise  be  obliged  unto  the  doing  of 
things  wherein  they  cannot  "act  ia  faith,"  or  be  "conscientiously  satisfied" 
that  such  things  are  to  be  done. 

HI.  i^evertheless,  the  pastor  of  a  church  may  by  himself  authoritatively 
suspend  from  the  Lord's-table  a  brother  accused  or  suspected  of  a  scandal, 
till  the  matter  may  and  should  be  regularly  examined.  Our  Lord  forbids 
the  coming  of  such  an  offender  to  his  altar,  if  even  one  of  less,  of  no  author- 
ity in  the  church,  do  signifie  a  reasonable  dissatisfaction.  The  pastors  of 
the  church  are  the  porters  of  the  temple,  empowered  sufficiently  to  detain 
such  as  they  see  with  "moral  uncleanness"  upon  them.  And  its  belonging 
unto  the  porters  of  the  church  to  direct  the  brethren  in  the  application  of 
the  "necessary  discipline;"  it  is  not  reasonable  that  they  should  be  bound 
in  the  mean  time  to  declare  practically  what  shall  be  contrary  to  such 
direction  by  administering  the  Lord's-Supper  unto  a  person  against  whom 
the  discipline  is  to  be  urged. 

IV.  But  the  elders  of  the  church  have  a  negative  on  the  votes  of  the 
brethren ;  who,  indeed,  in  the  exercise  of  their  liberty  and  privilege,  are 
under  the  conduct  of  the  elders.  To  take  away  the  negative  of  the  elders, 
or  the  necessity  of  their  consent  unto  such  acts,  indeed  is  to  take  away  all 
government  whatsoever,  and  it  is  to  turn  the  whole  "regimen  of  the 
church"  into  a  pure  "democracy."  And,  if  the  positive  of  the  brethren 
can  supersede  a  negative  of  the  elders,  either  the  elders  may  be  driven  to  do 
things  quite  contrary  unto  the  light  of  their  conscience,  or  else  the  brethren 
may  presume  to  do  things  which  belong  not  unto  them. 

§  8.  Because  there  are  several  church-cases  of  a  very  general  importance, 
which  our  platform  has  not  resolved  so  particularly  as  has  been  desired  by 
them  that  have  been  more  immediately  concerned  in  those  cases,  an  assem- 
bly of  ministers  meeting  at  Cambridge  hath  taken  cognizance  of  them ;  from 
whose  registers  I  have  taken  leave  to  transcribe  the  following  memorials. 
Reader,  allow  the  general  title  of  them  to  be  Pillule  sine  QuiBUS.f 

*  WitbthecobeumnoeortbolaUf.  t  Indlapenuble  Pillg. 


I   li 


!|. 


230 


UAONALIA    OHSISTI    AlliRIUANA{ 


1  PROPOSITIOirg 

Conctrning  the  Obligatiom  lying  ufton  Miniiltr*  of  Iht  Ootpel,  to  "  Vi$it  tht  Sick,"  in  timtt  of 

Epidemical  and  Contagiou$  Di»ttmp«r$.    . 

I.  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  are  to  hove  a  great  concern  for  the  sick 
under  their  pastoral  charge,  and  endeavour  the  fulfilling  of  their  ministry 
not  only  by  fitting  the  necessities  of  their  sick  with  their  prayers,  but  also 
by  leaving  them  unacquainted  with  none  of  those  counsels  which  may  pre- 
pare them  for  their  end. 

II.  Nevertheless,  in  times  of  epidemical  contagion,  the  ministers  of  the 
gospel  may  by  various  methods  attend  what  is  necessary  thus  to  be 
attended,  without  the  ordinary  visitations  of  the  infected  chambers. 

III.  A  minister  solicitous  about  his  duty  in  "visiting  the  sick  "of  his 
flock,  when  pestilential  contagions  are  prevailing,  may  receive  much 
direction  from  the  courage  wherewitli  he  may  find  the  God  of  heaven  for- 
tifying his  heart  unto  such  an  undertaking. 

IV.  The  bare  "desires  of  the  sick"  to  be  visited  by  a  minister  have  often 
so  much  of  evident  unseasonableness,  unreasonableness,  and  perhaps  of 
worse  causes  in  them,  that  it  is  no  ways  fitting  a  life  should  be  sacrificed 
merely  thereunto. 

V.  When  a  minister  is  well  assured  that  the  sick  of  his  own  flock  are 
laboring  under  such  loads  upon  their  consciences  as  cannot  fitly  be  unbur- 
dened unto  any  but  himself,  he  has  a  call  from  Heaven  to  venture  himself 
to  the  utmost  for  the  service  of  such  a  soul,  and  may  expect  the  protection 
of  Heaven  accordingly  to  be  a  shield  unto  him. 

VI.  A  minister,  in  times  of  general  mortalities,  may  do  well,  before  he 
exposes  himself  unto  the  evident  hazards  of  those  mortalities,  to  take  the 
advice  and  consent  of  that  church  unto  whose  edification  the  labours  of 
his  life  are  dedicated,  whether  they  are  willing  that  he  should  sacrifice  his 
life  unto  the  private  services  of  the  sick.  And  the  opinion  of  a  people  thus 
asked,  will  afford  much  satisfaction  unto  a  minister,  as  to  what  may  be  in 
this  case  incumbent  upon  him. 

VII.  In  times  extraordinarily  pestilential,  if  the  neighbouring  ministers 
do  by  a  lott  solemnly  single  out  one  of  their  number,  to  devote  himself, 
with  the  exemption  of  the  rest,  unto  the  help  of  the  sick,  it  were  a  course 
not  to  be  disapproved :  but  a  minister,  so  devoted,  may  cheerfully  com- 
mend himself  unto  the  acceptance  of  God  in  the  service  of  the  distressed. 

TPROPOSITIONS 

Concerning  the  Caeet  wherein  a  Minister  may  Leave  hit  People. 

I.  A  PASTOR,  settled  in  the  service  of  a  people,  is  to  be  so  sensible  of 
his  designation  by  the  spirit  and  the  providence  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
for  that  service,  and  of  the  account  that  he  must  give  unto  God  about  his 
behaviour  in  it,  that  his  removal  must  not  be  rashly  attempted,  but  with 


OR,    lUa    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


261 


much  consideration,  consultation,  supplication,  and  sincere  desire  to  follow 
the  conduct  of  Heaven  in  it.  The  frowns  of  God  use  to  follow  removea 
that  have  not  so  been  regulated. 

II.  That  the  ivill  of  our  L(»rd,  about  the  removal  of  any  pastor  from  his 
people,  may  be  undcstood,  it  is  requisite  that  the  minister  do  not  entirely 
assuftic  to  himself  the  judgment  of  his  own  call  to  remove,  but  a  great 
regard  must  be  had  unto  the  direction  of  the  churches  of  our  Lord  in  the 
neif^hbourhood. 

III.  They  unto  whom  the  judgment  of  a  pastor's  removal  from  his  pec* 
pie  is  to  be  referred,  should  exactly  weigh  both  the  j)resent  and  future 
circumstances  of  both ;  and  endeavour  a  provision  that  neither  party  may 
suffer  in  the  removal  of  a  minister  from  his  flock. 

IV.  In  case  there  be  arisen  those  incurable  prejudices,  dis.<;entions,  ani- 
mosities,  and  implacable  offences  between  a  pastor  and  his  pe«  pie,  that  all 
reverence  for,  and  benefit  by,  his  ministry  is  utterly  to  be  despaired,  he 
may  be  removed.  The  want  of  success,  otherwise,  is  not  a  suflieient  cause 
of  removal,  but  it  is  to  be  endured,  with  all  humble  patience,  b^  the  min- 
ister, as  a  great  affliction ;  and  yet  with  this  encouragement,  that  God  will 
reward  him.  Secundum  laborem,  non  secundum  proventum.^ 

V.  A  pastor  may  be  removed  from  his  people,  in  case  his  translation  bo 
found  necessary  for  the  common  good.  The  welfare  of  the  catholic  chv  ■  ;i,j 
in  the  general  edification  of  a  community,  should  be  of  such  weight .  3  to 
make  any  particular  churches  give  way  thereunto.  But,  yet,  it  becomes  not 
anv  minister  so  seek  his  own  translation,  by  first  offering  himself  unto  it. 

VI.  There  are  some  things  which  dissolve  the  vinculum  pastorale^  be- 
tween a  pastor  and  his  people;  and  in  case  those  disasters  happen,  he  may 
be  removed.  Thus,  if  a  minister  have  a  tolerable  subsistence,  wherewith 
he  may  after  a  Christian  manner  provide  for  his  own,  deny'd  him;  or,  if  a 
minister  have  no  way  to  avoid  a  storm  of  persecution,  purely  personal^  but 
by  "fleeing  from  one  city  to  another,"  a  remove  may  be  justified.  And 
the  dissolution  of  a  church,  gives  the  like  liberty  to  him  that  had  been 
the  shepherd  of  the  now-scattered  flock. 

VII.  Although  a  pastor  should  be  willing  to  encounter  ir  uiy  dlfBculties 
and  infirmities  with  his  people;  yet,  in  case  that  chronical  diseases,  which 
evidently  threaten  his  life,  might  hopefully  be  relieved  by  his  removal,  it 
sliould  then^  on  all  hands,  be  allowed  and  advised.  Mercy  is  here  to  be 
preferred  before  sacrifice^  and  so  we  find  it  was  ir,  the  primitive  churches 
accordingly. 

VIII.  If  much  of  scandal  will  certainly  ensue  upon  the  removal  of  a 
pastor  from  his  people,  that  should  weigh  down  many  circumstances  that 
would  rather  invite  such  a  removal. 


*  Aeeording  to  hi*  labor,  not  according  to  hU  aucoMa. 


t  PaMoral  bond. 


252 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Question. — Whether  it  be  Lawful  for  a  Man  to  Marry  hit  Wife't  Sitter  ? 

I.  A  MARRIAGE  between  a  man  and  his  wife's  own  sister,  is  positively 
prohibited  in  that  law  of  God,  (Lev.  xviii.  16,)  "that  a  man  may  not  many 
his  brother's  wife."  By  the  plainest  consequence,  a  woman  may  not  marry 
her  sister's  husband.     The  degree  prohibited  is  exactly  the  same.       ^ 

II.  The  law  that  has  prohibited  the  marriage  of  a  man  to  hi3  wife's  own 
sister  has  an  authority  and  an  obligation  reaching  even  to  the  Gentiles 
upon  "  whom  the  ends  of  the  world  are  come."  'Tis  evident  that  the  vio- 
lation of  this  law,  is  declared  one  of  those  abominations  for  which  the 
ancient  Canaanites  were  "spued  out  of  their  land."  And  we  find  the 
New  Testament,  in  divers  places,  insisting  upon  those  prohibitions,  amon" 
which  this  law  is  one.  The  good  order  which  God  has  by  this  law  estab- 
lished in  humane  society,  is  that  which  the  light  of  nature,  in  mankind, 
as  now  increased,  does  abundantly  testifie  unto.  The  dispensation  whicli 
the  sovereign  law-giver  once  gave  in  one  instance  hereunto,  was  extraor- 
dinary. The  example  of  Jacob,  in  this  matter,  is  to  be  disapproved  by 
all  that  would  be  esteemed  his  children,  as  well  as  that  of  his  polygamy. 

III.  'Tis  the  law  of  our  God,  in  Lev.  xviii.  6,  "  none  of  you  shall  ap- 
proach [in  a  marriage]  unto  any  that  is  near  of  kin  to  him,"  Now,  tlie 
kindred  betwixt  a  man  and  his  own  wife's  sister,  is  of  the  nearest  sort: 
For,  Inter  Virum  et  mulierem  non  contrahitur  ajfinitas,  sed  ipsi  sunt  affinilutts 
causa:*  so  then  this  affinity  is  not  less  than  in  prima  genere,\  and  there- 
fore unlawful.  It  is  likewise  the  concurrent  sense  of  the  greatest  divines 
(particularly  asserted  in  the  Assemblies  "confession  of  faith;")  that  of 
what  degree  any  one  is  of  consanguinity  to  his  wife,  in  the  same  degree 
of  affinity  is  that  person  to  the  husband.  And  that  an  husband  is  forbid- 
den to  marry  with  the  consanguines  of  his  wife,  by  the  same  rule  that  con- 
sanguines  are  forbidden  to  marry  among  themselves.  And  this  assertioa 
may  be  demonstrated  from  the  rules  given  in  the  eighteenth  chapter  of 
Leviticus.  Wherefore,  as  a  man  may  not  marry  his  own  sister,  so  not  the 
sister  of  his  wife,  which  is  one  flesh  with  him. 

IV.  The  marriage  in  the  question  has  been  so  scandalous  among  tbe 
whole  people  of  God,  that  whosoever  is  guilty  of  it,  is  therein  worthy  to 
be  cut  off  from  the  communion  of  the  Catholic  Church ;  yea,  it  hath  been 
one  of  the  imperial  laws,  Duabus  Sororibus  Conjungendi^  penitus  Licen- 
tiam  submovemus.')^  Much  less  may  such  an  iniquity  be  countenanced 
among  the  people  of  our  profession. 

Question. — Whether,  and  how  far,  the  Discipline  of  our  Ij»rd  in  our  Churches  i»  to  be  extended 

to  the  Children  therein  Baptized. 

I.  We  judge,  that  the  discipline  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  our  churches 
ought  to  be  extended  unto  the  children  baptised  in  them:  in  as  much  as 

*  For  »  relitioMhIp  U  not  oontneted  between  the  niBn  and  the  woman,  but  they  Bra  themBelree  the  >uurc« 
of  relHtionihlp. 

t  or  the  Aret  degre*.  }  We  utterly  disallow  the  privilege  uf  marrying  two  tiatera. 


these  perse 
vilhout;  a 
be  fed:  an 
principle,  J 
the  Reforn 
discipline  ii 

II,  Altl 
unto  bapti 
churches,  < 
application 
of  God  sha 

IIL  Th( 
struction  in 
dalous  vio' 
rejection  fr 
clearly  Hal 
tismal  cov 
Lord  in  h 
laboured  v 
that  any  o 
exempted 

Question.- 

L  To  ji 

sons,  the  c 
II,  In  ci 

insvfficienc 

marriage  ii 
IIL  In  ( 

to  another 

IV.  In  ( 
nesses  as  re 
tlicir  marri 
divorce  fr 
jxissed  by 

V.  In  cj 
the  separat 

VL  In  < 
marriage,  1 
vhcy  are  ru 
Ood,  it  is  { 

VIL  In 
and  invitee 
the  forsak( 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


253 


tliese  persons  are  certainly  those  which  the  Scripture  calls  within,  and  not 
u'Uhout;  and  the  hmhs,  as  well  as  others  in  the  flocks  of  our  Lord,  are  to 
he  fed :  and  the  practice  of  the  purest  churches  has  been  agreeable  to  this  • 
principle,  as  well  the  primitive  before,  as  the  Bohemian  and  others  since, 
the  Reformation :  reason  also  says,  that  where  a  privikdge  is  expected,  a 
discipline  is  to  be  acknowledged. 

II.  Although  it  is  a  membership  in  the  catholic  church  that  gives  right ' 
unto  baptism,  yet  particular  churches,  as  well  as  the  pastors  of  those 
churches,  owe  a  duty  to  the  catholic  church,  part  of  which  duty  is  the 
application  of  disciplive  unto  those  baptised  persons  whom  the  providence 
of  God  shall  cast  under  their  inspection. 

III.  The  discipline  which  we  count  owing  unto  these  persons  is,  an  in- 
struction in  the  laws  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  an  admonition  upon  a  scan- 
dalous violation  of  those  laws,  and  upon  incorrigibleness  in  evil,  an  open 
rejection  from  all  ecclesiastical  privileges:  and  although  persons  are  most 
clearly  liable  to  this  process,  when  they  have  actually  renewed  their  bap- 
tismal covenani,  ^.nd  recognized  their  subjection  to  the  government  of  our 
Lord  in  his  church,  and  the  children  of  the  church  are  to  be  accordingly 
laboured  withal,  that  they  may  be  brought  hereunto,  yet  we  do  not  think 
that  any  of  the  said  persons,  refusing  or  neglecting  thus  to  do,  are  thereby 
exempted  from  such  a  care  of  the  church  to  bring  them  unto  repentance. 

Question. — In  what  Cases  is  a  Divorce  of  the  Married  justly  to  be  Pursued  and  Obtained? 

I.  To  judge,  determine  and  accomplish  a  divorce  of  any  married  per- 
sons, the  civil  magistrate  is  to  be  addressed  or  concerned. 

II.  In  case  any  married  persons  be  found  under  natural  incapacities,  and 
insufficiencies,  which  utterly  disappoint  the  confessed  ends  of  marriage,  the 
marriage  is  to  be  declared  a  nullity. 

III.  In  case  any  married  person  be  found  already  bound  in  a  marriage 
to  another  yet  living,  a  divorce  is  to  be  granted  untc  the  aggrieved  party. 

IV.  In  case  any  married  person  be  convicted  of  such  criminal  unclean- 
nesses  as  render  them  one  flesh  with  another  object  than  that  unto  which 
their  marriage  has  united  them,  the  injured  party  may  sue  and  have  their 
divorce  from  the  offending;  which  is  the  plain  sense  of  the  sentence, 
jxissed  by  our  Lord,  Matth.  xix.  9. 

V.  In  case  there  be  found  incest  in  a  marriage,  a  divorce  is  to  command 
the  separation  of  the  married. 

VI.  In  case  it  be  found  that  a  person  married  had,  hy  fornication  before 
marriage,  been  made  one  with  a  person  related  unto  the  person  with  whom 
they  are  noio  married,  within  the  degrees  made  incestuous  by  the  law  of 
God,  it  is  a  just  plea  for  a  divorce. 

VII.  In  case  of  a  malicious  desertion  by  a  married  person,  who  is  obliged 
and  invited  to  return,  a  divorce  may  be  granted  by  lawful  authority  unto 
the  forsaken.     For  the  word  of  God  is  plain,  "that  a  Christian  is  not 


f    '1 


•MM 


,  K  j 


254 


MAQNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEKICANA; 


bound  in  such  cases"  by  the  marriage  unto  one  which  has  thus  wilfully 
violated  the  covenant;  and  tho'  our  Saviour  forbids  "a  man's  puttin<^ 
away  his  wife,  except  it  be  for  fornication,"  yet  he  forbids  not  rulers  to 
rescue  an  innocent  person  from  the  enthralling  disadvantages  of  another 
that  shall  sinfully  go  away. 

VIII.  As  for  married  persons  long  absent  from  each  other,  and  not 
heard  of  by  each  other,  the  government  may  state  what  length  of  time  in 
this  case,  may  give  such  a  presumption  of  death  in  the  person  abroad,  as 
may  reckon  a  second  marriage  free  from  scandal. 

IX.  A  divorce  being  legally  pursued  and  obtained,  the  innocent  person 
that  is  released  may  proceed  unto  a  "second  marriage  in  the  Lord:"  other- 
wise the  state  of  believers  under  the  New  Testament  would  in  some  of 
these  cases  be  worse  than  what  the  God  of  heaven  directed  for  his  people 
under  the  Old. 

irPROPOSITION  8— Concerning  Ordination. 

I.  A  solemn  separation  to  the  service  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his 
church,  is  essential  to  the  call  of  a  church-officer. 

II.  The  election  of  the  church,  and  a  compliance  with,  and  an  acceptance 
of  that  election,  by  a  person  coming  under  a  separation,  is  that  wherein 
lies  the  essence  of  his  call  to  minister  unto  that  particular  church. 

III.  The  imposition  of  hands,  in  the  ordination  of  a  church-officer,  is  a 
rite,  not  only  lawful  to  be  retained,  but  it  seems  by  a  divine  institution 
directed  and  required ;  so  that  although  the  call  of  a  person  to  church- 
office  may  not  become  null  and  void,  where  that  rite  may  have  been  omit- 
ted, as  it  is  in  the  seniors  and  deacons  in  most  of  the  reformed  churches, 
yet  we  cannot  approve  the  omission  of  it.  A  ceremonial  defect  may  be 
blameworthy. 

IV.  When  it  is  enjoyned,  "lay  hands  suddenly  on  no  man,"  there  seems 
a  Tplain  positive  in  that  negative;  and  it  is  implied  "that  hands  are  to  be 
laid  on  some."     Now,  when,  or  where,  but  in  ordination? 

V.  The  ivhole  ordination  to  a  ministry  seems  intended  in  the  apostle's 
expression  of  a  "gift  given  with  the  laying  on  of  hands;"  yea,  nothing 
less  than  the  whole  ministry,  under  that  ordination,  seems  comprised  in 
the  apostle's  expression  of  the  "doctrine  of  laying  on  of  hands:"  and  such 
a  synecdoche  intimates  that  this  rite  is  no  inconsiderable  part  of  that 
whereof  'tis  put  for  the  ivhole. 

VI.  The  church  of  God,  in  all  ages,  has  used  an  "imposition  of  hands," 
as  a  rite  many  ways  agreeable  to  the  will  of  God;  and  besides  the  use  of 
this  rite,  sometimes  on  miraculous  accounts,  there  has  still  been  a  more 
constant  use  of  it  on  ecclesiastical  accounts;  not  conferring  but  confessing  of 
qualifications,  the  subjects  that  received  it;  which  one  reason  has  in  it 
many  and  weighty  considerations. 

VII.  The  "imposition  of  hands"  being  a  rite  used  by  the  primitive 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


26o 


churches  in  the  confirming  and  restoring  of  church-members,  and  this  not 
altogether  without  the  countenance  of  Scripture,  it  seems  very  much  to 
take  away  all  pretence  for  laying  it  aside  in  the  ordination  of  church- 
officers. 

VIII.  'Tis  well  known,  that  the  Jews,  even  in  their  schools,  and  in 
almost  every  special  work  for  God  whereto  men  were  set  apart,  used  "im- 
position of  hands,"  as  a  rite  accompanying  such  a  dedication. 

IX.  The  "imposition  of  hands"  having  been  a  rite  which  the  people  of 
God,  under  the  Old  Testament,  in  his  name  applied  unto  such  purposes  as 
a  benediction  of  a  person,  a  designation  to  a  function,  an  oblation  of  what 
was  to  be  presented  unto  God,  and  a  devolution  of  certain  burdens  on  the 
heads  of  such  as  were  treated  with  it ;  the  Lord  has  continued  this  rite  in 
the  ordaining  of  church-officers,  with  some  to  such  intents  and  purposes. 

X.  Most  unexceptionable  is  the  "imposition  of  hands"  by  a. presbytery ; 
but  more  exceptionable  by  a  fraternity.  The  word  of  God  mentions  the 
former  expressly,  but  not  the  latter,  in  the  New  Testament.  They  were 
such  hands  as  Titus's  that  were  left  to  ordain  elders.  What  need  of  that, 
if  the  hands  of  common  believers  were  sufficient?  They  were  such  hands 
as  Timothy's  that  were  to  maJce  over  church-betrustments  "unto  faithful 
inen,  able  to  teach  others."  Who  fitter  to  signifie  the  needed  approbation 
of  other  churches?  And  inasmuch  as  in  ordination  there  is  an  acknowl- 
edgement of  admission  into  an  order,  it  is  but  reasonable  that  some  who 
are  in  some  order  of  church-power  should  give  it. 

H  PROPOSITIONS-—  Touching  the  Power  of  Chuaing  a  Ppttor. 

A  SOCIETY  of  believers  combined  for  the  worship  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  in  all  his  ordinances,  have  the  right  of  chusing  the  pastor  that  is  to 
administer  unto  them  those  ordinances. 

The  Scriptures  do  still  call  for  the  suffrages  of  the  brethren  in  the 
churches,  for  all  elections  in  those  churches,  and  particularly  that  of  elders. 

In  the  oldest  and  purest  of  its  times,  we  still  find  the  brethren  of  the 
church  possessed  of  a  power  to  "chuse  for  itself,"  and  the  destruction  of  the 
power  was  amongst  none  of  the  earliest  encroachments  of  Antichrist. 

The  jus  paironatus*  in  some  churches  pretended  unto,  is  an  usurpation 
upon  the  flock  of  God,  justly  to  be  exploded. 

The  pretences  of  the  civil  magistrate  unto  the  like  disposal  for  the  same 
causes,  were  for  many  ages  no  less  justly  than  sharply  denied. 

K  particular  church,  owing  a  great  regard  unto  the  church  catholick  in 
the  using  of  its  own  right,  is  bound  in  duty  to  consult  the  satisfaction  and 
edification  of  others  in  their  election  of  a  pastor. 

Ministers  and  messengers  of  neighbouring  churches  have  power  to  except 
against  any  election  of  a  pastor,  who,  by  errors  or  scandals,  may  be  rendred 
unfit  for  the  common  service  of  the  gospel. 

*  Tbe  right  of  patronage. 


266 


MAGXALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICAKA; 


Churches,  in  the  election  of  a  pastor,  are  to  consider  the  benefit  of  all 
that  are  to  be  his  hearers ;  and  more  particularly  the  concurrence  of  such 
as  are  by  the  covenant  and  appointment  of  God  under  the  church-watch 
among  them. 

The  respect  that  churches  do  shew  to  others  in  the  election  of  a  pastor, 
ought  so  to  be  managed,  as  that  they  do  not  permit  their  own  just  privi-' 
leges  to  be  extinguished  by  anticipating  impositions  upon  thern. 

Churches  may  suffer  their  e*^  ^tions  to  be  directed — yea,  and  be  diverted— 
by  considerations  which  thej  ovro  to  others  in  the  vicinity,  without  sur- 
rendering their  liberties  t<  be  smothered  by  any  that  would  unjustly 
impose  thereupon. 

Question. —  Whether  then  are  any  Cages,  wherein  a  Minister  of  the  Gospel  may  lay  down  his 

Ministry  ? 

No  man  can  rightly,  wisely,  or  safely  become  a  minister  of  the  gospel 
without  a  call  of  God,  which  call  is  mediate,  and  manifested  by  ministerial 
gifts,  with  some  inclination  and  opportunity  to  exercise  those  gifts. 

When  a  minister  of  the  gospel  does  by  the  compelling  providence  of  God 
become  deprived  of  those  essential  things  whereby  his  call  was  discovered, 
without  any  rational  prospect  of  recovering  them,  he  may  then  lay  down 
his  ministry.        - 

But  before  one  called  unto  the  ministry  do  relinquish  it,  there  should  be 
such  a  concurrence  of  incapacities,  that  a  person's  own  arbitrary  inclinations, 
acted  by  temptations,  may  not  be  the  things  that  shall  dismiss  him.  One 
consecrated  unto  the  ministry,  is  thus,  pro  termino  vitce;*  nor  may  a  man, 
setting  his  hand  unto  this  plough,  at  his  own  pleasure  look  back. 

For  one  in  the  sacred  ministry  to  leave  it,  for  the  sake  of  riches  or  hon- 
ours, more  likely  to  be  acquired  in  another  way  of  living,  for  the  sake  of 
discouragements,  arising  from  unsuccessfulness,  or  persecution,  or  other  dif- 
ficulties, in  no  ways  allow^able. 

A  person  disabled  b}'  the  infirmities  of  old  age  for  the  labour  of  the 
ministry,  still  retr 'ning  his  ofiice,  is  to  be  still  considered,  in  the  dutiful 
regards  of  the  church,  as  their  pastor  notwithstanding. 

A  censure,  though  an  unjust  one,  of  a  civil  magistrate,  silencing  a  par- 
ticular niinister,  may  in  some  cases  be  a  sufficient  reason  for  his  forbearing 
to  do  his  work,  for  some  time,  or  in  this  place,  though  it  release  him  not 
from  the  obligation  of  his  holy  calling. 

The  disasters  which  have  been  observed  as  frequently  following  those 
who  have  deserted  their  spiritual  tmrfare,  without  the  leave  of  the  Lord, 
are  just  admonitions  unto  all  ministers  of  our  Lord  against  any  undue 
desertion  of  the  service  wherein  they  have  been  listed. 

*  For  the  full  lime  of  his  existence. 


OR,    THE    niSTOEY    OF   NEW-ENGLAND. 


257 


QwESTioN. — Whether  the  Paitor  of  a  Church,  upon  a  common  fame  of  a  Seavdal,  committed  6y 
a»t/  ill  his  Church,  he  not  bound  in  Duty  to  enquire  into  that  Scandal,  although  there  should 
not  be  brought  any  formal  complaint  unto  him  of  it  ? 

I.  According  to  the  apostolical  direction,  an  enquiry  into  an  oflfence  was 
ordered  upon  this  consideration,  (1  Cor.  v.  1,)  "  It  is  reported  commonly." 

II.  The  elders  of  Israel  were  to  make  an  inquiry  into  an  offence  after  this 
manner,  (Deut.  xiii.  12.  14,)  *'  If  thou  shalt  hear  say — Then  shalt  thou 
enquire  and  make  search,  and  ask  diligently." 

III.  The  commendation  of  a  civil  ruler  does,  by  proportion  and  parity 
of  reason,  belong  to  an  ecclesiastical  one,  (Job  xxvi.  16.)  "  The  cause 
which  I  knew  not,  I  searched  out." 

IV.  The  same  that  may  move  others  to  complain  of  a  scandal  unto  the 
pastor,  should  move  ^'ic  pastor  to  enquire  after  a  reported  scandal ;  namely, 
the  glory  of  the  Lord,  the  defence  of  the  church,  and  the  welfare  of  the  err- 
ing person ;  every  one  of  whom  will  suffer,  if  such  enquiry  be  not  made. 

V.  The  neighbours  may  be  so  far  under  the  power  of  temptation,  as  to 
forbear  making  orderly  relations  of  scandals  committed ;  and  it  is  therefore 
necessary,  that  such  things  fall  under  the  enquiry  of  the  pastor,  thereto  by 
common  fnne  alarmed. 

VI.  The  pastor  of  a  church  is  by  office  to  ivalch  over  the  conversation  of 
the  people,  and  a  noise  of  scandal  arisen  in  the  conversation  of  those  under 
Ills  watch,  is  a  sufficient  provocation  for  his  enquiry  after  it. 

VII.  Finally,  a  rumour  of  a  scandal  in  a  church-member,  is  that  wherein 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  concerned,  and  for  the  vindication  of 
that  worthy  name,  an  enquiry  being  made  into  it,  there  may  appear  such 
powerful  prcsumptiorw,  while  there  are  not  yet  sufficient  convictions  of  guilt 
in  the  party  concerned,  that  the  person  shall  be  bound  (except  in  a  capital 
case)  either  to  give  a  positive  denial  or  to  make  a  penitent  confession  of 
the  matter  commonly  famed  of  him. 

QuESTio.v. — How  far  the  Confessions  of  a  Guilty  and  Troubled  Conscience,  are  to  be  kept  Secret 
by  the  Minister  or  Christian  to  whom  the  Confessions  have  been  made  ? 

I.  Tis  very  certain  that,  ordinarily,  the  confessions  of  a  guilty  and  a 
troubled  conscience  are  to  be  kept  secret  by  those  to  whom  they  are  made. 
The  ends  for  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  directed  unto  such  confes- 
sions, would  be  all  frustrated,  if  thoy  should  not  be  most  religiously  con- 
cealed; and  they  are  made,  "as  unto  the  Lord." 

II.  Nevertheless,  when  evideic  mischief  will  arise,  general  or  personal, 
cither  in  point  of  safety  or  o(  iastice,  by  the  concealment  of  a  secret  con- 
fession, it  is  no  longer  to  b.i  kept  secret.  In  such  cases  the  confessing 
person  himself  can  have  no  ease  in  his  own  conscience  (which  i?  the  design 
of  confession)  without  publishing  his  own  crime;  and  therefore  there  can 
bo  no  obligation  upon  any  other  to  assist  him  in  covering  of  it. 

IK.  When  the  endangered  safety  or  interests  of  others  make  it  necessary 
VoL.  IL— 17 


I     s, 


1     '  >    »■ 


d 


um 


I 


ill  fi     <  I 


258 


MAONALIA    rilRlSTI    AMERICANA; 


for  the  confession  of  a  secret  sin  to  be  exposed,  it  is  fit  for  the  person  who 
has  heard  this  confession  to  advise  the  person  himself  that,  within  a  time 
limited  and  convenient,  he  do  himself  make  it  known  to  the  persons  con- 
cerned ;  which  if  he  fail  to  do,  then  is  the  time  for  the  first  hearer  of  the 
confession  to  do  his  duty. 

IV.  In  the  great  capitals,  if  thsre  be  no  other  ways  a  divulgation  theieor, 
he  that  hath  had  the  confession  of  such  a  secret  sin  may  ctomo  ii  as  a 
second  witness,  to  reveal  the  secret  for  the  conviction  of  thi  mdoibctor 
under  judicial  process. 

V.  Where  the  confession  of  a  secret  sin  is  to  be  further  divilged,  it  is 
to  be  examined  whether  the  sin  ma}'  not  be  told  without  the  nume  of  the 
person  that  has  committed  and  confessed  it. 

Vi.  A  minister  of  the  gospel  receiving  a  confession,  often  times  has 
cause  to  consider  whether  the  person  that  malc(!«  it  may  not  make  his 
knowledge  thereof  many  ways  injurious  to  himself;  and,  if  so,  lie  ir<v 
with  his  best  prad(  nee  provide  against  such  injuries. 

VII.  In  those  ' ■iiid-defiling  sins,  where  a  person  is  not  bound  by  a  con- 
fession to  deliver  himseu  up  to  the  hazard  of  the  law,  no  minister  ia 
bound,  from  the  meer  rrxture  of  the  crimes,  to  betray  the  confession  that 
has  been  made  unto  him. 


I 


I 


Question. — Whatia  the  Duty  owing  from  the  Church,  to  Perions  who  upo/i  Private  Prejudieei 

withdraw  from  the  Communion  of  it  ? 

I.  Persons  that  have  taken  up  any  private  prejudices  against  any  in  the 
communion  of  the  church  whereto  tbey  do  belong,  are  directed  by  the 
commandment  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  are  engaged  by  the  covenant 
of  watchfulness,  to  endeavour  the  repentance  of  the  persons  under  sup- 
posed offence  by  tk  personal  application. 

II.  They  that,  upon  offences  taken,  do  neglect  this  way  of  proceeding, 
are  guilty  of  sin  against  the  liord's  commandment  and  their  own  cove- 
nant; and  by  their  withdrawing  from  the  table  of  the  Lord,  their  sin  is 
aggravated. 

III.  The  withdrawing  of  persons  thus  irregularly  from  the  communion 
of  the  church  at  the  Lord's  table,  does  carry  an  hard  and  high  imputation 
upon  the  church  itself,  which  adds  more  of  a  fault  unto  so  sinful  a  schism. 

IV.  If  the  person  that  hath  been  offended  hath  done  his  duty,  and 
either  the  pastor  do  refuse  to  lay  the  matter  before  the  church,  for  the 

•insignificancy  of  it,  or  the  church,  upon  the  hearing  of  it,  do  pronounce 
it  satisfied,  the  person  is  obliged  still  to  continue  his  communion  with  the 
church,  until  a  council  of  churches  declare  the  contrary. 

V.  Such  a  sinful  separation  from  the  communion  of  the  church  being 
a  moral  evil,  the  scandal  is  to  be  by  the  discipline  of  the  church  pro' 
ceeded  against,  as  other  censurable  scandals.  The  pastor,  upon  observa- 
tion and  information  of  the  sin,  is  to  send  for  the  person  withdrawing,  and 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


2u9 


instruct  and  convince  and  admonish  him;  and  upon  contumacious  ob-stin- 
acy,  the  church  is  to  deal  with  him  as  one  unruly,  and  walking  disorderly. 
VI.  Nevertheless,  compassion  towards  the  ignorant,  or  injured,  is  very 
much  to  determine  the  more  or  less  vigour  wherewith  such  offences  are  to 
be  prosecuted. 

Question. — What  Loan  of  Money,  upon  Utury,  may  be  practised  f 

I.  Usury,  being  an  advance  upon  any  thing  lent  by  contract,  it  is  not 
lestrained  unto  money  only ;  victuals  or  any  other  thing,  (as  the  oracles 
of  the  sacred  Scriptures  declare  unto  us)  are  capable  of  being  "lent  upon 
usury."  The  main  difference  of  usury  from  other  ways  of  dealing,  is  the 
owners  not  running  the  risque  of  the  principal. 

II.  That  there  is  an  usury  lawful  to  be  taken,  is  from  several  passages 
in  the  divine  law  sufficiently  signified  unto  us.  For,  first,  under  the  Old 
Testament,  God  allowed  unto  his  people  the  practice  of  usury;  he  ex- 
pressly said,  (Deut.  xxviji.  20,)  "  Unto  a  stranger  thou  mayst  lend  upon 
usury."  And  the  allowance  of  usury  upon  a  stranger  had  never  been 
given,  if  usury  had  in  it  any  intrinsick  turpitude.  Yea,  in  all  the  places 
of  the  Old  Testament,  prohibiting  unto  the  Israelites  the  demand  of 
"usury  upon  a  brother,"  there  are  clauses  in  the  context  which  seem  to 
intimate  as  if  the  poor  brother  only  were  intended  in  the  prohibition. 
However,  the  peculiar  constitution  of  the  Israelitish  commonwealth  is 
enough  to  release  us  Gentiles  from  the  obligation  of  the  edicts  against 
usury  given  thereunto.  And  the  words  of  the  Psalmist  and  Prophet,  that 
seem  to  reproach  usury,  must  accordingly  be  expounded  wit^  a  limitation 
to  the  usury  which  the  law  had  countermanded.  Hence,  also,  in  the  New 
Testament,  our  Saviour  has  a  passage  of  such  importance  as  to  give  coun- 
tenance, in  Mat.  xxv.  27,  unto  a  "man's  receiving  his  own  with  usury;" 
and  in  the  New  Testament  also,  John  Baptist,  in  Luke  xiii.  3,  forbad  not 
unto  the  publicans  the  usury  which  their  condition  of  life  led  them  unto. 

III.  Tliere  is  every  sort  of  law,  except  the  Popish,  to  justify  a  regu- 
lated usury.  'Tis  justified  by  the  law  of  necessity  and  utility;  humane 
society,  as  now  circumstanced,  would  sink,  if  all  usury  were  impracticable. 
'Tis  justified  by  the  law  of  equity;  it  is  very  equal  that  a  man  should 
partake  in  the  benefits  which  his  estate  procures  for  another  man.  Yea, 
it  may  be  the  duty  of  another  man  to  give  me  a  usury — namely,  when  he 
gains  by  my  possessions;  it  would  be  iniquily'va  him  to  do  otherwise: 
and  certainly  then  it  cannot  be  a  sin  for  me  to  tulce  that  which  'tis  his  duty 
to  give.  'Tia  justified  by  the  law  of  parity;  there  is  no  manner  of  reason 
why  the  usury  of  money,  should  be  more  fjiulty  than  that  of  any  other 
tiling;  for  money  is  as  really  improveable  a  thing  as  any  other  commodity 
whatsoever:  nor  can  a  contract  in  this  case  be  more  blameable  than  in  any 
other.  Nor  is  it  contrary  to  the  law  of  charity  that  a  man  should  expect 
something,  for  the  support  and  comfort  of  his  own  family,  for  the  profit- 


il'MM 


•1]  I 


-'A  Hi 


I.  i 


260 


MAQNALIA    CIISISTI    AMERICANA; 


able  use  which  other  men  may  make  of  those  things  whereof  he  is  him' 
self  the  proprietor. 

IV.  Nevertheless,  the  law  of  charity  is  to  regulate  our  usury,  that  it 
may  not  become  unlawful  by  the  "biting  extremity,"  into  which  it  may 
otherwise  be  carried.  It  is  an  eternal  and  a  glorious  rule  of  charitv, 
that  in  dealing  with  a  neighbour,  a  man  must  propose  his  "neiglibour's 
advantage,"  as  well  as  his  own,  and  he  should  not  propose  to  make  his 
own  advantage  by  adding  to  his  neighbour's  misery.  Moreover,  when 
the  general  rules  of  charity  oblige  a  man  to  relieve  the  necessities  of  a 
neighbour,  or  to  remit  of  what  he  might  have  exacted  from  a  neighbour, 
if  it  had  not  been  for  those  necessities,  nsury  must  not  supersede  tlmt 
charity:  "Whence,  also,  to  demand  usury  from  the  poor  when  we  accom- 
modate them  for  their  mere  necessary  sustenance  and  subsistence,  is  a  sin. 
'Tis  a  sin  likewise  to  refuse  helping  the  poor  because  we  would  keep  all 
that  we  have  to  serve  the  desi{;;ns  of  usury.  Nor  can  it  be  any  other  than 
a  sin  to  require  as  much  for  usury  as  for  hire,  which  are  carefully  to  be 
distinguished.  And  an  idle  usury,  which  is  when  men  so  confine  them- 
selves to  the  way  of  living  upon  usury,  as  to  render  themselves  otherwise 
unuseful  unto  the  publick;  this  is  justly  become  a  thing  of  an  evil  charac- 
ter. But  yet,  in  all  these  things,  the  application  of  the  rules  of  charity  is 
to  be  left  unto  a  man's  own  conscience,  which  is  to  be  advised  from  tiie 
word  of  God,  with  the  best  helps  of  understanding  that  word. 

All  these  things  being  thus  considered,  the  severe  declamations  of  the 
ancients  against  usury  must  be  of  no  further  account  with  us  than  their 
discourses  against  limning,  or  swearing,  or  fighting,  or  sitting  and  acting 
in  a  court  of  civil  judicature. 

Question. —  fVhether  it  be  in  the  Power  of  Men  to  Stale  any  Days  of  Publick  Worship? 

I.  No  time  is  to  be  made  holy  to  the  Lord,  but  what  is  made  holy  by 
the  Lord;  and  if  there  be  no  institution  of  God,  the  great  Lojd  of  time, 
for  a  stated  time,  to  be  made  holy  to  himself,  'tis  a  superstition  in  any  man 
to  make  it  so. 

II.  Very  sensible  is  the  difference  between  taking  a  ti7ne  to  do  a  sacred 
ivork,  and  doing  a  luovk  to  keep  a  stated  time.  The  light  of  nature  tells  us 
there  must  be  a  time  for  every  work ;  but  it  is  only  the  fourth  command- 
ment of  God,  that  separates  one  time  from  the  'est,  for  the  constant  per- 
formance of  religious  work  upon  it. 

III.  To  esteem  any  good  work  the  better  for  it's  being  done  on  such  or 
such  a  return  of  time,  which  God  hath  not  in  his  word  set  apart  for  it,  is 
to  make  the  ti^ne  itself  a  part  of  the  worship;  and  it  is  an  unwarrantablo 
imposing  upon  Heaven  with  our  own  inventions. 

IV.  Solemn  humiliations  and  tJianksgivings  arc  moral  duties  to  be  ob- 
served pro  causis  et  temporihus*    And  the  direction  of  Divine  Providence 

.  According  to  oeeasioDi  tnd  to  times. 


OB,    THE    IIISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


261 


in  laying  before  U3  fresh  occasions  of  them,  is  to  be  regarded ;  which  can« 
not  be  done  if  they  be  made  perpetual. 

V.  The  church  of  Israel  kept  no  days  of  religious  worship,  except  what 
were  of  divine  institution.  The  days  of  Purim  are,  by  a  different  Hebrew 
word  for  them,  plainly  intimated  to  have  been  of  no  other  character  than 
political  commemorations;  and  besides,  Mordechai,  who  ordered  theiu, 
was  a  prophet.  The  feast  of  dedication  among  the  Jews  can  have  nothing 
pleaded  for  it  from  the  presence  of  our  Lord  at  it;  nor  were  the  former 
dedications  of  the  Temple  under  any  anniversary  commemorations. 

VI.  'Tis  not  a  work,  but  a  word,  that  must  sanctifie  a  day ;  and  if  an 
extraordinary  work  of  God  were  enough  to  prefer  one  day  before  another 
for  the  devotions  of  Christianity,  the  Protestant  Kalender  must  soon  be  as 
full  as  the  Popish. 

VII.  When  the  apostle  blamed  the  Galatians  for  observing  the  days 
which  Ood  himself  had  instituted,  much  more  does  he  blame  us  if  we 
celebrate  such  days  as  only  men  have  devised.  And  when  the  apostle 
forbad  the  Colossians  to  "let  any  man  judge  them  in  respect  of  an  holy 
day,"  he  suffers  not  us  to  sacrifice  our  Christian  liberty  unto  humane 
impositions  of  stated  holy  days  upon  us,  nor  a  private  person  to  impose 
it  upon  himself. 

Question. — Whether  it  he  Lateful  to  eat  Blood,  and  thinga  Strangled? 

I.  Plain  are  the  words  of  the  apostle,  in  Rom.  xiv.  14,  "I  know  and  am 
perswaded  by  the  Lord  Jesus  that  there  is  nothing  unclean  of  itself;"  in 
which  passage  there  may  be  respect  unto  those  words  of  our  Lord  Jesus, 
in  Math.  xv.  11,  "Not  that  which  goeth  into  the  mouth,  defileth  the  man." 

n.  The  Scriptures  of  the  New  Testament  give  an  allowance  for  "eating 
all  sorts  of  meat,"  wherein  blood  is  included.  The  apostle  speaks  of  him 
as  an  orthodox  man,  in  Rom.  xiv.  2,  "  who  believeth  he  may  eat  all  things;" 
intimating  that  it  was  from  "  weakness  in  faith,"  and  ignorance  in  the  ' 
doctrine  of  the  gospel,  to  doubt  about  it.  The  Scripture  condemns  the 
superstition  of  those,  in  1  Tim.  iv.  3,  4,  "who  abstain  from  meats,  which 
God  had  created  to  be  received  with  thanksgiving;  for  nothing  is  to  be 
refused:"  it  nothing,  then,  sure,  not  blood.  The  Scripture  permits  us  that 
liberty,  in  1  Cor.  x.  25:  "Whatsoever  is  sold  in  the  shambles,  that  eat, 
asking  no  question  for  conscience  sake."  Now,  it  was  usual  to  sell  blood 
in  the  shambles. 

III.  The  use  of  blood,  in  medicine,  is  not  questioned:  the  spirit  and  the 
powder  of  blood  is,  by  the  warrant  of  the  sixth  commandment,  freely  used 
for  our  health :  why  then  should  the  use  of  blood  in  diet  be  any  question? 

IV.  If  a  thing  strangled  may  be  eaten,  then  blood  may  be  so  too.  Chris- 
tians do  not  ordinarily  scruple  to  eat  a  thing  strangled;  and  the  eating 
of  a  thing  which  dies  of  itself  (which  is  the  same  case)  was  never  unlawful 
for  the  Gentiles. 


'  ''Mf 

1  ^-^u 

i» 

1 

f 

:i 

'ijtjMB 

1 

iMll 


202 


MAGNALIA    OHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


V.  The  reason  of  the  precept  forbidding  blood,  unto  the  Jfwa  wns 
merely  ceremonial:  namely,  because  blood  was  typical  of  that  great  bloml 
which  makes  atonement  for  our  sins,  and  because,  being  the  organ  cjf  !it.>, 
it  must  be  sacred  unto  God,  the  author  of  life.  Now,  since  the  blood  (,r 
our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  been  shed,  every  precept,  which  is  only  cere- 
monial, is  abrogated. 

VI.  The  forbidding  of  blood  unto  Noah,  in  Gen.  ix.  4,  seems  to  have 
been  living  blood,  and  for  the  prevention  of  that  bloody,  ferocious,  inlm. 
mane  disposition,  which  was  then  prevailing  in  the  world.  And  all  tlie 
commandments  given  to  Noah  were  not  moral. 

VII.  The  forbidding  of  blood  unto  the  primitive  churches,  in  Acta  xv. 
20,  was  a  temporary  advice  for  the  avoiding  of  scandal.  It  would  not 
only  have  prejudiced  the  Jews  against  all  Christianity,  but  also  it  would 
have  confirmed  the  Pagans,  in  their  idolatry;  for  the  principal  entangle- 
ments of  their  idolatry  lay  in  these  four  things:  of  idolathyf.es,  fornication, 
blood  and  strangulates;  which  are  elsewhere  summed  up  in  two:  "the 
eating  of  things  sacrificed  unto  idols,"  and  "committing  fornication."  To 
forbear  these  things,  was  to  testifie  "a  renunciation  of  heathenism."  To 
use  any  of  these  things  among  the  heathens,  was  to  justifie  their  devil- 
worship.  Now  the  world  is  in  other  circumstai  -es,  and,  Cessatio  Caime 
efficit,  ut  cessaret  observatio.*  Fornication  yet  remains  upon  other,  a"d 
further,  and  moral,  and  more  general  accounts,  a  sin. 

Question. — Whether  Significant  Ceremonies,  in  the  Worship  of  God,  not  instituted  by  him,  are 

Lawful  to  he  used  ? 

I.  The  sign  of  internal,  are  pa^-ts  of  eorternal  worship ;  in  both  whereof, 
the  great  God  hath  commanded  us  to  glorifie  him;  even  "with  our  spirits, 
and  with  our  bodies  which  are  his." 

II.  There  are  natural  ceremonies,  with  which  the  light  of  nature  does 
direct  men  to  the  worship  of  God:  and  these  are  to  be  used  in  the  worship 
of  God,  as  far  as  we  have  the  word  of  God.  reinforcing  and  countenancing 
of  them. 

III.  Some  ceremonies  of  respect  among  men  are  used  in  exercises  of 
religion,  but  as  expressions  of  civility  to  the  people  of  God,  with  whom  we 
assemble,  for  the  worship  of  God;  and  these  are  to  be  distinguished  from 
those  actions  which  we  apply  to  the  Lord  himself  immediately. 

IV.  There  are  ceremonies  appointed,  for  some  signification  of  inward 
graces  and  moral  duties  in  the  worship  of  God;  which,  without  that  ap- 
pointment, would  not  signifie  what  they  do:  and  it  is  the  prerogative  of 
God  alone  to  ordain  all  such  rights  as  these. 

V.  For  men  to  take  upon  them  to  declare  what  ceremonies  of  worship 
I'te  God  of  heaven  shall  accept,  and  reward,  and  bless,  otherwise  than  ho 
iiath  himself  in  his  holy  laws  declared,  is  a  very  criminal  presumption ; 

*  The  oeasatloii  or  the  cause  makes  farther  animadversion  unnecessary. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


268 


ami  this  i>ride  of  man  has  generally  been  ( '  vstizod  with  a  manifold  curse 
ul  (lod. 

\'I.  The  second  commandment  forbids  not  all  images  (or  significant 
cvri'inonies)  in  the  worsLij)  of  God,  but  "thy  making  them  for  thyself." 

VII.  The  authority  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  glorious  king  and 
jiiophet  of  his  church,  is  profanely  invaded  when  the  worship  of  God, 
with  the  .significant  ceremonies  of  it,  is  taught  by  the  inventions  of  men. 

V'lII.  The  sacred  Scriptures  pronounce  it  an  argument  sufficient  for 
tlu!  rejecting  and  condemning  of  any  thing  in  the  worship  of  God,  if  God 
iiiiriself  hath  not  prescribed  it.  Thus,  Jer.  vii.  31:  "They  did  that  which 
]  commanded  them  not,  neither  came  it  into  my  heart."  Thus,  Ileb.  vii. 
U:  "Of  that,  Moses  spake  notiang."  Thus,  Lev.  x.  1:  "They  offered 
strange  fire  before  the  Lord,  which  he  commanded  them  not." 

IX.  'Tis  very  certain  that,  under  the  Old  Testament,  there  was  not  any 
one  significant  ceremony  allow'd  in  the  worship  of  God,  but  what  God 
himself  had  instituted.  If  the  churches  of  the  New  Testament  will  pro- 
ceed in  this  matter,  without  a  divine  institution,  let  ihem  then  produce 
their  charter. 

X.  The  apostolical  writings  to  the  Galatians  and  the  Colossians  forbid 
lis  to  practice  any  significant  ceremony  in  the  worship  of  God  which  God 
himself  had  once  appointed,  but  now  abolished.  Much  less  may  we  now 
practice  any  which  God  never  appointed  at  all. 

Question. — Whetlier  the  Game$  of  Card$  or  Dice,  be  lawful  to  be  uted  among  the  Professors  of 

the  Christian  Beligion  ? 

I.  There  is,  at  least,  a  great  suspicion  brought  on  the  lawfulness  of 
these  games  by  the  lottery  which  they  turn  upon. 

Lots  being  mentioned  in  the  sacred  oracles  of  the  Scripture,  as  used 
only  in  weighty  cases,  and  as  an  acknowledgment  of  "God  sitting  in 
judgment,"  with  a  desire  of  his  power  and  providence  to  be  manifested, 
and  not  without  an  invocation  of  God,  for  the  end  of  strife,  therein  implied; 
they  cannot  be  made  the  tools  and  parts  of  our  common  sports  without, 
at  least,  such  an  appearance  of  evil  as  is  forbidden  in  the  word  of  God. 

II.  The  general  rules  which  in  all  recreations  are  to  be  observed,  are 
so  generally  transgressed  in  these  games,  that  ordinaril}'  it  can  be  no 
other  than  a  sin  to  use  them. 

These  diversions  fascinate  the  minds  of  those  that  practice  them,  at 
such  a  rate,  that  if  ever  those  persons  come  to  be  converted  unto  God, 
they  bitterly  lament  the  loss  of  time  in  which  that  practice  hath  involved 
them.  And  the  many  other  passions  and  follies  almost  inseparable  from 
these  diversions,  render  the  diversions  themselves  to  be  sins  against  the 
commandments,  which  prohibit  the  evils  thereby  occasioned. 

III.  The  scandal  of  these  games  declares  it  a  scandalous  thing  for 
Christians  to  meddle  with  them. 


264 


MAONALIA    0HSI8TI    AMERICANA; 


The  fit  character  given  to  these  usages,  not  only  by  Christia.r.  >f  uii 
sorts  and  ranks,  and  in  all  ages,  whose  just  invectives  against  them  would 
fill  volumes,  but  by  the  sober  and  moral  pagans  also,  has  brought  thorn 
among  the  things  of  evil  report,  which  by  Christians  are  to  be  avoided. 
That  man's  heart  is  inordinately  set  upon  play,  who  had  rather  do  titmija 
under  such  an  universal  condemnation,  than  forbear  a  little  pht>/,  that 
may  certainly  be  forborn  without  any  damage. 

IV.  Gains  of  money  or  estate,  by  games,  be  the  games  what  they  will, 
are  a  sinful  violation  of  the  law  oi  honesty  and  industry^  which  God  has 
given  us. 

QuESTiow. —  What  Eetpeet  is  due  to  riaeei  of  Publie  Wor$hip? 

Holy  places  were  appointed  under  the  law  of  old,  by  the  great  law- 
giver of  Israel,  partly  to  prevent  idolatry  among  the  people,  but  chiufly 
to  direct  the  thoughts  of  the  faithful  unto  the  Messiah,  wherein  God  was 
resolved  for  to  dwell  forever.     Notwithstanding — 

I.  There  is  now  no  place  which  renders  the  worship  of  God  more  ac- 
ceptable for  its  being  there  performed:  it's  foretold  concerning  the  times 
of  the  gospel,  in  Zeph.  ii.  11,  "Men  shall  worship  him,  every  one  fiorn 
his  place."  'Tis  foretold  in  Mai.  i.  11,  "In  every  place  incense  shall  be 
offered  to  my  name,  and  a  pure  offering."  'Tis  foretold  in  John  iv.  24, 
that  the  spiritual  worship  of  God  shall  now  be  accepted  with  him  in 
other  places  as  well  as  in  Jerusalem.  We  are  commanded  in  1  Tim.  Ii.  8, 
"that  men  pray  in  every  place."  There  is  a  truth  in  the  famous  Dr. 
Usher's  observation:  "In  times  of  persecution,  the  godly  did  often  meet 
in  barns,  and  such  obscure  places;  which  were  indeed  publick,  because 
of  the  church  of  God  there;  as  wherever  the  prince  is,  there  is  the  court, 
tho'  it  were  in  a  poor  cottage."  There  were  parts  of  worship  in  the 
Mosaick  pedagogy,  which  could  not  be  performed  any  where  but  at  the 
holy  places  appointed;  there  are  no  parts  of  the  worship  confined  unto  any 
places  under  the  New  Testament.  They  who  expect  the  divine  regard 
for  what  they  do  in  the  worship  of  God,  because  'tis  done  in  this  or  that 
place,  do  not  pray  looking  towards  the  temple;  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
the  true  temple  of  God,  is  therein  overlooked. 

II.  To  prepare  and  repair  places  for  the  publick  worship  of  God,  and 
keep  those  places  in  such  a  condition  that  they  be  not  unfit  for  the  solenin 
exercises  of  religion ;  this  is  but  an  act  of  obedience  to  Him,  who,  when  he 
requires  worship  from  us,  doth  also  suppose  that  there  must  be  places  fur 
it.  But  the  setting  of  these  places  off,  with  a  theatrical  gaudiness,  does 
not  savour  of  the  spirit  of  a  true  Christian  society. 

III.  While  the  duties  of  divine  worship  are  performing  in  any  places, 
an  agreeable  reverence  is  to  be  maintained  in  those  places;  not  so  much 
out  of  respect  unto  the  places,  as  unto  the  duties  therein  performed,  and 
the  persons  concerned  with  us  in  the  duties.  Nevertheless,  the  syna- 
gogues also  are  to  be  considered  as  "the  houses  of  God." 


OR,    TIIK    niSTOKV    OF    N  K  W-ENO  L  A  N  D. 


2fl5 


rV.  To  offer  affronts  to  places  built  for  the  worship  of  Qod,  with  design 
therein  to  affront  the  worsliip  for  which  they  are  built,  is  a  vilo  inipioty. 
Nor  will  the  great  God  hold  them  guiltless  who  so  take  his  name  in  vain. 

V.  Places  intended  for  the  sacred  worship  of  God  may  lawfully  bo  put 
unto  any  civil  service  for  which  they  may  be  accommodated,  at  the  times 
when  the  sacred  worship  is  not  there  to  be  attended;  so  far  as  contempt 
of  God  and  his  ordinances  doth  not  naturally  and  necessarily  follow  there- 
upon; even  as  courts  were  kept  in  the  synagogues  among  the  Jews. 

Qvmiovi.—lVhelker,  to  drink  Heallht  he  a  thing  fit  to  bt  Praetind  h  the  Pro/ettort  of  tht 
Chrittian  Keligion?    An$wtred  in  the  following  Propotitiont : 

I.  It  is  too  notorious  to  be  denied,  that  it  was  originally  an  heathen 
custom  to  drink  those  which  were  called,  "the  cups  of  health,"  in  tt)kon  of 
respect  to  the  object  mentioned  in  their  cups.  The  great  Austin  truly  says, 
Depaganorum  observatione  remansit: — "It  is  a  reliquo  of  Paganism."  And 
iriasnmch  as  it  is  not  a  natural  action,  but  an  action  of  a  religious  nature, 
and  as  themselves  called  it,  "a  devotion,"  it  is  now  reached  by  those  ora- 
cles of  God  which  forbid  our  learning  the  ways  and  the  works  of  the 
heathen,  and  our  walking  as  the  Gentiles  in  the  vanity  of  their  minds,  and 
our  keeping  the  vain  conversation  received  by  tradition  from  our  fathers. 

II.  That  which  very  much  adds  to  the  obligations  lying  upon  Chris- 
tians to  abandon  this  "relique  of  Paganism,"  is  the  idolatrous  and  diabol- 
ical intentions  that  gave  the  first  rise  unto  it.  Wo  are  assured  from  all 
the  monuments  of  antiquity,  that  the  healths  drunk  by  the  Pagans  were 
first  of  all  "drink  offerings"  to  their  demons — they  were  a  "cup  of  devils;" 
and  then  sufficiently  to  compliment  their  princes  and  patrons,  they  car- 
ried on  the  offerings  to  those  mortals  also;  and  lastly,  the  compliment 
proceeded  so  far  as  to  take  in  any  friends  whom  they  saw  cause  to  treat 
with  such  flourishes  of  affection.  It  becomes  Christians  to  beware  of  hav- 
ing any  "fellowship  with  such  unfruitful  works  of  darkness." 

III.  To  drink  a  cup,  as  a  part  or  sign  of  our  invocation  upon  the  blessed 
God  for  the  health  of  any  person,  is  a  superstition  directly  forbidden  by 
the  second  commandment:  nor  is  it  ordinarily  free  from  a  violation  of  the 
third.  And  that  the  drinking  of  a  health  is  thus  designed,  and  so  becomes 
no  other  than  a  "prophane  sacrament,"  was  the  judgment  of  Ambrose, 
when  he  wrote  those  words:  Quid  memorem  Sacramenta?  Jilhanixs  pro 
salute  Imjieratorum.*  To  drink  an  health  implies  an  application  to  some 
object  for  that  health:  this  way  of  it  is  unwarrantable. 

IV.  To  begin  or  follow  healths,  which  bind  persons  to  drink  off  their 
cups,  is  a  manifold  offence  against  charity,  justice,  and  reason.  Such 
healths  being,  as  the  ancients  truly  called  them,  "the  devil's  shooing-horns 
to  draw  on  drunkenness,"  are  scandals  wherein  much  brutish  folly  is  coni- 
niitted  and  more  occasioned.     The  primitive  Christians  therefore  justly 

*  Why  mention  eacramuuts?    We  wiU  drink  the  htMiltli  of  emporurt. 


266 


MAONALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


I 


refused  them  and  condemned  them.  Great  Emperors  have  made  edicts 
against  them;  Pagan  writers  have  satyrically  lashed  them;  and  even 
Popish  writers  have  reproached  the  Protestant  profession  for  their  being 
80  much  practised  under  it. 

V.  Not  only  the  numberless  and  prodigious  exhorbitancies  of  health 
drinking  are  to  be  avoided  by  every  Christian,  but  the  very  proposing 
our  cups  to  the  prosperity  of  what  is  therein  remembered.  'Tis  a  vain 
plea,  that  we  drink  no  more  than  a  civil  remembrance  of  the  person  or 
affairs  mentioned  in  our  cups.  Why  is  the  action  of  drinking  singled  out 
rather  than  any  other  for  the  token  of  the  remembrance?  and  why  is  there 
such  stress  laid  upon  a  concurrence  in  the  action?  It  is  but  a  continua- 
tion of  the  old  Paganism,  which  had  better  be  utterly  abolished,  than  thus 
refined  and  preserved.  Every  thing  that  serves  either  to  revive  or  to 
maintain  the  old  Pagan  follies,  and  harden  men  in  them,  should  be  de- 
clined by  them  that  would  adorn  the  doctrine  of  God  our  Saviour. 

Question. —  Whether  Instrumental  Musick  may  lawfully  he  introduced  into  the  Worship  of  God,  in 
the  Churches  of  the  New  Testament  ?   Considered  and  answered  in  the  following  Conclusions  : 

I.  The  instrumental  musick  used  in  the  old  church  of  Israel  was  an 
institution  of  God:  it  was  (2  Chron.  xxix.  25)  the  commandment  of  the 
Lord  "by  the  prophets."  And  the  instruments  are  called  "God's  instru- 
ments," (1  Chron.  xvi.  -12,)  and  "instruments  of  the  Lord,"  (2  Chron.  vii. 
6.)  Now,  there  is  not  one  word  of  institution  in  the  New  Testament  for 
instrumental  musick  in  the  worship  of  God.  And  because  the  holy  God 
rejects  all  he  does  not  command  in  his  worship,  he  now  therefore  in  effect 
says  unto  us,  "I  will  not  hear  the  melody  of  thy  organs."  But  on  the 
other  side,  the  rule  given  doth  abundantly  intimate  that  no  voice  is  now 
to  be  heard  in  the  church,  but  what  is  significant  and  edifying,  by  signi- 
fication ;  which  the  voice  of  instruments  is  not. 

II.  Tho'  instrumental  musick  were  admitted  and  appointed  in  the  wor- 
ship of  God  under  the  Old  Testament,  yet  we  do  not  find  it  practised  in 
the  synagogue  of  the  Jews,  but  only  in  the  temple.  It  thence  appears  to 
have  been  a  part  of  the  ceremonial  pedagogy,  which  is  now  abolished;  nor 
can  any  say  it  was  a  part  of  moral  worship.  And,  whereas  the  common 
usage  now  '^..th  confined  instrumental  musick  to  cathedrals,  it  seems  therein 
too  much  to  Jrdaize;  which  to  do  is  a  part  of  the  Anti-Christian  apos- 
tacy,  as  well  as  to  Paganize. 

III.  In  our  asserting  a  matter  of  the  Old  Testament  to  have  been  typi- 
cal, 'tis  not  needful  that  we  be  always  able  to  particularize  any  future 
mysteries  of  the  New  Testament  therein  referred  unto;  truths  which  were 
then  of  a  j:)resen^  consideration,  were  iometimes  represented  in  the  types 
then  used  among  the  people  of  God,  which  helps  to  understand  the  case 
of  instrumental  musick. 

IV.  Instrumental  musick  in  the  worship  of  God  is  but  a  very  late 


invention  ar 
writings  thai 
Chrysostom 
ago,  determi 
fesses  that  it 
V.  If  we 
we  resist  thi 
Jews?— yea, 
or,  how  can 
introduced  f< 
left  us  no  ni) 

Qi/estiok. —  Wh 

L  AVE  fin 
for  any  to  b( 
by  his  conim 
a  commissioi 
as  are,  with 
(Rom.  x.  15. 

Baptism  is 
in  the  name 

Baptism  is 
tbe  house  of 
those  myste] 

The  apos 
Ilence,  none 

II.  As  bo 
dislike  of  bs 
confusion,  a; 
which  woul( 

in.  The 
churches  un 
in  the  minds 
whereof,  not 

f   PB 

I.  Tho'  ii 
God  resolve 
sisters,  yet  t 
better  incre 
the  title  of 
were  degree 
not  be  cortr 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


267 


invention  and  corruption  in  the  church  of  the  New  Testament.  The 
writings  that  go  under  the  name  of  Justin  Martyr  deny  it  and  decry  it. 
Chrysostom  speaks  meanly  of  it.  Even  Aquinas  himself,  about.  400  years 
ago,  determines  against  it,  us  Jewish  and  carnal.  Bellarmine  himself  con- 
fesses that  it  was  but  late  received  in  the  church. 

V.  If  we  admit  instrumental  musick  in  the  worship  of  God,  how  can 
we  resist  the  imposition  of  all  the  instruments  used  among  the  ancient 
Jews? — ^yea,  dancing  as  well  os playing,  and  several  other  Judaic  actions? 
or,  how  can  we  decline  a  whole  rabble  oi  church-officers,  necessary  to  be 
introduced  for  instrumental  musick,  whereof  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath 
left  us  no  manner  of  direction? 

Question. —  Whether  Baptism  it  to  he  administered  by  any  hut  the  Ordained  Ministers  of  our 

Lord  Jesus  Christ  ? 

I.  We  find  no  commission  or  permission  from  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
for  any  to  be  the  administrators  of  baptism,  except  those  whose  work  it  is 
by  bis  commission  to  preach  the  gospel,  (Matth.  xxviii.  9.)  And  none  have 
a  commission  to  make  the  preaching  of  the  gospel  their  work,  but  such 
as  are,  with  the  call  of  the  faithful  thereunto,  "set  apart"  for  that  work, 
(Rom.  X.  15.) 

Baptism  is  a  seal  o^  the  covenant;  for  any  but  an  officer  to  apply  the  seal, 
in  the  name  of  the  great  King  of  heaven,  is  a  presumptuous  arrogance. 

Baptism  is  one  of  the  evangelical  mysteries,  and  none  but  stewards  in 
tbe  house  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  may  pretend  unto  the  dispensation  of 
tbose  mysteries. 

The  apostolical  writings  intimate,  that  some  are  "sent  to  baptise." 
Uence,  none  are  to  baptise,  but  those  that  are  sent. 

IL  As  both  the  primitive  and  Protestant  churches  have  signified  their 
dislike  of  baptism  administered  by  common  hands,  thus  the  disorder  and 
confusion,  and  the  contempt  of  the  institutions  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
which  would  be  thereby  introduced,  is  a  sufficient  prejudice  against  it. 

in.  The  original  of  the  allowance  and  countenance  given  in  some 
churches  unto  undue  administrators  of  baptism  has  Deen  from  gross  errors 
in  the  minds  of  men,  about  the  necessity  and  operation  of  that  sacrament, 
whereof,  non  Privatio  sed  Oontemptus  damnat.* 

f    PR0P08ITI01V  S—Conecrning  the  Marriage  of  Cousin- Germans. 

I.  Tiio'  in  the  first  propagation  of  mankind  from  one  head,  by  the  great 
God  resolved  and  required,  it  was  necessary  for  brothers  to  marry  their 
sisters,  yet  that  so  the  bonds  of  amity  in  humane  society  might  be  the 
better  increased,  the  Lord  afterwards  prohibited  several  marriages,  under 
the  title  of  incest;  and  some  were  now  too  near  ah'n  to  be  united:  there 
were  degree.-'  of  consanguinity,  and  so  of  ajfinity,  wherein  marriages  might 
not  be  contracted. 

*  It  is  not  the  loss,  but  the  abuse,  which  condoirni. 


xl 


*       1   fJ 


i  .-.^ 


>1' 


1 ' 


'4  I, 


n 


268 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


II.  Albeit  the  light  of  nature  teaches  men  to  preserve  a  distance,  and 
honour,  for  some  that  are  very  nearly  related,  and  natural  conscienco 
relucts  with  horror  at  some  conjunctions;  like,  what  the  apostle  culls,  'a 
fornication  that  is  not  so  much  as  named  among  the  Gentiles,"  and  those 
which  the  poets  themselves  call,  Vetitos  Ifymencvos*  and  impieties;  yetiti.i 
a  7)wral  laio  of  God,  positively  given,  or  a  law,  the  general  reason  wliereuf 
is  in  the  nature  of  the  thing,  but  the  particular  limitation  of  it  is  by  reve- 
lation from  God,  that  is  to  determine  the  degrees  wherein  marriages  are  to 
be  judged  unlawful  and  incestuous. 

III.  In  the  eighteenth  chapter  of  Leviticus,  there  is  a  law  of  Ueavcn, 
declaring  the  degrees  wherein  marriages  are  forbidden ;  and  there  is  nci 
doubt  that  all  that  come  within  those  degrees,  are  as  much  forbidden,  thu' 
they  be  not  expressly  mentioned. 

What  is  pronounced  a  sin,  ]by  that  law,  is  to  be  esteemed  a  sin  by  tho 
Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  (which  the  conclusion  of  it  .ibunduntly  intimutos:) 
but  what  falls  not  within  the  reach  of  that  lau\  is  no  sin:  and  the  vanun- 
law,  which  for  some  covetous  and  enslaving  ends,  hath  made  vast  addiiions 
to  this  law  t  f  God,  is  to  be  rejected,  as  full  of  superstitious  impositions. 

IV.  If  we  exactly  consider  the  line  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  Leviticus, 
we  shall  find  that  the  most  remote  relations  forbidden  to  marry,  (wlucii  arc 
the  brother  and  the  brother^s  daughter)  stand  one  degree  nearer  to  tho  root 
than  cousin-germans  do.  An  uncle  or  an  aunt,  therefore,  being  the  furtluT- 
est,  with  whom  a  marriage  is  interdicted,  it  seems  plain  that  the  marriage 
of  cousin-germans  is  not  incestuous. 

V.  Altlio'  cousin-germans  that  are  married  unto  each  other  now  mnv 
and  should,  with  all  peace  of  mind,  live  together  in  the  foar  of  God,  and 
not  give  way  to  distressing  scruples;  or  (question  the  lawfulness  of  their 
marriage  any  more  than  the  famous  Holoman  would  have  done,  who  has 
written  to  prove  it,  jmtfn  et  Christianum  esse;f  nevertheless,  there  is  nuicli 
to  be  said  for  the  dissuading  of  cousin-germans  from  coming  together  in 
marriage.  Inexpedieace  we  know  sometimes  does  produce  unhnr/alnf.^s. 
This  marriage  may  be  very  inexpedient;  it  borders  as  near  as  is  possible 
to  what  is  unlawful.  There  is  no  need  of  coming  so  near,  while  we  have 
such  a  wide  world  before  us.  One  end  of  marriage — namely,  to  promote 
and  extend  alliances — is  damnified  herein.  Sojne  wise  and  good  rneii 
have  been  so  troubled  in  their  minds  concerning  these  marriages,  that  it  is 
an  easier  thing  to  abstain  here  from  than  to  extirpate  such  a  trouble  from 
the  minds  of  the  faithful. 

Some  of  the  most  considerable  among  the  ancients — especially  Ambrose 
and  Austin,  besides  five  several  councils — have  severely  cotsurcd  thetu; 
and  the  churches  of  the  Augustan  confession  do  to  this  day  prohibit  them, 
So  that,  upon  the  whole,  the  advice  of  the  renowned  Ames  may  seem  not 
amiss,  Tutius  est  ahstinere.X 


Uiiluwfiil  marrlutrcs. 


t  That  it  Is  rellgiouK  and  Chrlatlan. 


X  It  ia  aafer  to  Rbstniii, 


Question. —  H 
depend 

I.  To  bi 
direction  o: 
vantages, 
founded  in 
of  no  little 

II.  Som. 
laws,  whicl 

III.  Son 
which  the  < 

IV.  Peri 
formal  ilics, 
mav  see  ca 

V.  Pcrs( 
for  want  o 
church  ma 

VL  Wh 
and  ad  visa 
little  as  mi 

VII.  A 
tho  Lord  t 
neglect  to 

VILL  ^ 
cased  of  lo 
Christ ia)i  j 
of  the  trut 

IX.  Wl 
forbear,  fo 
into  sin,  n 
to  be  forb 

X.  Wh 
done  of  a 
between  il 

XI.  As 
judged  b 
Ciod,  so  if 
l>e  upon 
ined  them 

XII.  0 
civil  magi 
can  in  pn 
to  testifie 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


269 


Question. —  Whether,  or  how  far  the  Discipline  of  our  Churches  upon  Offences  in  them,  is  to 
depend  upon  the  Conviction  of  those  Offences  in  the  Courts  of  Civil  Judicature  ?       ' 

I.  To  bring  the  discipline  of  the  church  into  a  dependance  on  the 
direction  of  the  civil  magistrate,  is  to  put  it  under  undue  and  unsafe  disad- 
vantages. The  mutual  dependance  of  those  on  each  other,  as  'tis  not 
founded  in  the  oracles  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  so  it  has  been  the  occasion 
of  no  little  confusion  in  the  world, 

II.  Some  things  may  be  censured  in  the  court  for  transgressions  of  the 
laws,  which  may  scarce  deserve  the  censures  of  the  church. 

III.  Some  things  may  be  censured  in  the  church  for  offences,  against 
which  the  court  has  no  censures  by  any  law  provided. 

IV.  Persons  may  be  so  defective  in  their  defence  of  themselves  by  legal 
fornialilics,  as  to  fall  under  the  censures  of  the  court;  and  yet  the  church 
may  see  cause,  and  do  well  to  acquit  them. 

V.  Persons  may  be  acquited  in  the  court  of  crimes  laid  to  their  charge, 
for  want  of  conviction^  and  yet  the  evidence  may  be  so  convictive,  ttiat  a 
churcli  may  condemn  them  thereupon, 

VI.  When  a  church  passes  a  censure  on  any  delinquent,  it  is  convenient 
and  advisable  that  the  circumstances  of  it  be  so  managed  as  to  expose  as 
little  as  may  be  the  censured  person  unto  the  sentence  of  the  court. 

VII.  A  church  may  do  well  sometimes  to  express  it's  faithfulness  unto 
the  liOrd  Jesus  Christ,  by  censuring  some  evils  which  a  court  may  faultily 
neglect  to  animadvert  upon. 

VI II.  Sometimes  a  case  may  be  so  dark,  that  a  church  may  hope  to  be 
cased  of  labour,  and  freed  from  error,  by  a  court  first  sifting  of  it,  and  then 
Chrislimi  2'triidmce  would  make  use  of  that  help,  to  come  at  the  knowledge 
of  the  truth. 

IX.  When  a  session  of  a  court  is  very  near,  a  chur*  u  may  prudently 
forbear,  for  a  little  while,  a  process,  which  the  necessity  of  a  soul  fallen 
into  sill,  and  the  vindication  of  the  name  of  the  Lord,  makes  not  proper 
to  be  forborn  for  a  greater  while. 

X.  When  things  are  not  very  ajyparent  or  very  vuportant,  it  is  prudently 
done  of  a  church  to  defer  tlie  early  decision  of  a  matter  which  will  produce 
between  it  and  the  court  a  controvcrsie  of  dangerous  consequence. 

XL  As  'tis  the  duty  of  a  church  to  see  that  the  witness  of  a  crime,  to  be 
judged  by  it,  be  obliged  to  speak,  as  in  the  special  presence  of  the  great 
(lod,  so  if  it  be  feared  that  the  witnesses  will  not  be  faithful,  unless  they 
l>o  upon  oath,  it  is  prudence  to  defer  'till  the  civil  magistrate  have  exam- 
ined them. 

XII.  Or,  if  witnesses  refuse  to  come  at  all  unto  the  church,  which  the 
civil  magistrate  may  and  will  compel  to  give  in  their  testimonies,  a  church 
can  in  prudence  do  no  other  than  defer  'till  those  witnesses  can  be  brought 
to  testifie  what  is  expected  from  them. 


I 


270 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


THE  JUDGMENT  OF  THE  MINISTERS,  MET  AT  BOSTON,  MAT  11,  1699. 


I 


>■■ 


■19 


iKil 


I'M 


UPON  A  CASE  ADDRESSED  UNTO  THEM  CONCERNING  LOTTERIES. 

I.  Great  is  the  difference  between  a  lottery  set  up  by  persons  acting  in 
a  private  capacity  and  a  lottery  set  up  by  the  government,  who  have 
power  to  lay  a  tax  upon  the  people,  but  choose  to  leave  unto  the  more 
easie  determination  of  a  lottery  the  persons  who  shall  pay  the  summ  which 
the  necessities  of  the  publick  require.  A  parliamentary  lottery  takes  only 
from  the  voluntary,  what  the  government  might  have  demanded,  with  a 
more  general  imposition,  and  only  when  the  people  are  plunged  into  such 
distress,  that  a  more  general  imposition  would  be  grievous  to  them ;  and 
it  employs  for  the  welfare  of  the  publick  all  that  is  thus  raised  by  the  lot- 
tery. Whereas  a  more  private  lottery,  is  managed  by  those  that  have  no 
antecedent  claim  unto  any  thing  of  their  neighbours,  and  it  is  designed 
nicrely  for  private  advantage. 

II.  It  is  a  principle  embraced  among  all  well-informed  Christians,  that  no 
calling  is  laioful  but  what  is  useful  unto  humane  society,  in  some  of  its 
interests.  Except  there  be  in  a  calling  some  tendency  to  make  an  addition 
unto  the  enjoyments  and  interests  of  humane  society,  no  Christians  niay 
set  it  up.  The  oracles  of  Heaven  tell  us.  Christians  must  "learn  to  pos- 
sess honest  trades  for  necessary  u.ses."  To  set  up  a  lottery  is  to  set  up  a 
calling.  But  tho'  this  or  that  particular  man  may  be  a  gainer,  yet  it  would 
puzzle  r.ny  man  to  tell  what  necessary  or  convenient  xises  of  humane  society, 
where  the  lottery  is  opened,  are  at  all  served.  The  minds,  the  bodies,  the 
riches,  the  defence,  or  the  regular  delights  of  humane  society,  have  by  this 
lottery  no  addition  made  unto  them. 

Ill;  Not  only  the  undertakers  of  a  lottery  have  a  certain  gain  unto 
themselves  from  humane  society,  but  so  likewise  have  they  who  in  the 
lottery  draw  the  tickets  of  benefit;  and  every  one  that  ventures,  doth  it 
with  a' desire  to  fall  upon  those  tickets  in  drawing.  'Tis  very  certain  that, 
for  this  benefit,  none  of  those  can  pretend  that  they  do  any  one  thing  bene- 
ficial  to  humane  society.  They  only  hire  the  unclertakers  to  transfer  the 
estates  of  others  unto  them,  without  any  service  done  by  them,  to  the 
interest  of  any  others  under  heaven.  But  we  do  not  judge  this  pleasing 
unto  God,  that  mens  rights  be  ordinarily  transferred  from  one  to  anoth'jr, 
merely  in  a  way  of  reference  to  divine  Providence,  without  considering 
any  service  therein  intended  unto  the  community,  or  any  help  to  mankind 
in  its  true  interests.  Nor  is  ventring  in  a  lottery  on  shore,  of  the  same 
nature  with  venturing  in  a  merchandise  at  sea. 

IV.  In  a  lottery  so  contrived,  that  when  all  the  prizes  be  drawn,  they 
do  not  make  up,  and  fetch  out,  near  the  whole  summ  that  was  depcisited 
by  the  adventurers,  there  is  a  plain  cheat  upon  the  people.  The  under- 
takers in  such  a  lottery,  only  r"Solve  to  pillage  the  people  of  such  a  con- 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


271 


slderable  summ;  and  invite  a  number  to  assist  tbem  in  tbeir  action,  with 
hopes  of  going  shares  with  them  in  the  advantage ;  and  such  is  the  cor- 
ruption of  mankind,  that  the  mere  hopas  of  getting  the  riches  of  other 
men,  without  ths  doing  of  any  service  to  tbem  for  it,  will  engage  men  to 
run  the  hazzard  of  being  losers. 

Upon  the  whole;  we  cannot  approve  it,  that  aay  particular  persons  do 
either  undertake,  or  countenance  any  such  lotteries,  as  have  been  some- 
times practised  in  other  places,  and  the  danger  which  there  is,  lest  the 
lusts  of  men,  once  engaged  in  these  lotteries,  proceed  unto  a  multitude  of 
other  disorders,  to  the  mine  of  their  employments  and  their  families,  does 
further  move  us,^  to  withold  our  approbation  from  them. 

§  9.  Having  so  often  produced  the  propositions  voted  by  an  assembly 
of  ministers  at  Cambridge,  for  the  explanation  of  our  platform,  'tis  not, 
here,  amiss,  on  this  occasion  to  give  some  history  of  that  assembly. 

Know  then,  that  according  lo  the  advice  of  Mr.  Hooker,  who  about  a 
week  before  he  fell  sick  of  his  last,  let  fall  these  words:  "We  must  agree 
upon  constant  meetings  of  ministers,  and  settle  the  consociation  of  churches, 
or  else  we  are  utterly  undone!"  It  has  been  the  care  of  the  ministers,  in 
the  several  vicinages  throughout  the  most  part  of  the  countrey,  to  establish 
such  constant  meetings,  whereat  they  have  informed  one  another  of  their 
various  exercises,  and  assisted  one  another  in  the  work  of  our  Lord: 
besides  a  general  appearance  of  all  the  ministers  in  each  colony,  once  a 
year,  at  the  town,  and  the  time  of  the  General  Court  for  elections  of  mag- 
istrates in  the  colonies.  These  meetings  have  not  all  obliged  themselves 
to  one  method  of  proceedings,  in  pursuing  of  mutual  edification;  some  do 
still  fust  and  pray  together,  and  speak  in  their  turn  to  a  proposed  subject, 
much  after  the  manner  of  the  great  Grindal's  lectures,  then  held  in  the 
congregation  of  that  pastor,  to  whose  house  they  adjourn,  confer  a  while 
togetlier  upon  matters  of  concernment;  but  one  of  these  meetings  is  regu- 
lated by  the  following  orders: 

It  is  agreed  by  us  whose  names  are  under-written,  that  we  do  associate  ourselves 
for  the  promnling  of  the  Gospel,  and  ow  mutual  assistance  and  furtherance 
in  that  great  work : 

In  order  thereunto — 

I.  "That  we  meet  constantly,  at  the  College  in  Cambridge,  on  a  Monday  at  nine  or  ten  of 
the  clock  in  tlie  morning,  once  in  six  weelis,  or  oftener,  if  need  be. 

II.  "Tliat  in  sueii  meetings,  one  shall  be  chosen  moderator  pro  tempore,  for  the  better  order 
mid  decency  of  our  proceedings,  which  moderator  is  to  be  chosen,  at  the  end  of  every  meeting. 

III.  "That  the  moderator's  work  be: 

1.  "To  end  the  meeting,  wherein  he  ia  chosen;  and  to  begin  the  next  with  prayer. 

2.  "  To  propo!<o  matters  to  be  debated,  and  receive  the  suffrages  of  the  brethren. 

3.  "  To  receive,  with  the  consent  of  the  brethren,  the  subscriptions  of  such  as  shall  join  with 
us  ;  and  keep  all  papers  belonging  to  the  association. 

4.  "To  give  and  receive  notices,  and  appoint  meetings,  upon  emergent  occasions. 


272 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANiS*, 


TV.  '*Thnt  we  shall  submit  unto  tho  counsils,  reproofs  and  censures  of  brethren  so  asso- 
eiated  and  assemblud,  in  all  things  in  the  Lord.  (Eph.  v.  21.) 

V.  "That  none  of  us  shall  relinquish  this  association,  nor  forsake  the  appointed  meetings, 
without  giving  suffiuient  reason  for  the  s^me. 

VI.  "That  our  work,  in  the  said  meeting,  shall  be: 

1.  "  To  debate  any  matter  referring'  to  ouraelves. 

2.  "  To  hear  and  consider  any  cases  that  shall  be  proposed  unto  us,  from  churches  or  private 
persona. 

3.  "  To  answer  any  letters  directed  unto  us,  from  any  other  associations  or  persons, 

4.  "  To  discourse  of  any  question  proposed  at  the  former  meeting." 

§  10.  Such  and  so  hath  been  our  "platform  of  church  discipline:"  if 
our  brethren  of  the  Presbyterian  perswasion  be  still  uneasie  in  any  article 
of  it,  let  these  things  be  offered  for  a  close: 

/■'''  st,  The  Presbyterian  ministers  of  this  country  do  find  it  no  difficulty 
to  practise  the  substance  of  it,  in  and  with  their  several  congregations; 
jjid  when  it  comes  to  the  practise,  they  do  not  find  so  much  of  difficulty 
a.  it  first  appear'd  in  the  notion. 

Secondly,  The  reverend  persons  of  the  Presbyterian  way,  who  Avrote 
the  Jus  THvinum  Ministerii  Evnngelici*  as  long  since  as  the  year  1654, 
.t    hred: 

"As  wc  agree  wholly  in  the  same  'confession  of  faith,'  so  we  agree  in  nmny  things  of 
greatest  concernment  in  the  matters  of  'church  discipline.'  And  those  things  wherein  \vc  dif- 
fer, are  not  of  such  consequence  as  to  cause  a  schism  between  us,  either  in  worship,  or  in 
love  and  affection. 

"Our  debates  are  (is  it  was  said  of  the  disputes  of  the  ancient  fathers,  one  with  another 
about  lesser  ditferenccs)  not  cnnleniiones,  but  collaliones.  We  can  truly  say,  as  our  bretiireri 
do  in  their  prefjice,  'that  it  is  far  from  us  ho  to  aUesl  the  discipline  of  Christ  as  to  detest  tiio 
disciples  of  Christ;  so  to  contest  for  the  st.  less  coat  of  Christ,  as  to  crncifie  the  living 
members  of  Christ:  so  to  divide  ourselves  abu;!*  church-communion,  as  thro'  breaches  to 
open  a  wide  g:ip.  for  a  dtiuge  of  Anti-Christian  and  profane  malignity,  to  swallow  up  both 
church  and  civil  state." 

ThirdJy,  The  bretlireij  of  tli^-  Presbyterian  way  in  England,  are  lately 
come  unto  such  an  happy  union  with  those  of  the  Congregational,  that  all 
former  names  of  distinction  are  now  swallowed  up  in  that  blessed  one  of 
United  Bketheuen.  And  now,  partly  because  one  of  New-England— 
namely,  M^r.  Increase  Mat;^:T,  ih  i  resident  at  London — was  very  singu- 
larly instrumental  in  cH'octing  of  that  union;  but  more  because  that  union 
hath  been  for  many  lustres,  yea,  many  decnds  of  years,  exemplified  in  the 
churches  of  New-England,  so  far,  that  I  believe,  'tis  not  possible  for  me 
to  give  a  truer  description  of  our  "ecclesiastical  constitution,"  than  hy 
transcribing  thereof  the  articles  of  that  union  which  shall  here  be  repeated. 

*  The  divine  right  of  the  evangelical  ministry. 


1)1 


OR,    TUE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


273 


HEADS  OF  AGREEMENT,  ASSENTED  TO  BY  THE  UNITED  MINISTERS, 

FORMERLY  CALL'D  "  PRESBYTERIAN  "  AND  "  CONGREGATIONAL." 

I.   OF   CHURCHES   AND   CHURCH-MEMBERS. 

1.  We  acknowledge  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  have  one  catholic  church  or  kingdom,  com- 
prehending all  that  are  united  to  him,  whether  in  heaven  or  earth.  And  do  conceive  the 
whole  multitude  of  visible  believers  and  their  infant  seed  (commonly  call'd  the  "catholic 
visible  church")  to  belong  to  Christ's  spiritual  kingdom  in  this  world.  But  for  tiie  notion  of 
u"uatholiek  visible  church"  here,  as  it  signifies  it's  having  been  collected  into  any  formtd 
society,  under  a  visible  humane  head  on  earth,  whether  one  person  singly  or  many  collect- 
ively, we,  with  the  rest  of  Protestants,  unanimously  disclaim  it, 

2.  We  agree  that  particular  societies  of  visible  saints,  who,  under  Christ  their  head,  are 
sMeclly  joined  together,  for  ordinary  communion  with  one  another  in  all  the  ordinances  of 
Christ,  are  particular  churches,  and  arc  to  be  owned  by  each  other  as  instituted  churches  of 
Christ,  though  differing  in  apprehensions  and  practice  in  some  lesser  things. 

3.  Tiiat  none  shall  hn  admitted  as  members,  in  order  to  communion  in  all  the  special 
ordinances  of  the  gospel,  but  such  persons  as  are  knowing  and  sound  in  the  "  fundaniental 
doctrines  of  the  Cliristian  religion,"  without  scandal  in  their  lives;  and,  to  a  judgment  regu- 
lated by  the  word  of  God,  are  persons  of  visible  holiness  and  honesty;  credibly  possessing 
cordiiil  subjection  to  Jesus  Christ. 

4.  A  great  number  of  such  "  visible  saints,"  (as  before  described)  do  become  the  cap:ible 
subjects  of  stated  communion  in  all  the  "special  ordinances  of  Christ"  upon  their  mutual 
declared  consent  and  agreement  to  "walk  together  therein  according  to  gospel  rule."  In 
which  declaration,  different  degrees  of  expliciteness  shall  no  ways  hinder  such  churches 
from  owning  each  other,  .'is  instituted  churches. 

6.  Tho'  parochial  bounds  be  not  of  divine  right,  yet,  for  common  edificiition,  the  membera 
of  a  particular  church  ought  (as  much  as  conveniently  may  be)  to  live  near  one  another. 

6.  That  each  particular  church  hath  right  to  use  their  own  officers ;  and  being  furnished 
with  such  as  are  duly  qualified  and  ordained  according  to  the  gospel  rule,  hath  authority  from 
Christ  for  exercising  government,  and  of  enjoying  alt  the  ordinances  of  worship  within  itself. 

7.  In  tlie  administration  of  church  power,  it  belongs  to  the  pastors  and  other  elders  of 
every  particular  church,  if  sucii  there  be,  to  rule  and  govern,  and  to  the  brotherhood  to  con- 
sent  according  to  the  "rule  of  the  gospel." 

8.  That  all  professors  as  before  described  are  bound  in  duty,  as  they  have  opportunity, 
to  join  themselves  t\a  fixed  members  of  some  particular  church;  their  thus  joining  being  par- 
of  tlieir  professed  subjection  to  tlie  gospel  of  Christ,  and  an  instituted  means  of  their  e»ti»1)- 
iislinient  and  edification ;  whereby  they  are  under  the  pastoral  care,  and  in  case  of  scandal- 
ous or  offensive  walking,  may  be  authoritatively  admonished  or  censured  for  their  recovery, 
and  for  vindic-iticm  of  the  truth  and  the  church  professing  it. 

9.  Tiiat  a  visible  professor  thus  joined  to  a  particular  church  ought  to  continue  stodfast 
with  the  said  church;  and  not  forsake  the  ministry  and  ordinances  there  dispensed,  without 
an  orderly  seeking  a  recommendation  unto  another  church,  which  ouglit  to  be  given,  when 
the  case  of  the  person  apparently  requires  it. 

11.    OF  THE  MINISTRY. 

1.  We  agree  that  the  ministerial  office  is  instituted  by  Jesus  Christ  for  the  gathering, 
guiding,  edifying,  and  governing  of  his  church ;  and  continue  to  tlie  end  of  the  world. 

2.  They  who  are  called  to  this  office  ought  to  be  endued  with  competent  learning  and 
ministerial  gifts,  as  .also  with  the  grace  of  God,  sound  in  judgment,  not  novices  in  the  faith 
and  knowledge  of  the  gospel;  without  scandal,  of  holy  conversation,  and  such  03  devote 
themselves  to  the  work  and  service  thereof. 

Vol.  11.-18 


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274 


MAQNALIA    CIIKISTl    AMEKICANA; 


8.  That  ordinarily  none  shall  be  orduined  to  tho  work  of  thiH  luinUtry  but  such  as  ore 
called  and  chosen  thereunto  by  u  particular  church. 

4.  Tlmt  in  so  greut  and  weighty  ii  matter  us  the  cnllin^  and  chusing  a  pustnr,  wo  jiiii<r(. 
it  ordinarily  requisite  that  every  such  church  consult  and  advise  with  the  pii»lurs  ui  um 
neighbouring  congregations. 

6.  That  utlcr  such  advice,  the  person  consulted  about  being  chosen  by  the  brothcrliond 
of  that  piuticular  church  over  which  he  i  i  to  be  set,  and  he  accepting,  be  duly  orduined  und 
set  apart  to  his  office  over  them;  wherein  'tis  ordinarily  requisite  that  the  pastors  of  nti"ii. 
bouring  congregations  concur  with  the  preaching  elder  or  elders,  if  such  there  be. 

6.  That  whereas  such  ordination  is  only  intended  for  such  as  never  before  hud  hvm 
ordained  to  the  ministerial  ottice,  if  any  judge  that  in  the  case  also  of  the  reniovul  ul  one 
formerly  orduined  to  a  new  station  or  pastoral  charge,  there  ought  to  be  a  like  suiiniii 
recoinmcnding  him  and  his  labours  to  the  grace  and  blessing  of  God ;  no  ditrerunt  8entiniL'i>t.s 
or  pn^.tice  herein  shall  be  any  occasion  of  cotUentinn  or  breach  of  communion  among  us. 

7.  It  is  expedient  that  they  who  enter  on  the  "work  of  prcacliing  the  gospel"  be  nut  only 
qualified  for  communion  of  suints,  but  also  that,  except  in  cases  extraordinary,  tlicy  give 
proof  of  their  gifti  and  Jitness  for  the  said  work  unto  the  pastors  of  churches  of  known  ubilj. 
ties,  to  discern  und  judge  of  their  qualifications;  that  they  may  be  sent  I'ortli  with  soloiiin 
approbation  and  prayer;  which  we  judge  needful,  that  no  doubt  may  remain  coneeniiii>T 
their  being  called  unto  the  work;  and  for  preventing  (us  much  us  in  us  lyeth)  ignortint  and 
null  intruders. 

III.   OF  CENSURES. 

1.  As  it  cannot  be  avoided  but  that,  in  the  purest  churches  on  earth,  there  will  sometiinvs 
offences  and  scandals  arise  by  reason  of  hypocrisie  and  prevailing  corruption;  so  Christ  hutii 
made  it  the  duty  of  every  church  to  reform  itself  by  spiritual  remedies  appointed  by  him  to 
be  applyed  in  all  such  cases,  viz :  admonition  and  excommttnicalion,  " 

2.  Admonition,  being  the  rebuking  of  an  offending  member  in  order  to  conviction,  is  in 
case  of  private  offences  to  be  performed  according  to  the  rule  in  Mutth.  xviii.  15, 16, 17,  iind 
in  case  of  publick  offences  openly  before  the  church,  as  the  honour  of  the  gospel  und  the 
nature  of  the  scandal  shall  require;  and,  if  either  of  the  admonitions  take  jduce  fur  the 
recovery  of  the  fallen  person,  all  further  proceedings  in  u  way  of  censure  are  thereon  to 
cease,  and  satisfaction  to  be  declared  accordingly. 

3.  When  all  due  nieanr  are  used,  according  to  the  "order  of  the  gospe!"  for  the  restoring 
an  "offending  and  scandalous  brother,"  and  he  notwithsUinding  rcnitiins  inipeniteiit,  tiiu  ecu- 
sure  of  excommunication  is  to  be  proceeded  unto;  wherein  the  piiator  and  other  elders  (if 
there  be  such)  are  to  lead  and  go  before  the  ehunh;  and  the  brotherhood  to  give  their  cuii- 
sent  in  a  way  of  obedience  unto  Christ,  and  to  the  elders,  as  over  them  in  the  Lord. 

4.  It  may  sometimes  come  to  pass  that  a  churclumember,  not  otherwise  scandaluiis,  may 
sinfully  withdraw,  and  divide  himself  from  the  communiun  of  the  chui-ch  to  which  he  belong- 
eth;  in  which  case,  when  all  due  means  for  the  reducing  him  prove  itietteetuul,  (he  having 
thereby  cut  himself  off  from  that  church's  communion)  the  church  may  justly  esteem  .ind 
declare  itself  discharged  of  any  further  inspection  over  him. 


IV.    OF  COMMUNION  OF  CHURCHES. 

1.  We  agree  that  particular  churches  ought  not  to  walk  so  distinct  and  separate  from 
each  other  as  not  to  have  care  and  tenderness  towards  one  another.  But  their  pastors 
ixught  to  have  frequent  meetings  together,  th:it  by  nuitnal  advice,  support,  encounigonicnt, 
and  brotherly  intercourse,  they  miiy  .strengthen  the  hearts  and  hands  of  each  other  in  thit 
"ways  of  the  Lord." 

2.  That  none  of  our  particular  churches  sh.ili  bo  su'iordinatc  to  one  another,  each  hcing 
endued  w  itii  equality  of  power  from  Jesus  Christ.     And  that  none  of  tho  said  particular 


OR,    THE    HISTOEY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


275 


churuhcs,  their  officer  or  offieera,  shall  exercise  any  power,  or  have  any  superiority,  over  nuy 
other  church  or  their  officers. 

3.  Thiit  idiown  members  of  particular  churches,  constituted  ns  aforesaid,  may  have  occa- 
sional communion  with  one  another  in  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  viz:  the  word,  prayer, 
sacraments,  singing  of  Psnims,  dispensed  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ;  unless  that 
church  with  which  they  desire  communion  huth  any  just  exception  against  them. 

4.  Tiiat  we  ought  not  admit  any  one  to  be  a  member  of  our  respective  congregations  that 
hath  join'd  himself  to  another,  without  endeavours  of  mutual  satisfaction  of  the  congre- 
gations concerned. 

6.  That  one  church  ought  not  to  blame  the  proceedings  of  another  until  it  hath  heard 
what  that  church  charged,  its  elders  or  messengers,  can  say  in  vindication  of  themselves 
from  any  charge  of  irregular  or  injurious  proceedings. 

6.  That  we  are  most  willing  and  ready  to  give  an  account  of  other  church-proceedings  to 
each  other  when  desired ;  for  preventing  or  removing  any  offences  that  may  arise  among  us. 
Likewise  we  shall  be  ready  to  give  the  right  hand  of  fellowship,  and  walk  together  accord- 
ing to  the  gospel  rules  of  communion  of  churches. 


V.    OF   DEACONS   AND   RULING-ELDERS. 

We  agree  the  office  of  a  deacon  is  of  divine  appointment,  and  that  it  belongs  to  their  office 
to  receive,  lay  out,  and  distributu  the  churches  stock  to  its  proper  uses,  by  the  direction  of 
the  pastor,  and  brctheren,  if  need  be.  And  whereas  diverse  are  of  opinion,  that  there  is  also 
the  office  of  ruling-elders,  who  labour  not  in  word  and  doctrine;  and  others  think  other- 
wise; we  agree  that  this  difference  make  no  breach  among  us. 

VI.    OF   OCCASION.)iL   MEETING   OF   MINISTERS,   ETC. 

1.  We  agree  that,  in  order  to  concord,  and  in  other  weighty  and  difficult  cases,  it  is  need- 
ful, and  according  to  the  mind  of  Christ,  that  the  ministers  of  several  churches  be  consulted 
and  advised  with  about  such  matters. 

2.  That  such  meetings  may  consist  of  smaller  or  greater  numbers,  as  the  matter  shall 
require. 

3.  That  particular  churches,  their  respective  elders  and  members,  ought  to  have  a  reveren- 
tial regard  to  their  judgment,  so  given,  and  not  dissent  therefrom  without  apparent  grounds 
from  the  word  of  God. 

VII.    OF    OUR   DEMEANOUR   TOWARDS   THE   CIVIL    MAGISTRATE. 

1.  We  do  reckon  our  selves  obliged  continually  to  pray  for  God's  protection,  guidance, 
and  blessing  upon  the  rulers  set  over  us. 

2.  That  we  ought  to  yield  unto  them  not  only  subjection  in  the  Lord,  but  support, 
according  to  our  station  and  abilities. 

3.  That  if  ut  any  time  it  shall  be  their  pleasure  to  call  together  any  number  of  us,  to 
require  an  account  of  our  affairs  and  the  stiite  of  our  congregations,  we  shall  most  readily 
express  all  dutiful  rcgurd  to  them  herein. 

VIII.    OF    A    CONFESSION    OF    FAITH. 

As  to  what  appertains  to  soundness  of  judgment  in  matters  of  faith,  we  esteem  it  suffi- 
cient that  a  church  acknowledge  the  Scriptures  to  be  the  word  of  God,  the  perfect  and  only 
rule  of  faith  and  practice,  and  own  either  the  doctrinal  part  of  those  commonly  called  the 
articles  of  the  church  of  England,  or  the  confession  or  catechisms,  shorter  or  larger,  com- 
piled by  the  assembly  at  Westminster,  or  the  confession  agreed  on  at  the  Savoy,  to  be 
agreeable  to  the  Stoid  rule. 


•  '  1 


276 


MAUNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


nt.    OP  OUR  DOTY  AND  DRPORTMRNT  TOWARDS  THEM   THAT  ARE  NOT  IN  COMMUNION 

WITH   US. 

1.  We  jud(re  it  our  duty  fn  War  a  Christian  respect  to  all  Cliriittiang,  according  to  their 
Mverul  ranks  and  stutionH,  that  are  not  of  our  pentwasion  or  communion. 

3.  As  for  such  as  may  be  ignorant  of  the  principles  of  the  Chriutiun  religion,  i-  of  viciunM 
conversation,  wo  shall  in  our  respective  places,  as  they  give  opportunity,  ou'-  .vour  to 
explain  to  them  the  doctrine  of  lifo  and  salvation,  and  to  our  utmost  perswacio  tiicm  to  be 
reconciled  to  God. 

8.  That  such  who  appear  to  have  the  essential  requisites  to  churcii-communion,  we  shnll 
willingly  receive  them  in  the  Lord,  not  troubling  them  with  disputes  abuut  lesser  mattuis. 
As  we  assent  to  the  afore-mentioned  "  heads  of  agreement,"  so  ^^  o  tmanimously 
resolve  as  the  Lord  shall  enable  us,  to  practice  according  to  tlicm. 


THE  THIRD  PART. 
THE  PRINCIPLES  OWNED,  AND  THE  ENDEAVOURS  USED, 

BY  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND  CONCERNING  THE  CHUH!  FI-STATE  OF  THEIR  POSTEiaTY. 

iSi  Eacleaia  debet  tinquam  Reflortseere,  neeease  eat,  at  a  pucrorum  Inatitutione 
Exordium  fiat.* — Luther. 

1.  As  the  English  nation  has  been  honoured  above  most  of  the  Pro- 
testant and  reformed  world,  with  clearer  discoveries  of  several  most 
considerable  points  in  c>ur  Christian  religion — particularly  the  points  of  a 
true  evuugeiical  churth-ordor — so  the  New-English  part  of  this  nation  hath 
had  a  singular  shiM-e  m  rocjiving  and  imparting  the  illuminations  which 
the  light  shiiniig  in  a  ilark  place  hath  given  thereabout.  Very  true  and 
just  are  the  printed  words  of  the  well  known  Mr.  Nathaniel  Mather,  on 
this  occasion : 

"Amongst  all  that  have  suffered  for  and  searched  into  these  truths,  tliey  of  New-England 
justly  deserve  and  will  have  a  name  and  a  glory,  as  long  as  the  earth  shall  have  any  remem- 
brance  of  an  English  nation.  After-ages  will  honour  them  for  that  great  and  high  adventure 
of  theirs  in  transporting  themselvfs,  their  wives  and  little  ones,  upon  the  rude  waves  of  the 
vast  ocean  into  a  remote,  desolate  and  howling  wilderness,  and  there  encountring  by  faith 
and  patience  with  a  world  of  temptations  and  stieights  and  pressing  wants  and  difficulties, 
and  this  upon  no  other  inducements  but  that  they  might  meet  with  him  whom  their  souls 
loved,  in  the  midst  of  his  golden  candlesticks,  and  sec  him,  as  they  have  there  seen  him  in  hit: 
sanctuary." 

It  might  rationally  bo  now  expected  that  our  compassionate  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  would  graciously  gratifie  the  desires  and  labours  of  such  an  holy 
generation  with  as  full  an  understanding  of  his  revealed  will  about  hi.s 
instituted  worship  a.s  he  has  at  any  time  granted  unto  any  of  his  people; 
and  that  especially  the  officers  of  instituted  churches — humbly,  prayerfully 

*  If  tbe  church  is  ever  to  revive,  it  is  essential  tlial  a  commencement  should  bo  made  by  tlie  education  of  youUi. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NKW-ENOLAND. 


277 


and  carefully  engaged  in  studies  for  their  service — would  lyo  under  as 
direct  an  influence  of  hia  Holy  Spirit,  as  any  inquirers  whatsoever.  But 
there  is  one  very  important  article  of  ecclesiastical  discipline  whereabouts 
the  churches  of  New-Englan  1  have  had  a  most  peculiar  cxercifc  and  con- 
cernment; and  that  is  "the  ecclesiastical  state  of  their  posterity." 

2.  When  our  churches  were  come  to  between  twenty  and  thirty  years 
of  age,  a  nmncrons  posterity  was  advanced  so  far  into  the  world,  that  the 
first  planters  began  apace  in  their  several  families  to  be  distinguished  by 
the  name  of  grand-fathers ;  but  among  the  immediate  parents  of  the  grand- 
children, there  were  multitudes  of  well  disposed  })'Tsons,  who,  partly  thro' 


culpable  neglects,  had 
imnunicants  at  the  table 
thout  many  uncom- 
d  from  the  baptism 
puutidr  which  is  to  accom- 


tlieir  own  doubts  and  fears,  and  partly  thro' 
not  actually  come  up  to  the  covenanting  stat 
of  the  Lord.  The  good  old  generation  coi. 
for  table  apprehensions,  behold  their  off-spri' 
of  Christianity,  and  from  the  ecclesiastical 
pany  that  baptism;  indeed,  it  was  to  leave  their  olf-spring  under  the 
shepherdly  government  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  his  ordinances,  that 
they  had  brought  their  lambs  into  this  wilderness.  When  the  apostle 
bids  churches  to  "look  diligently,  lest  any  man  fail  of  the  grace  of  God," 
there  is  an  ecclesiastical  word  used  for  that  "looking  diligently;"  inti- 
mating that  God  will  ordinarily  bless  a  regular  church-watch,  to  maintain 
the  interests  of  grace  among  his  people:  and  it  was  therefore  the  study 
of  those  prudent  men,  who  might  he  call'd  our  seers^  that  the  children  of 
the  faithful  may  be  kept,  as  iiir  as  may  be,  under  a  church-watch,  in 
expectation  that  they  might  bo  in  the  fairer  way  to  receive  the  yrace  of 
God;  thus  they  were  "looking  diligently,"  that  the  prosperous  and  pre- 
vailing condition  of  religion  in  our  churches  might  not  be  Res  unius 
cetatis, — 'd  matter  of  one  age  alone."  Moreover,  among  the  next  sons  or 
daughters  descending  from  that  generation,  there  was  a  numerous  ap- 
pearance of  sober  persons,  who  professed  themselves  desirous  to  re^ew 
their  baptismal-covenant  and  submit  unto  the  church-discipline,  and  so 
have  their  houses  also  marked  for  the  Lord's;  but  yet  they  could  not  come 
up  to  that  experimental  account  of  their  own  regeneration,  which  would 
sufficiently  embolden  their  access  to  the  other  sacrament.  Wherefore,  for 
our  churches  now  to  make  no  ecclesiastical  difference  between  these  hope- 
ful candidates  and  competents  for  those  our  further  mysteries,  and  Pagans, 
who  might  happen  to  hear  the  word  of  God  in  our  assemblies,  was  judged 
a  most  unwarrantable  strictness,  which  would  quickly  abandon  the  biggest 
part  of  our  country  unto  heathenism.  And,  on  the  other  side,  it  was  feared 
that,  if  all  such  as  had  not  yet  exposed  themselves  by  censurable  scandals 
found  upon  them,  should  be  admitted  unto  all  the  priviledges  in  our 
churches,  a  worldly  part  of  mankind  might,  before  we  are  aware,  carry 
all  things  into  such  a  course  of  proceeding,  as  would  be  very  disagreeable 
unto  the  kingdom  of  heaven. 


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278 


MAQNALIA    CHKI8TI    AMERICANA; 


§  8.  The  questions  raised  about  these  matters  came  to  some  figures,  first 
in  the  colony  of  Connecticut;  where  the  pious  magistrates,  observing  tjie 
begun  dangers  of  paroxysms,  which  might  affect  the  state  as  well  as  tlie 
churchy  on  this  occasion  produced  a  draught  of  the  agitated  questiotis,  and 
sent  thein  to  the  magistrates  of  the  Massachusett's  colony,  with  a  request 
that  several  of  the  ablest  ministers  in  both  colonies  might,  upon  mature 
deliberation,  give  in  their  answers  thereunto.  Accordingly,  the  letters  of 
the  government  procured  an  assembly  of  our  principal  ministers  at  Boston, 
on  June  4, 1657,  who  by  the  19th  of  that  month  prepared  and  presented 
an  elaborate  answer  to  twenty -one  questions;  which  was  afterwards  printed 
in  London,  under  the  title  of  "A  Disputation  concerning  Church-memhas 
and  their  Children"  Besides  other  cases  referring  to  the  church-state  of 
children  bom  in  the  bosom  of  the  church,  it  is  in  this  disputation  asserted 
and  maintained — 

"That  it  is  the  duty  of  infants,  who  confederate  in  their  parents,  when  grown  up  unto  ir» 
o{  discretion,  tho'  not  yet  fit  for  the  Lord's  Supper,  to  own  the  covenant  they  made  wjtli  their 
parents,  by  entering  thereinto  in  their  own  persons;  and  it  is  the  duty  of  the  church  to  cull 
upon  them  for  the  performance  thereof;  and  if,  being  culled  upon,  they  shall  refuse  the  per- 
formance of  this  great  duty,  or  otherwise  do  continue  scandalous,  they  are  liable  to  be 
eensured  for  the  same  by  the  church.  And  in  case  they  understand  the  "  grounds  of  reli. 
gion,"  and  are  not  scandalous,  and  solemnly  own  the  covenant,  in  their  own  persons,  wherein 
they  give  up  both  themselves  and  their  children  unto  the  Lord,  and  desire  baptism  fur  them, 
we  see  not  sufficient  cause  to  deny  baptism  unto  their  children." 

§  4.  The  practice  of  church  care  about  the  children  of  our  churches  thus 
directed  and  commended,  was  but  gradually  introduced;  yea,  it  met  with 
such  opposition  as  could  not  be  encountred  with  any  thing  less  than  a 
synod  of  elders  and  messengers  from  all  the  churches  in  the  Massachuset 
colony.  Accordingly,  the  general  court,  having  tho  necessity  of  the  matter 
laid  before  them,  at  their  second  session  in  the  year  1661,  issued  out  their 
desire  and  order  for  the  convening  of  such  a  synod  at  Boston  in  the  spring 
of  the  year  ensuing.  And  for  the  deliberations  of  that  synod,  besides  tiie 
grand  question  about  "the  subject  of  baptism,"  there  was  another  question 
propounded  about  "  the  consociation  of  churches,"  which  was  of  no  small 
consequence  to  the  interests  of  Christianity  in  the  country.  As  the  divines 
of  New-England  were  solicitous  that  the  propagation  of  our  churches  might 
hold  pace  with  that  of  our  offspring,  so  they  were  industrious  for  the  co7n- 
hination  of  our  churches  into  such  a  bundle  of  arroives  as  might  not  easily 
be  broken.  However,  they  had  by  their  adversaries  been  termed  indipehd- 
ents;  nevertheless,  they  solemnly  on  this  occasion  repeated  and  subscribed 
that  profession  of  their  famous  bretheren  in  the  English  nation : 

"That  it  is  the  most  to  bo  abhorred  maxim,  that  any  religion  hath  made  profession  of.  iind 
tlierefore  of  all  other  the  most  oontrudictory,  and  dishonourable  unto  that  of  Christiuitlty, 
that  a  single  and  particular  society  of  men,  professing  the  name  of  Christ,  and  pretending  to 
be  endowed  with  a  power  fl-om  Christ,  to  judge  them  that  arc  of  tho  same  body  and  soviuty 


churches  about  thei 


10  THE  QUESTIONS 


OS,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


279 


vitli  theniRelvca,  Hhould  further  arrogate  unto  themselves  an  exemption  from  giving  account, 
or  being  cuiiHurnble  by  any  other,  either  Christian  magistrate  above  them,  or  neighbour 
churches  about  them." 

Under  the  influence  of  these  concernments,  the  elders  and  messengers 
of  the  churches  assembled  at  Boston,  in  the  year  1662 ;  who,  under  the 
conduct  of  several  successive  mo'ierators,  at  length  agreed  upon  certain 
propositions;  which  being  tendered  unto  the  General  Court,  there  was  an 
order  there  passed  on  October  8, 1662,  for  the  publication  and  commenda* 
tion  thereof  unto  all  the  churches  in  the  jurisdiction.  They  were  as 
foUoweth: 

THE  ANSWER  OF  THE  ELDERS  AND  OTHER  MESSENGERS  OF  THE  CHURCHES, 

ASSEMBLED  AT  BOSTON,  IN  THE  YEAR  1603, 

T9  THE  QUESTIONS  PROPOUNDED  TO  THEM,  BT  ORDER  OF  THE  HONOURED   GENERAL    COURT. 

Question  I. — Who  are  the  Suhjecta  of  Baptitm? 

Answer.  The  answer  may  be  given  in  the  ioWo^ing  propositions,  briefly 
confirmed  from  the  Scriptures: 

1.  *'They  that,  according  to  Scripture,  are  members  of  the  visible  church,  are  the  subjects 
of  baptism. 

a.  "  The  members  of  the  visible  church,  according  to  Scripture,  are  confederate  visible 
believers,  in  particular  churches,  and  their  infant  seed,  t.  e.  children  in  minority,  whose  next 
parents,  one  or  both,  are  in  covenant. 

3.  "  The  infant  seed  of  confederate  visible  believers,  ore  members  of  the  same  church 
with  their  parents,  and  when  grown  up  are  personally  under  the  watch,  discipline  and  gov> 
eminent  of  that  church. 

4.  "These  adult  persons  are  not  therefore  to  be  admitted  to  full  communion,  merely 
because  they  are,  and  continue  members,  without  such  further  qualifications  as  the  word  of 
God  rcquireth  thereunto. 

6.  "  Church  members  who  were  admitted  in  minority,  understanding  the  doctrine  of  faith, 
and  pubiiukly  professing  their  assent  thereto,  not  scandalous  in  life,  and  solemnly  owning 
the  covenant  before  the  church,  wherein  they  give  up  themselves  and  their  children  to  the 
Lord,  und  subject  themselves  to  the  government  of  Christ  in  the  church,  their  children  are 
to  be  baptised. 

6.  "  Such  church  members,  who  cither  by  death,  or  some  other  extraordinary  providence, 
have  been  inevitably  hindred  from  publick  acting  as  aforesaid,  yet  have  given  the  church 
cause,  in  judgment  of  charity,  to  look  at  them  ns  so  qualified,  and  such  as,  had  they  been 
culled  tht^eunto,  would  have  so  acted,  their  children  are  to  be  baptised. 

7.  "The  members  of  orthodox  churches,  being  sound  in  the  faith  and  not  sonndulous  in 
life,  and  prcHcnting  due  testimony  thereof;  these  occasionally  coming  from  one  church  to 
another  may  have  their  children  baptised  in  the  church,  whither  they  come,  by  virtue  of 
communion  of  churches.  But  if  they  removo  their  habitation,  they  ought  orderly  to  covenant 
and  Hubject  themselves  to  the  government  of  Christ  in  the  church  where  they  settle  their 
abode,  and  so  their  children  to  be  biiptisod.  It  being  the  churches  duty  to  receive  such  into 
communion,  so  far  as  they  are  regularly  fit  for  the  same." 

Tlio  confirmation  of  these  propositions  from  the  Scripture,  foUoweth; 


%\  i 


280 


MAGNAIIA    CHBISTI   AMSBIOANA; 


PsorosiTiON  I. — They  that,  aeeording  to  Scripture,  are  Mewiberi  of  the  Vinble     'tureh,  are  the 

Sultjeete  of  Baptiem. 

The  truth  hereof  may  appear  by  the  following  evidences  from  the  word 
of  God: 

1.  When  Christ  saith,  "Go  ye  therefore  and  teach,"  or  (as  the  Greek  is) 
"disciple  all  nations,  baptizing  them,"  (Matth.  xxviii.  19,)  he  expresseth 
the  adequate  subjects  of  baptism  to  be  disciples  or  discipled  ones.  But 
"disciples"  there,  is  the  same  with  "members  of  the  visible  church." 
For  the  visible  church  is  Christ's  school,  wherein  all  the  members  stand 
related  and  subjected  to  him,  as  their  master  and  teacher,  und  so  are  his 
scholars  or  disciples,  and  under  his  teaching,  as  ver.  20.  And  it  is  that 
visible  spiritual  kingdom  of  Christ  which  he,  there,  from  his  kingly  power 
(ver.  18)  sendeth  them  to  set  up  and  administer,  in  ver.  19 ;  the  subjects 
whereof  are  und'^r  his  laws  and  government,  ver.  20;  which  subjects  (or 
members  of  that  kingdom,  i.  e.  of  the  visible  church)  are  termed  disciples^ 
ver.  19.  Also,  in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles  (the  story  of  their  accomplish- 
ment of  that  commission)  disciples  are  usually  put  for  members  of  the  visi- 
ble church — Acts  i.  15.  "In  the  midst  of  the  disciples,"  who,  with  others 
added  to  them,  are  called  the  Church  (Acts  ii.  47);  the  members  whereof 
are  again  called  disciples,  (Acts  vi.  1,  2 ;  Acts  ix.  1.)  "  Against  the  disci- 
ples of  the  Lord;"  i.  e.  against  the  church  of  God,  (1  Cor.  xv.  9;  Galat.  i. 
13 ;  Acts  ix.  26.)  "He  assayed  to  join  himself  to  the  disciples."  The  dis- 
ciples of  Lystra,  Iconium  and  Antioch,  (Acts  xiv.  21,  22)  are  called  the 
church  in  each  of  those  places,  ver.  23 ;  so  the  church,  ver.  27 ;  the  disciples, 
ver.  28.  Acts  xviii.  22:  "The  church  at  Cesarea;"  Acts  xxi.  16:  "The 
disciples  of  Cesarea:"  So  Acts  xviii.  23,  with  chap.  xv.  41,  and  Gal.  i.  2; 
Acts  xviii.  27,  and  chap.  xx.  1.  From  all  which  it  appeareth,  that  "dis- 
ciples" in  Matth.  xxviii.  19,  and  "members  of  the  visible  church,"  are  terms 
equivalent;  and  discipulcs  being,  there,  by  Christ  himself  made  the  subjects 
of  baptism,  it  followeth  that  the  members  of  the  visible  church  are  the 
subjects  of  baptism. 

2.  Baptism  is  "the  seal  of  the  first  entrance  or  ission  into  the  vis- 
ible church:"  as  appeareth  from  those  texts,  (1.  oor.  xii.  13,)  "Baptised 
into  one  body,"  i.  e.  our  entrance  into  the  body  or  church  of  Christ,  is 
sealed  by  baptism;  and  Rom.  vi.  8.  5;  Gal,  iii.  27;  where  'tis  shewed  that 
baptism  is  the  sacrament  of  union,  or  of  ingrafting  into  Christ  the  head, 
and  consequently  into  the  church  his  body,  and  from  the  Apostle's  constant 
practice  of  baptising  persons  upon  their  first  coming  in,  or  first  giving  up 
themselves  to  the  Lord  and  them.  Acts  viii.  12,  and  xvi.  15.  33,  and 
xviii.  8,  and  Acts  ii.  41,  42,  they  were  baptised  at  their  first  adding  to  tiie 
church,  or  admission  into  the  Apostle's  fellowship,  wherein  they  afterward 
coutinued.  And  from  its  answering  unto  circumcision,  which  was  a  seal 
of  initiation  or  admission  into  the  church,  hence  it  belongs  to  ull,  and 


OBI 

only  those  that  aJ 
visible  church. 

3.  "They  that  I 
are  in  covenant: 
xxviii.  12,  13. 
"established  the 
affixed  to  the  coj 
vvii.  7.  9, 10, 11; 
Gen.  xvii.  13; 
annexed  to  the  pi 
that  answereth  tol 

4.  "Christ  dot] 
water;"  i  e.  by 
and  all  the  meml 
fied  in  Christ  Jes' 
it  Is  the  "invisib 
this  and  all  othe 
mentioned  in  Ep 
"visible  church" 
tration  thereof, 
administered  by  n 
sundry  persons  w 
as  Simon  Magus, 
ibly  purchased  ar 
covenant" — Acts 
covenant  and  of  < 

5.  "The  circum 
the  members  of 
within  are  expres 
uncircumcised"— 
XV.  18;  1  Sam.  x 
portion  baptism  ( 
to  the  whole  visil 
Bonal  circumcisio 
inclusively  and  \ 
But  the  Lord  hai 
to  be  personally 
iii.  28— BO  that 
subject  of  baptifi 
whole  visible  ch 


OB,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


281 


only  those  that  are  entred  into,  that  are  within  or  that  are  members  of  the 
visible  c^iurch. 

3.  "  They  that  according  to  Scripture  are  members  of  the  visible  church, 
are  in  covenant:  for  it  is  the  covenant  that  constituteth  the  church — Deut. 
xxviii.  12,  13.  They  must  "enter  into  covenant,"  that  they  might  be 
"established  the  people"  or  church  of  Ood,  Now,  the  initiatory  seal  is 
affixed  to  the  covenant,  and  appointed  to  run  parallel  therewith :  Gen. 
xvii.  7.  9,  10,  11;  so  circumcision  was,  and  hence  called  "the  covenant:" 
Gen.  xvii.  13;  Acts  vii.  8.  And  so  baptism  is,  being  in  like  manner 
annexed  to  the  promise  or  covenant:  Acts  ii.  38,  39;  and  being  the  seal 
that  answereth  to  circumcision:  Col.  ii.  11,  12. 

4.  "Christ  doth  sanctifie  and  cleanse  the  church  by  the  washing  of 
water;"  i.  e,  by  baptism — Eph.  v.  25,  26.  Therefore  the  whole  church, 
and  all  the  members  thereof  (who  are  also  said  in  Scripture  to  be  "sancti- 
fied in  Christ  Jesus,"  1  Cor.  i.  2)  are  the  subjects  of  baptism.  And  altho' 
it  is  the  "invisible  church,"  unto  the  spiritual  and  eternal  good  whereof 
this  and  all  other  ordinances  lastly  have  respect,  and  which  the  place 
mentioned  in  Eph.  v.  may  in  a  special  manner  look  unto,  yet  it  is  the 
"visible  churcb"  that  is  the  next  and  immediate  subject  of  the  adminis- 
tration thereof  For  the  subject  of  visible  external  ordinances,  to  be 
administered  by  men,  must  needs  be  visible.  And  so  the  apostle  baptized 
sundry  persons  who  were  of  the  visible,  but  not  of  the  invisible  church — 
as  Simon  Magus,  Ananias  and  Saphira,  and  others.  And  these  are  vis- 
ibly purchased  and  sanctified  by  the  blood  of  Christ,  "  the  blood  of  the 
covenant" — Acts  xx.  28;  Heb.  x.  29.  Therefore  the  visible  seal  of  the 
covenant  and  of  cleansing  by  CJhrist's  blood  belongs  to  them. 

5.  "  The  circumcision  is  often  put  for  the  whole  Jewish  church,  or  for 
the  members  of  the  visible  church  under  the  Old  Testament.  Those 
tcithin  are  expressed  by  "the  circumcised" — and  those  without  by  "the 
uncircumcised" — Kom.  xv.  8,  and  iii.  30;  Eph.  ii.  11;  Judges  xiv.  3,  and 
XV.  18;  1  Sam.  xiv.  6,  and  xvii.  26.  3C ;  Jer.  ix.  25,  26.  Hence  by  pro- 
portion baptism  (which  is  our  gospel  circumcision.  Col.  ii.  11, 12,)  belongs 
to  the  whole  visible  church  under  the  New  Testament.  Actual  and  per- 
sonal circumcision  was  indeed  proper  to  the  males  of  old,  females  being  but 
inclusively  and  virtually  circumcised,  and  so  counted  of  the  circumcision. 
But  the  Lord  has  taken  away  that  difference  now,  and  appointed  baptism 
to  be  personally  applied  to  both  sexes — Acts  viii.  12,  and  xvi.  15;  Gal. 
iii.  28 — so  that  every  particular  member  of  the  visible  church  is  now  a 
subject  of  baptism.  We  conclude,  therefore,  that  baptism  pertains  to  the 
whole  visible  church,  and  to  all  and  every  one  therein,  and  to  no  other. 


282 


MAGKALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


pROPosiTioK  II. — The  Members  of  the  Vitible  Church,  according  to  Scripture,  are  Confedtrntt 
Visible  Believers,  in  Particular  Churches,  and  their  Infant-seed,  i.  e.  Children  in  minority 
whose  next  Parents,  one  or  both,  are  in  covenant. 

Sundry  particulars  are  comprised  in  this  proposition,  which  we  may 
consider  and  confirm  distinctly : 

Partic.  1.  Adult  persons,  who  are  members  of  the  visible  churchy  are  by 
rule  confederate  visible  believers — Acts  v.  14:  "Believers  were  added  to  the 
Lord."  The  believing  Corinthians  were  members  of  the  church  there: 
Acts  xviii.  8,  with  1  Cor.  i.  2,  and  xii.  27.  The  inscription  of  the  Epistles 
written  to  churches,  and  calling  the  members  thereof  saints  and  faithful, 
shew  the  same  thing :  Eph.  i.  1 ;  Phil.  i.  1 ;  Col.  i.  2.  And  that  consider- 
ation, I.  e.  covenanting  explicite  or  implicite  (the  latter  preserveth  the 
essence  of  confederation,  the  former  is  duty  and  most  desirable)  is  neces- 
sary to  make  one  a  member  of  the  visible  church,  appears — 1,  Because  the 
church  is  constituted  by  covenant;  for  there  is  between  Christ  and  the 
church  the  mutual  engagement  and  relation  of  king  and  subjects,  husband 
and  spouse;  this  cannot  be  but  by  covenant  (internal,  if  you  speak  of  the 
invisible  church,  external  of  the  visible);  a  church  is  a  company  that  can 
say,  God  is  our  God,  and  we  are  his  people,  this  is  from  the  covenant 
between  God  and  them:  Deut.  xxix.  18;  Ezek.  xvi.  8.  2,  The  church 
of  the  Old  Testament  was  the  church  of  God  by  covenant — Gen.  xvii.; 
Deut.'  xxix. — and  was  reformed  still  by  the  renewing  of  the  covenant;  2 
Chron.  xv.  16,  and  xxiii.  12,  and  xxxiv.  31,  32;  Neh.  ix.  38.  Now,  the 
churches  of  the  Gentiles,  under  the  New  Testament,  stand  upon  the  same 
basis  or  root  with  the  church  of  the  Old  Testament,  and  therefore  are 
constituted  by  covenant,  as  that  was:  Rom.  xi.  17,  18;  Eph.  ii.  11, 12. 
19,  and  iii.  6;  Heb.  viii.  10.  3,  Baptism  enters  us  into  the  church  sacra- 
mentally,  i.  e.  by  sealing  the  covenant.  The  covenant,  therefore,  is  that 
which  constitutes  the  church,  and  infers  membership,  and  is  the  vow  in 
baptism  commonly  spoken  of. 

Partic.  2.  The  members  of  die  visible  church  are  such  as  are  confederate 
in  particular  churches.  It  may  be  minded  that  we  are  here  speaking 
of  members,  so  stated  in  the  visible  church,  as  that  they  are  subjects  to 
whom  church  ordinances  may  regularly  be  administered,  and  that  accord- 
ing to  ordinary  dispensation.  For  were  it  granted,  that  "  the  Apostles 
and  Evangelists"  did  sometimes  baptise  such  as  were  not  members  of  any 
particular  church,  yet  their  extraordinary  office,  large  power  and  commis- 
sion renders  them  not  imitable  therein  by  ordinary  officers;  for  then  they 
might  baptise  in  private,  without  the  presence  of  a  Christian  assembly, 
as  Philip  did  the  Eunuch.  But  that,  in  ordinary  dispensation,  the  mem- 
bers of  the  visible  church,  according  to  the  Scripture,  are  such  as  are 
members  of  some  particular  church,  appears — ^1,  Because  the  visible 
believer  that  professedly  covenants  with  God  doth  therein  give  up  him- 
self to  wait  on  God  in  all  his  ordinances:  Deut.  xxvi.  17,  18;  Matt,  xxviii. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 

I  Id  20.  But  all  the  ordinances  of  God  are  to  be  enjoyed  only  in  a  partic- 
iliir  church.  For  how  often  do  we  find  in  the  Scripture  that  they  came 
i'to<^ther  into  one  place,"  (or  met  as  a  Congregational  particular  church) 
for  the  observation  and  enjoyme-t  of  the  ordinances? — Acts  ii.  1.  44.  46, 
and  iv.  31,  and  xi.  26,  and  xx.  7;  1  Cor.  v.  4,  and  xi.  18,  and  xx.  33, 
and  xiv.  23.  2,  The  Apostle  in  his  Epistles,  writing  to  saints  or  believers, 
writes  to  them  as  in  particular  churches:  1  Cor.  i.  2;  Eph.  i.  1;  Phil. 
i.  1;  Col.  i.  2.  And  when  the  story  of  the  Acts  speaks  of  disciples, 
other  places  show  that  those  are  understood  to  be  members  of  jiurtic- 
ular  churches:  Acts  xviii.  23,  with  Gal.  i.  2;  Acts  xxi.  16,  with  xviil 
22,  and  xi.  26,  and  xiv.  22,  23.  27,  28.  All  which  shows  that  the 
Scripture  acknowledgeth  no  settled  orderly  estate  of  visible  believers  in 
covenant  with  God,  but  only  in  particular  churches.  3,  The  members 
of  the  visible  church  are  disciples,  as  was  above  cleared.  Now,  disciples 
are  under  discipline,  and  liable  to  church  censures ;  for  they  are  stated 
subjects  of  Christ's  laws  and  governments:  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20;  but 
church  government  and  censures  are  extant  now  in  ordinary  dispensa- 
tion only  in  a  particular  church:  Matt,  xviii.  17;  1  Cor.  v.  4. 

Partic.  3.  The  in/ant-seed  of  confederate  visible  believers  are  also  members 
of  the  visible  church.  The  truth  of  this  is  also  evident  from  the  Scriptures 
and  the  reasons  following: 

ArgUM.  1.  The  covenant  of  Abraham^  as  to  the  substance  thereof  viz:  that 
whereby  God  declares  himself  to  be  the  God  of  the  faithful  and  their  seed, 
(Gen.  xvii.  7,)  continues  under  the  Gospel,  as  appears — 1,  Because  the 
believing  inchurched  Gentiles,  under  the  Niw  Testament,  do  stand  upon 
the  same  root  of  covenanting  Abraham;  which  the  Jews  v/ere  broken  off 
from:  (Rom.  xi.  16,  17,  18.)  2,  Because  Abraham  in  regard  of  that 
covenant  was  made  "a  father  of  many  nations,"  (Gen.  xvii.  4,  5,)  even  of 
Gentiles  as  well  as  Jews,  under  Miv  Testament  as  well  as  Old;  (Rom.  iv. 
16, 17;  Gal.  iii.  29,)  i.  e.  in  Abraham  as  a  Pattern  and  root,  God  not  only 
sheweth  how  he  justifies  the  believer,  (Gal.  iii.  6.  9;  Rom.  iv.)  but  also 
conveyed  that  covenant  to  the  faith,  and  their  seed  in  all  nations:  (Luke 
six.  9.)  If  a  son  of  Abraham,  then  salvation — i.  e.  the  covenant-dispensa- 
tion of  salvation — is  "come  to  this  house."  3,  As  that  covenant  was 
oommunicated  to  proselyte  Gentiles  under  the  New  Testament,  so  its 
communication  to  the  inchurched  Gentiles  under  the  New  Testament  is 
clearly  held  forth  in  diverse  places:  (Gal.  iii.  14.)  The  blessing  of  Abra- 
ham compriselh  both  the  internal  benefits  of  justification  by  faith,  &c., 
which  the  Apostle  is  there  treating  of,  and  the  external  dispensation  of 
grace  in  the  visible  church  to  the  faithful  and  their  seed,  (Gen.  xxviii.  4,) 
hut  the  whole  blessing  of  Abraham  (and  so  the  whole  covenant)  is  come 
upon  the  Gentiles  thro'  Jesus  Christ:  Eph.  ii.  12.  19.  They  had  been 
strangers,  but  now  were  no  more  strangers  from  the  covenants  of  grace, 
which  had  often  been  renewed,  especially  with  Abraham  and  the  house 


'  'Mm- 


284 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


of  Israel,  and  had  been  in  the  external  dispensation  of  it,  their  peculiar 
portion,  so  that  the  Ephesians,  who  were  afar  off,  being  now  called  and 
made  nigh,  (ver.  13.  17,)  they  have  the  promise  or  the  covenant  of 
promise  to  them  and  to  their  children,  according  to  Acts  ii.  89,  and  so  are 
Partakers  of  that  covenant  of  Abraham,  that  we  are  speaking  of:  Eph. 
iii.  6.  The  inchurched  Gentiles  are  put  into  the  same  inheritance  for 
substance,  (both  as  to  invisible  and  visible  benefits,  according  to  their 
respective  conditions)  are  of  the  same  body,  and  partakers  of  the  same 
promise  with  the  Jews,  the  children  of  Abraham,  of  old.  The  same  may 
be  gathered  from  Gren.  ix.  27;  Mat.  viii.  11,  and  xxi.  43.  4,  Sundry 
Scriptures  which  extend  to  gospel-times  do  confirm  the  same  interest  to 
the  seed  of  the  faithful  which  is  held  forth  in  the  covenant  of  Abraham 
and  consequently  do  confirm  the  continuance  of  that  covenant,  as  Exod. 
XX.  6,  there  in  the  sanctions  of  a  moral  and  perpetual  commandment,  and 
that  respecting  ordinances,  the  portion  of  the  Church,  God  declareth  him- 
self to  be  a  God  of  mercy  to  them  that  love  him,  and  to  their  seed  after 
them  in  their  generations,  consonant  to  Gen.  xvii.  7:  compare  herewith 
Psalm  cv.  8,  9,  and  Deut.  vii.  9;  Deut.  xxx.  6.  The  grace  signified  by 
circumcision  is  there  promised  to  parents  and  children,  importing  the 
covenant  to  both,  which  circumcision  sealed.  Gen.  xvii.,  and  that  is  a 
gospel  promise,  as  the  Apostles,  citing  part  of  that  context,  as  the  voice 
of  the  gospel,  shews  Bom.  x.  6.  8,  with  Deut.  xx.  11.  14,  and  it  reacheth 
to  the  Jews  in  the  latter  days,  ver.  1.  5:  Isa.  Ixv.  23.  In  the  most  glo- 
rious gospel  state  of  the  church,  ver.  17.  19.  The  blessing  of  the  Lord  is 
the  promised  portion  of  the  offspring  or  children,  as  well  as  of  the  faithful 
parents,  so  Isa.  xxxiv.  40. 21 ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  25,  26.  At  the  future  calling 
of  the  Jews,  which  those  texts  have  reference  (Rom.  xi.  26;  Ezek.  xxxvii. 
19.  22,  23,  24,)  their  children  shall  be  under  the  promise  or  covenant  of 
special  grace  to  be  conveyed  to  them  in  the  ordinances,  (Isa.  lix.  21,)  and 
be  subjects  of  David,  i.  e.  Christ  their  king,  (Ezek.  xxxvii.  25,)  and  have 
a  portion  in  his  sanctuary,  ver.  26,  and  this  according  to  the  tenor  of  the 
ancient  covenant  of  Abraham,  whereby  God  will  be  their  God  (viz:  both 
of  parents  and  children)  "and  they  shall  be  his  people,"  ver.  26,  27. 
Now,  altho'  more  abundant  fruits  of  the  covenant  may  be  seen  in  those 
times,  and  the  Jews  then  may  have  more  abundant  grace  given  to  the 
body  of  them  to  continue  in  the  covenant,  yet  the  tenor  and  frame  of  the 
covenant  it  self  is  one  and  the  same  both  to  Jews  and  Gentiles  under  the 
New  Testament:  Gal.  iii.  28;  Col.  iii.  11;  Heb.  viii.  10.  "The  house  of 
Israel,"  i.  e.  the  church  of  God,  both  among  Jews  and  Gentiles,  under  the 
New  Testament,  have  that  covenant  made  with  them,  the  sum  whereof  is, 
"  I  will  be  their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people,"  which  is  a  renewing 
of  that  covenant  of  Abraham  in  Gen.  xvii.  (as  the  same  is  very  often 
over  in  those  terms  renewed  in  Scripture,  and  is  distinguished  from 
the  law:  Gal.  iii.  16,  17;  Heb.  viii.  9,  wherein  is  implied  God's  being 


iv.  16;  Heb.  vi.  1 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


285 


"a  God  to  the  seed,"  as  well  as  parents,  and  taking  both  to  be  his  jjeopfe, 
tho'  it  be  not  expressed;  even  as  it  is  often  plainly  implied  in  that 
expression  of  the  covenant  in  other  places  of  Scripture:  Deut.  xxix.  13; 
Jer.  xxxi.  1,  and  xxxii.  88,  89,  and  xxx.  22.  20;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  27.  25. 
Also,  the  "  writing  of  the  law  in  the  heart,"  in  Heb.  viii.  10,  is  that  heart 
circumcision,  which  (Deut.  xxx.  6,)  extends  both  to  parents  and  seed. 
And  the  term  "house  of  Israel"  doth,  according  to  Scripture  use,  fitly 
express  and  take  in  (especially  as  to  the  eternal  administration  of  the 
covenant)  both  parents  and  children ;  among  both  which  are  found  that 
elect  and  saved  number  that  make  up  the  invisible  Israel:  compare  Jer. 
xiii.  11,  and  ix.  26;  Isaiah  v.  7;  Hos.  i.  6;  Ezek.  xxxix.  25.  Neither 
may  we  exclude  the  "least  in  age"  from  the  good  of  that  promise,  (Heb. 
viii.  11,)  (they  being  sometimes  pointed  to  by  that  phrase,  "from  the  least 
to  the  greatest,"  Jer.  xliv.  12,  with  ver.  7,)  no  more  than  the  least  in  other 
respects:  compare  Isaiah  liv.  18.  In  Acts  ii.  89,  at  the  passing  of  those 
Jews  into  New  Testament  Church-state,  the  Lord  is  so  far  from  "  repeal- 
ing the  covenant  interest"  that  was  granted  unto  children  in  the  former 
testament,  or  from  making  the  children  there  losers  by  their  parents'  faith, 
that  he  doth  expressly  renew  the  old  grant,  and  tells  them  that  the  prom- 
ise or  covenant  (for  the  promise  and  the  covenant  are  terms  that  do  mutu- 
ally infer  each  other:  compare  Acts  iii.  25;  Gal.  iii.  16,  17,  18.  29;  Rom. 
iv.  16;  Heb.  vi.  17,)  "is  to  them  and  their  children,"  the  same  is  asserted 
to  be  the  appointed  portion  of  the  far  off  Gentiles,  when  they  should  be 
called.  By  all  which  it  appears  that  the  "covenant  of  Abraham,"  (Gen. 
xvii.  7,)  whereby  "God  is  the  God  of  the  faithful  and  their  seed,"  con- 
tinues under  the  Gospel.  Now,  if  the  seed  of  the  faithful  be  still  in  the 
covenant  of  Abraham,  then  they  are  "members  of  the  visible  church." 
1,  Because  that  covenant  of  Abraham  (Gen.  xvii.  7,)  was  properly  church 
covenant,  or  "the  covenant  which  God  makes  with  his  visible  church," 
I.  e,  the  covenant  of  grace  considered  in  the  external  dispensation  ct  it, 
and  in  the  promises  and  privilcdgcs  that  belong  to  that  dispensut!'.)ii. 
For  many  were  taken  into  that  covenant,  that  were  never  of  the  invisible 
church,  and  by  that  covenant  the  family  of  Abraham,  as  also  by  the 
renewing  thereof  the  house  of  Israel  afterwards,  were  established  the 
visible  church  of  God,  (Gen.  xvii.,  and  Deut.  xxix.  12,  13,)  and  from  that 
covenant  men  might  be  broken  off,  (Gen.  xvii.  14;  Rom.  xi.  17.  19,)  and 
to  that  covenant,  circumcision,  the  badge  of  church-membership,  was 
annexed.  Therefore  the  covenantees  therein  were  and  are  church-mem- 
bers. 2,  Because  in  that  covenant  the  seed  arc  spoken  of  in  terms  de- 
scribing or  inferring  church-membership,  as  well  as  their  parents;  for 
'liey  "have  God  for  their  God"  and  are  "his  people"  as  well  as  the 
I'arants,  (Gen.  xvii.  7,  8,  with  Deut.  xxix.  11.  13.)  Tliey  have  the  cove- 
nant made  with  thern,  (Deut.  xxix  14,  16,)  and  the  covenant  is  said  to  be 
"between  God  and  them,"  ("between  me  and  thee,  and  between  thy  seed 


■I''     I 


§m 


MAGNALIA    GURISTI    AUERICANA; 


after  thee;"  so  the  Hebrew  runs,) — Gen.  xvii.  7.  They  are  also  in  that 
covenant  appointed  to  be  the  subjects  of  the  "initiatory  seal"  of  the  covu- 
nant,  the  seal  of  membership,  ^Gen.  xvii.  9,  10,  11.  Therefore  the  seed 
are,  according  to  that  covenant,  members  of  the  visible  church  as  well  xj 
their  parents. 

Argum.  2.  Such  seed  or  children  are  federally  holy — 1  Cor.  vii.  14.  The 
word  [Holy]  as  applied  to  any  sort  of  persons,  is  never  in  Scripture  used 
in  a  lower  sense  than  for  federal  or  covenant  holiness,  (the  covenant  holiness 
of  the  visible  church,)  but  very  often  in  that  sense:  Ezr.  ix.  2;  Deut  vii. 
6,  and  xiv.  2.  21,  and  xxvi.  19,  and  xxviii.  9;  Exod.  xix.  6;  Dan.  viii.  24 
and  xii.  7;  Rom.  xi.  16.  So  that  to  say,  they  are  holy  in  this  sense — viz: 
by  covenant  relation  and  separation  to  God  in  his  church — is  as  much  as 
to  say,  "They  are  in  the  covenant  of  the  visible  church,  or  members  of  it." 

Argum.  3.  From  Mark  x.  14,  15,  16;  Matt.  xix.  14:  Children's  mem- 
bership in  the  visible  church  is  either  the  next  and  immediate  sense  of 
those  words  of  Christ,  "of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven;"  and  so  "the 
kingdom  of  heaven"  or  "of  God,"  is,  not  rarely,  used  in  other  Scriptures 
to  express  the  visible  church,  or  church  estate:  Matth.  xxv.  1,  and  xxi. 
43,  and  viii.  11,  12,  or  it  evidently  follows  from  any  other  sense  that  can 
rationally  be  given  of  the  words.  For  those  may  not  be  denied  a  place  or 
portion  in  the  visible  church,  whom  Christ  affirms  to  have  a  portion  in  the 
kingdom  either  of  invisible  grace  or  of  eternal  glory :  Nor  do  any  in  ordi- 
nary course  pass  into  the  kingdom  of  glory  hereafter,  but  thro'  the  king- 
dom of  grace  in  the  visible  church  here.  And  also,  that  Christ,  there, 
graciously  invites  and  calls  little  children  to  him,  is  greatly  displeased 
with  those  that  would  hinder  them,  asserts  them,  notwithstanding  their 
infancy,  to  be  exemplary  in  their  receiving  the  kingdom  of  God,  enibraceth 
them  in  his  arms  and  blesseth  them:  all  which  shews  Christ's  dear  attic- 
tion  to,  and  owning  of  the  children  of  the  church,  as  a  part  of  his  kingdom; 
whom  we,  therefore,  may  not  disown,  lest  wo  incur  his  displeasure,  as 
the  disciples  did. 

Argum.  4.  Such  seed  or  children  are  disciples,  according  to  Mattli. 
xxviii.  19,  as  appears — 1,  Because  subjects  of  Christ's  kingdom  are  equiv- 
alent with  disciples  there,  as  the  frame  of  that  text  shews,  ver.  18, 19, 20, 
but  such  children  are  subjects  of  Christ's  kingdom,  or  "of  the  kingdom 
of  heaven,"  Matth.  xix.  14.  In  the  disciplining  of  all  nations  intended  in 
Matth.  xxviii.  19,  "the  kingdom  of  God,"  which  had  been  the  portion  of 
the  Jews,  was  communicated  to  the  Gentiles,  according  to  Matth.  xxi.  43. 
But  in  the  kingdom  of  God  these  children  have  an  interest  or  portion; 
Mark  x.  14.  2,  The  apostles,  in  accomplishing  that  commission,  (Mattli. 
xxviii.  19,)  did  disciple  some  children,  viz:  the  children  of  discipledl 
parents:  Acts  ii.  89,  and  xv.  10.  They  are  there  called  and  accounted 
disciples,  whom  the  false  teachers  would  have  brought  under  the  yoke  of 
circumcision  after  the  manner  of  Moses,  ver.  1.  4.    But  many  of  thee 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT   OF   i7£W-£N0LAND. 


287 


were  children:  Exod.  xii.  48;  Acts  xxi.  21.  Lydia  and  her  household, 
the  jaylor  and  all  his,  were  discipled  and  baptized:  Acts  xvi.  15.  81.  88. 
Paul  at  Corinth  took  in  the  children  into  the  holy  school  of  Christ:  1 
Cor.  vii.  14.  8,  Such  children  belong  unto  Christ;  for  he  calls  them  unto 
him,  as  his,  to  receive  his  blessing:  Mark  x.  18. 16.  They  are  to  be 
received  in  his  name:  Mark  ix.  87;  Luke  ix.  48.  They  have  a  part  in 
the  Lord,  (Josh.  xxii.  24,  25;)  therefore  they  are  his  disciples:  for  to 
belong  to  Christ,  is  to  be  a  disciple  of  Christ,  (Mark  ix.  41,  with  Matth.  x. 
42.)  Now,  if  they  be  disciples,  then  they  are  members  of  the  visible 
church,  as  from  the  equivalency  of  those  terms  was  before  shewed. 

Abgum.  5.  The  whole  eurrenC  and  harmony  of  Scripture  shews,  that  ever 
since  there  was  a  visible  church  on  earth,  the  children  thereof  have  by  tJie  Lord's 
appointment  been  a  part  of  it.   So  it  was  in  the  Old,  and  it  is  and  shall  be  so 
in  the  New  Testament.     "Eve,  the  mother  of  all  living,"  hath  a  promise 
made,  (Gen.  iii.  15,)  not  only  of  Christ  the  head-see  .1,  but  thro'  him  also  of 
a  church-seed,  to  proceed  from  her  in  a  continued  lineal  succession,  which 
should  continually  be  at  visible  enmity  with,  and  stand  at  a  distance,  or 
be  separated  from  the  seed  of  the  serpent.    Under  that  promise,  made  to 
Eve  and  her  seed,  the  children  of  Adam  are  born,  and  are  a  part  of  the 
church  in  Adam's  family;  even  Cain  was  so,  (Gen.  iv.  1.  3,)  till  "cast  out 
of  the  presence  of  God,"  therein,  (ver.  14)  being  now  manifestly  one  of 
the  seed  of  the  serpent,  (1  John  iii.  12,)  and  so  becoming  the  father  of  a 
wicked  unchurched  race.    But,  then  God  appointed  unto  Eve  another, 
viz:  Seth,  in  whom  to  continue  the  line  of  her  church-seed,  (Gen.  iv.  25.) 
How  it  did  continue  in  his  seed  in  their  generations.  Gen.  v.  sheweth. 
Hence  the  children  of  the  church  are  called  "sons  of  God,"  (which  is  as 
much  as  members  of  the  visible  church)  in  contradistinction  to  the  daugh- 
ters of  men,  (Gen.  vi.  2.)    If  righteous  Noah  be  taken  into  the  ark  (then 
the  only  preserving  place  of  the  church)  his  children  are  taken  in  with 
him,  (Gen.  vii.  1,)  tho'  one  of  them,  viz:  Ham,  after  proved  degenerate 
and  wicked ;  but  till  he  so  appears,  he  is  continued  in  the  church  with  his 
brethren.    So  (Gen.  ix.  25,  26,  27,)  as  the  race  of  Ham  or  his  son  Canaan 
(parents  and  children)  are  cursed ;  so  Shem  (parent  and  children)  is  blessed, 
and  continued  in  the  place  of  blessing,  the  church,  as  Japhet  also,  or  Japhet'? 
posterity  (still  parent  and  children)  shall  in  time  be  brought  in.    The  holy 
line  mentioned  in  Gen.  xi.  10.  26,  shews  how  the  church  continued  in 
"the  seed  of  Shem,"  from  him  unto  Abraham.    When  that  race  grew 
degenerate,  (Josh.  xxiv.  2,)  then  God  called  Abraham  out  of  his  country, 
and  from  his  kindred,  and  "established  his  covenant  with  him,"  which 
still  took  in  parents  and  children,  (Gen.  xvii.  7.  9,)  so  it  did  after  in  the 
house  of  Israel,  (Deut.  xxix.  11,  12,  13,)  and  when  any  eminent  restora- 
tion or  establishment  is  promised  to  the  church,  the  children  thereof  are 
still  taken  in  as  sharers  in  the  same:  Psal.  cii.  16.  23,  and  Ixix.  85,  86; 
Jer.  xxxii.  88,  39;  Isa.  Ixv.  18,  19.  23.    Now,  when  Christ  eomes  to  sot 


288 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMSBICANA; 


up  the  gospel  administration  of  his  church  in  the  New  Testament,  uudcr 
the  term  of  the  "King  of  Heaven,  (Mat  viii.  2,  and  xi.  11,)  he  is  so 
far  from  taking  away  children's  portion  and  mentbcrship  thervin,  that 
himself  asserts  it,  Mat.  xix.  14:  the  children  of  the  Qentilc,  but  now 
believing  Corinthians,  are  holy :  1  Cor.  vii.  14.  The  apostle,  writing  to  the 
church  of  Ephesus  and  Colosse,  speaks  to  children  as  a  {^ut  thcixH^f: 
Eph.  vi.  1 ;  Col.  iii.  20.  The  inchurched  Bomans  and  other  Gentiles  stand 
on  the  "root  of  covenanting  Abraham,"  and  in  the  olim  or  visible  church 
they  and  their  children,  till  broken  off  (as  the  Jews  were)  by  positive 
unbelief,  or  rejection  of  Christ,  his  truth  or  government:  Kom.  xi.  18. 16 
17.  22.  The  children  of  the  Jews,  when  they  shall  be  called,  shall  be  as 
aforetime  in  church-estate,  (Jer.  xxx.  20,  with  xxxi.  1;  Esek,  xxxvii. 
25.  28,)  from  all  which  it  appears  that  the  series,  or  whole  fVame  and 
current  of  Scripture  expressions,  doth  hold  forth  "the  continuance  of 
children's  membership  in  the  visible  church,"  from  the  beginning  to  the 
end  of  the  world. 

Partic.  4.  The  seed  or  children^  who  become  members  togrthtr  with  (heir 
parents  {ie.hy  means  of  their  parents  covenanting)  (tre  chUdrfn  in  minorify. 
This  appears — 1,  Because  such  children  are  holy  by  their  parents  con'c* 
nanting,  who  would  "else  be  unclean,"  (1  Cor.  vii.  14,)  but  they  would  not 
else  necessarily  be  unclean,  if  they  were  adult:  for  then  they  might  act  for 
themselves,  and  so  be  holy  by  their  personal  covenanting;  neither,  on  the 
other  hand,  would  they  necessarily  be  holy,  if  adult,  (as  he  assorts  the 
children  there  to  be,)  for  they  might  continue  Pa-jtins.  Thoroforo  the 
apostle  intends  only  infants,  or  children  in  minority.  2,  It  is  a  principle, 
that  carries  evidence  of  light  and  reason  with  it,  as  to  all  transactions, 
civil  and  ecclesiastical,  that  "if  a  man  be  of  ago,  he  should  answer  for 
himself:"  Joh.  ix.  21.  They  that  are  come  to  years  of  discretion,  so  as 
to  "have  knowledge  and  understanding"  fit  to  act  in  a  matter  of  that 
nature,  are  to  covenant  by  their  own  personal  act:  Neh.  x.  28,  2S>;  Isa. 
xliv.  5.  3.  They  that  are  regularly  taken  in  with  thoir  parents,  arc 
reputed  to  be  visible  "entertainers  of  the  covenant  and  avouohors  of  (uxl'' 
to  be  their  God:  Deut.  xxvi.  7.  18,  with  Deut.  xxix.  11, 12.  lint  if  adult 
children  should,  without  regard  to  their  own  personal  act,  be  taken  in 
with  their  parents,  then  some  might  be  reputed  "entertaitjors,"  that  are 
manifest  rejectors  of  the  covenant,  for  so  an  adult  son  or  daughter  of  a 
godly  parent  may  be. 

Partic.  5.  It  is  requisite  unto  tlie  membership  of  chihhrn,  (hat  the  wwl 
parents,  one  or  both,  being  in  a  covenant.  For  altho'  aftcr-gonenxtions  have 
no  small  benefit  by  their  pious  ancestors,  who  derive  federal  lu)liness  to 
their  succeeding  generations  in  case  they  keep  their  standing  in  the  cove- 
nant, and  be  not  apostates  from  it;  yet  tho^iV^^  of  ancestors  suflieeth  not, 
unless  the  next  parent  continue  in  covenant:  Kom.  xi.  22. 

1.  Because,  if  the  next  parent  be  cut  or  broken  off,  the  following  seed 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


289 


are  broken  off  also,  (Exod.  zx.  5;  Bom.  xi.  17.  19,  20,)  as  the  Gentile 
believing  parents  and  children  were  taken  in;  so  the  Jews,  parents  and 
children,  were  then  broken  off. 

2.  One  of  the  parents  must  be  a  believer,  or  "else  the  children  are 
andean:"  1  Cor.  vii.  14. 

3.  If  children  may  be  accounted  members,  and  baptised,  though  the 
next  parents  be  not  in  covenant,  then  the  church  should  be  bound  to  bap- 
tise those  whom  she  can  have  "no  power  over  nor  hope  concerning,"  to 
see  them  brought  in  the  true  Christian  religion,  and  under  the  ordinances; 
for  the  next  parents  being  wicked,  and  not  in  covenant,  may  carry  away 
and  bring  up  their  children  "to  serve  other  gods." 

4.  If  we  stop  not  at  the  next  parent,  but  grant  that  ancestors  may,  not- 
withstanding the  apostacy  of  the  next  parents,  convey  membership  unto 
children,  then  we  should  want  a  ground  where  to  stop,  and  then  all  the 
children  on  earth  should  have  right  to  membership  and  baptism. 

PiorosnrtoN  III. — The  Infant-Seed  of  Confederate  Visible  Believert,  are  Members  of  the  same 
Cf.MTch  u)ith  their  Parents,  and  when  grown  up  are  personally  under  the  watch,  discipline,  and 
gmeminent  of  that  Church. 

1.  That  they  are  members  of  the  same  church  with  their  parents 
appears — 1,  Because  so  were  Isaac  and  Ishmael  of  Abraham's  family- 
church,  and  the  children  of  Jews,  and  proselytes  of  Israel's  national  church: 
and  there  is  the  same  reason  for  children  now  to  be  of  the  same  Congrega- 
tional-church with  their  parents ;  Christ's  care  for  Children  and  the  scope 
of  the  covenant,  as  to  obligation  unto  order  and  government,  is  as  great 
now  as  then.  2,  Either  tBey  are  members  of  the  same  church  with  their 
parents,  or  of  some  other  church,  or  non-members:  but  neither  of  the  lat- 
ter; therefore  the  former.  That  they  are  not  non-members  was  before 
proved  in  Puopos.  II.,  Particul.  3 ;  and  if  not  memberd  of  the  same  church 
with  their  parents,  then  of  no  other.  For  if  there  be  not  reason  sufficient 
to  state  tliem  members  of  that  church,  where  their  parents  have  covenanted 
for  them,  and  where  ordinarily  they  are  baptised  and  do  inhabit,  then 
mucli  less  is  there  reason  to  make  them  members  of  any  other:  and  so 
they  will  be  members  of  no  particular  church  at  all,  and  it  was  before 
shewed  that  there  is  no  ordinary  and  orderly  standing  estate  of  church- 
members  but  in  some  particular  church.  3,  The  sam£  covenant-act  ii 
accounted  the  act  of  parent  and  child;  but  the  parent's  covenanting  rendered 
himself  a  member  of  that  particular  church ;  therefore  so  it  renders  the 
child  also.  How  can  children  come  in,  with  and  by  their  parents,  and 
yet  come  into  a  church  wherein  and  whereof  their  parents  are  not,  so  that 
as  they  should  be  of  qne  church,  and  their  parents  of  another?  4,  Chil- 
dren are  in  "an  orderly  and  regular  state;"  for  they  are  in  that  state 
wherein  the  order  of  God's  covenant,  and  his  institution  therein  hath 
placed  them ;  they  being  members  by  virtue  of  the  covenant  of  God.  To 
say  their  standing  is  disorderly,  would  be  to  impute  disorder  to  the  order 
Vol.  II.~19 


'■■'H 

11 

'il 

e^mK 

290 


MAGNALIA    CHSISTI    AMEBICANA; 


of  God's  covenant,  or  irregularity  to  the  rule.  Now,  all  will  grant  it  to 
be  most  orderly  and  regular,  that  every  Christian  be  a  member  in  some 
particular  church,  and  in  that  particular  church  where  his  regular  habita- 
tion is,  which  to  children  usually  is  where  their  parents  are.  If  the  rule 
call  them  to  remove,  then  their  membership  ought  orderly  to  be  translated 
to  the  church  whither  they  remove.  Again,  order  requires  that  the  child 
and  the  power  of  government  over  the  child  should  go  together.  It  would 
"bring  shame"  and  confusion  for  the  child  to  be  from  under  government, 
(Prov.  xxix.  15;)  and  parental  and  ecclesiastical  government  concurring, 
do  mutually  help  and  strengthen  each  other.  Hence  the  parent  and  the 
child  must  be  members  of  the  same  church,  unless  the  child  be  by  some 
special  providence  so  removed,  as  that  some  other  person  hath  the  power 
over  him. 

2.  That  when  these  children  are  grown  up,  they  are  personally  under  the 
watch,  discipline  and  government  of  that  church,  is  manifest;  for — 1,  Childrea 
were  under  patriarchal  and  Mosaical  discipline  of  old,  (Gen.  xviii.  19,  and 
xxi.  9,  10.  12 ;  Gal.  v.  3,)  and  therefore  under  Congregational  discipline 
now.  2,  They  are  within  the  church,  or  members  thereof,  (as  hath  been, 
and  after  will  be  further  proved)  and  therefore  subject  to  church  judicature 
(1  Cor.  V.  12.)  3,  They  are  disciples,  and  therefore  under  discipline  in 
Christ's  school,  (Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20.)  4,  They  are  "  in  church-covenant," 
and  therefore  subject  to  church-power,  (Gen.  xvii.  7,  with  chap,  xviii.  19.) 
5,  They  are  "subjects  of  the  kingdom  of  Christ,"  and  therefore  under  the 
laws  and  government  of  his  kingdom,  (Ezek.  xxxvii.  25,  26.)  6,  Baptism 
leaves  the  baptised  (of  which  number  these  chiWren  are)  in  a  state  of  sub- 
jection to  the  "authoritative  teaching"  of  Christ's  ministers,  and  to  the 
"observation  of  all  his  commandments,"  (Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20,)  and  therefore 
in  a  state  of  subjection  unto  discipline.  7,  Elders  are  charged  "to  take 
heed  unto,  and  to  feed,"  (that  is,  both  to  teach  and  rule,  compare  Ezek. 
xxxiv.  8,  4,)  "all  the  flock,"  or  church,  "over  which  the  Holy  Ghost  hath 
made  them  overseers,"  (Acts  xx.  28.)  That  children  are  a  part  of  the 
flock,  was  before  proved:  and  so  Paul  accounts  them,  writing  to  the  same 
flock  or  church  of  Ephesus,  (Eph.  vi.  1.  8,)  otherwise  irreligion  and  apos 
tacy  would  inevitably  break  into  churches,  and  no  church-way  left  by 
Christ  to  prevent  or  heal  the  same;  which  would  also  bring  many  church- 
members  under  that  dreadful  judgment  of  being  let  alone  in  their  wick- 
edness, (Hoz.  iv.  16,  17.) 

Profosition  IV. — Theie  Adult  Ptrnont  are  not  therefore  to  be  admitted  to  full  Communion, 
meerly  becauee  they  are  and  continue  Members,  without  tueh  further  Qualificatione  at  tht 
Word  of  God  requireth  unto. 

The  truth  hereof  is  plain — 1,  From  1  Cor.  xi.  28,  29,  where  it  is 
required  that  such  as  come  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  be  able  "  to  examine 
themselves,  and  to  discern  the  Lord's  body;"  else  they  will  "eat  and  drink 
unworthily,  and  eat  and  drink  damnation,"  or  judgment,  "to  themselves,'' 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


291 


when  they  partake  of  this  ordinance;  but  mere  membership  is  separable 
from  such  ability  to  examine  one's  self,  and  discern  the  Lord's  Body :  aa 
in  the  children  of  the  covenant  that  grow  up  to  years  is  too  often  seen. 
2,  In  the  Old  Testament,  though  men  did  continue  members  of  the 
church,  yet,  for  ceremonial  uncleanness,  they  were  to  be  kept  from  full 
communion  in  the  holy  things,  (Levit  vii.  20,  21 ;  Numb.  ix.  6,  7,  and 
six.  13.  20;)  yea,  and  the  priests  and  porters  in  the  Old  Testament  had 
special  charge  committed  to  them,  that  men  "should  not  partake  in  all  the 
holy  things,"  unless  duly  qualified  for  the  same,  notwithstanding  their 
membership,  (2  Chr.  xxiii.  19;  Ezek.  xxii.  26,  and  xliv.  7,  8,  9.  23;)  and 
therefore  much  more  in  these  times,  where  moral  fitness  and  spiritual 
qualifications  are  wanting,  membership  ahne  is  not  sufficient  for  full  com- 
mimion.  More  was  required  to  adult  persons  "eating  the  Passover,"  than 
mere  membership ;  therefore  so  there  is  now  to  the  Lord's  Supper. 

For  they  were  to  "eat  to  the  Lord,"  (Ex.  xii.  14,)  which  is  expounded 
in  2  Chro.  xxx.,  where  "keeping  the  Passover  to  the  Lord,"  (ver.  5,) 
imports  and  requires  exercising  repentance,  (ver.  6,  7,)  their  actual  giving 
up  themselves  to  the  Lord,  (ver.  8,)  "Heart  preparation"  for  it.  ^ver.  19,) 
and  holy  rejoycing  before  the  Lord,  (ver  21.  25.)  See  the  like  in  Ezra  vi. 
21,  22.  3,  Tho'  all  members  of  the  church  are  subjects  of  baptism,  they 
and  their  children,  yet  all  members  may  not  partake  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, as  is  further  manifest  from  the  different  nature  of  baptism  and  the 
Lord's  Supper.  Baptism  first  and  properly  seals  covenant-holiness;  as  cir- 
cumcision did  (Gen.  xvii.)  church-membership:  Rom.  xv.  8.  "Planting 
into  Christ,"  (Rom.  vi.)  and  so  members,  as  such,  are  the  subjects  of  bap- 
tism: Matt,  xxviii.  19.  But  the  Lord's  Supper  is  the  sacrament  of  "growth 
in  Christ,"  and  of  "special  communion"  with  him,  (1  Cor.  x.  16,)  which 
supposeth  "a  special  renewing  and  exercise"  of  faith  and  repentance,  in 
those  that  partake  of  that  ordinance.  Now,  if  persons,  even  when  adult, 
may  be  and  continue  members,  and  yet  be  debarred  from  tho  Lord's  Sup- 
per until  meet  qualifications  for  the  same  do  appear  in  them;  then  may 
they  also  (until  like  qualifications)  be  debarred  from  that  power  of  voting 
in  the  church,  which  pertains  to  males  in  full  communion.  It  seems  not 
ratioiml  that  those  who  are  not  themselves  fit  for  all  ordinances,  should 
have  such  an  influence  referring  to  all  ordinances,  as  voting  in  election  of 
officers,  admission  and  censures  of  members  doth  import.  For  how  can 
they,  that  are  not  able  to  examine  and  judge  themselves,  be  thought  able 
and  fit  to  discern  and  judge  in  the  weighty  affairs  of  the  house  of  God? — 
1  Cor.  xi.  28.  31,  with  1  Cor.  v.  12. 


..Jii'i 


MAONALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Pkoposition  v. — Chvrch-membera  who  were  admitted  in  minority,  underatatiding  the  doctrine 
of  Faith,  and  publickly  profesiing  their  assent  thereto;  not  Scandalous  in  life,  and  solemnly 
owning  the  Covenant  before  the  Church,  wherein  they  give  up  themselves  and  Children  to  the 
Lord,  and  subject  themselves  to  the  Government  of  Christ  in  the  Church,  their  Children  we 
to  be  Baptised. 

This  is  evident  from  the  arguments  following: 

Aug.  1.  These  children  are  partakers  of  that  which  is  the  main  ground  of 
baptising  any  children  whatsoever^  and  neither  the  parents  nor  the  children  do 
put  in  any  bar  to  hinder  it. 

1.  That  they  "partake  of  that  which  is  the  main  ground  of  baptisin<r 
any,"  is  clear;  because  interest  in  the  covenant  is  the  main  ground  of  title 
to  baptism,  and  this  these  children  have.  1,  "Interest  in  the  covenant  is 
the  main  ground  of  title  to  baptism ;"  for  so  in  the  Old  Testament  this 
was  the  ground  of  title  to  circumcision,  (Gen.  xvii.  7.  9,  10,  11,)  to  which 
baptism  now  answers,  (Col.  ii.  11,  12,  and  Acts  ii.  38,  39 ;)  they  are  on 
this  ground  exhorted  to  "be  baptised,"  because  "the  promise"  or  cove- 
nant "was  to  them,  and  to  their  children."  That  a  member,  or  one  in 
covenant,  as  such,  is  the  subject  of  baptism,  was  further  cleared  before 
Propos.  I.  2,  That  these  children  "have  interest  in  the  covenant" 
appears;  because  "if  the  parent  be  in  covenant,  the  child  is  also:"  for  the 
covenant  is  to  parents  and  "  their  seed  in  their  generations,"  (Gen.  xvii.  7. 
9,)  "the  promise  is  to  yo^^  and  to  your  children,"  (Acts  ii.  39.)  If  the 
parent  stands  in  the  church,  so  doth  the  child  among  the  Gentiles  now,  as 
well  as  among  the  Jews  of  old,  (Rom.  xi.  10.  20,  21,  22.)  It  is  unhciip] 
of  in  Scripture  that  the  progress  of  the  covenant  stops  at  the  infant-chilil. 
But  (he  parents  in  question  are  in  covenant,  ns  apjioars — 1,  Because  they 
were  once  in  covenant,  and  never  since  disoovenanted.  If  they  had  mt 
once  been  in  covenant,  they  had  not  warrantably  been  baptised;  and  they 
are  so  still,  except  in  some  way  of  (jod  they  have  been  disco vcnanted, 
cast  out,  or  cut  oft'  from  their  covenant  relation,  which  those  have  not 
been:  neither  are  persons  once  in  covenant,  "broken  oil'"  from  it,  accord- 
ing to  Scripture,  save  for  notorious  sin  and  incorrigiblenoss  therein,  (Uoni. 
xi.  20,)  which  is  not  the  ease  of  those  parents.  2,  Jk'cause  the  tenor  of 
the  covenant  is  "to  the  faithful,  and  their  seed  after  them,  in  their  gener- 
ations," (Gen.  xvii.  7,)  even  to  "a  thousand  generations,"  t.  c.  condition- 
ally, provided  that  the  parents  suecessively  do  continue  to  be  kcejjcrs  ( f 
the  covenant,  (Exod.  xx.  0;  Deut.  vii.  9.  11;  l\salm  cv.  8,)  which  the 
parents  in  question  are,  because  tliey  are  not  (in  Scripture  account  in  this 
case)  forsakers  or  rejecters  of  the  God  and  covenant  of  their  fathers;  siv 
Deut.  xxix.  25,  26;  2  Kings  xvii.  15,  20;  2  Chro.  vii.  22;  Deut.  vii.  K). 

2.  That  these  parents,  in  question,  "do  not  put  any  bar  to  liindir" 
their  children  from  bajttism,  is  plain  from  the  words  of  the  i)roi)().<i!iiiii. 
wherein  they  are  described  to  be  such  as  "understand  the  doetiiiuMil 
faith,  and  publickly  profess  their  assent  thereto:"  therefore,  they  put  not 


in  any  bar  of 
are  "not  scan 
church,"  theref 
or  apostacy  fro 
infant  childret 

Aro.  2.  Th« 
of  the  covenai 
"holy  or  unci 
out,"  (1  Cor.  v 
God  in  the  woi 
not  affirm  the 
granted,  infers 

Aug.  3.  To 
of  Christ  in  t 
Testament  tim 
than  were  the 
they  shall  bo  < 
tration;  contn 
application  of 
and  covenant, 
tion  in  the  co\ 
l\  10;  Job.  vi 
ti'.itory  seal  to 

Aug.  4.  Coi 
such,  are  to  li 
Baptist  and  t 
of  their  Chris 
believers,  at  h 
sundry  positiv 
nothing  evidei 
persons  in  the 
the  covenant ( 
of  grace  wrou 
shews.  Insta 
John  Baptist  i 
to  the  contra 
believers.  4, 
question  be)  i 
account  of  tri 
paints:  1  Cor. 
have  faith  an 
sealed  up  in  I 
testimony  for 
rily  follow,  th 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


293 


in  any  bar  of  gross  ignorance,  Atheism,  Heresie  or  Infidelity:  also,  they 
are  "not  scandalous  in  )'  but  solemnly  own  the  covenant,  before  the 
cliurch,"  therefore  they  ^  i  iot  in  any  bar  of  prophaneness,  or  wickedness, 
or  apostacy  from  the  covoiiiint,  whereinto  they  entred  in  minority:  that  the 
infant  children  in  question  do  themselves  put  any  bar,  none  will  imagine. 

Arg.  2.  The  children  of  the  parents  in  question,  are  either  "children 
of  the  covenant,"  or  "strangers  from  the  covenant,"  (Eph.  ii.  12,)  either 
"holy  or  unclean,"  (1  Cor.  vii.  14,)  either  "within"  the  church  or  "with- 
out," (1  Cor.  v.  12,)  either  such  as  "have  God  for  their  God"  or  "without 
God  in  the  world,"  (Eph.  ii.  12.)  But  he  that  considers  the  proposition  will 
not  affirm  the  latter  concerning  these  children;  and  the  former  being 
granted,  infers  their  right  to  baptism. 

Aug.  3.  To  deny  the  proposition  would  be — 1,  To  straiten  the  grace 
of  Christ  in  the  gospel  dispensation,  and  to  make  the  church  in  New 
Testament  times  in  a  worse  case,  relating  to  their  children  successively, 
than  were  the  Jews  of  old.  2,  To  render  the  children  of  the  Jews,  when 
they  shall  be  called,  in  a  worse  condition  than  under  the  legal  adminis- 
tration; contrary  to  Jcr.  xxx.  20;  E/.ek.  xxxvii.  25,  26.  3,  To  deny  the 
application  of  the  initiatory -seal  to  such  as  regularly  stand  in  the  church 
and  covenant,  to  whom  the  Mosaical  dispensation — nay,  the  first  institu- 
tion in  the  covenant  of  Abraham — appointed  it  to  be  applied:  Gen.  xvii. 
l\  10;  Joh.  vii.  22,  28.  4,  To  break  God's  covenant  by  denying  the  ini- 
tiatory seal  to  those  that  are  in  covenant:  Gen.  xvii.  9,  10.  14. 

Aug.  4.  Confederate  visible  believers,  tho'  but  in  the  lowest  degree 
such,  are  to  have  their  children  baptized;  witness  the  practice  of  John 
Baptist  and  the  apostles,  who  baptised  persons  upon  the  first  beginning 
of  their  Christianity.  But  the  parents  in  question  are  confederate  visible 
believers,  at  least  in  some  degree.  For — 1,  Charity  may  observe  in  them 
sundry  positive  arguments  for  it;  witness  the  terms  of  the  proposition,  and 
nothing  evident  against  it.  2,  Children  of  the  Godly,  qualified  but  as  the 
persons  in  the  proposition,  are.  said  to  be  faithful:  Tit.  i.  6.  3,  Children  of 
the  covenant  (as  the  parents  in  question  are)  have  frequently  the  begihning 
of  grace  wrought  in  them  in  younger  years,  as  Scripture  and  experience 
shews.  Instance,  Joseph,  Samuel,  David,  Solomon,  Abijah,  Josiah,  Daniel, 
John  Baptist  and  Timothy.  Hence  this  sort  of  persons,  showing  nothir  g 
to  the  contrary,  are  in  charity,  or  to  ecclesiastical  reputation,  visible 
believers.  4,  They  that  arc  regularly  in  the  church  (as  the  parents  in 
question  bo)  are  visible  saints  in  the  account  of  Scripture  (which  is  the 
account  of  truth);  for  the  church  is,  in  Scripture-account,  a  company  of 
saints:  1  Cor.  xiv.  83,  and  i.  2.  5,  Being  in  covenant  and  baptized,  they 
have  faith  and  rei)entai.  ;e  indejhntchj  given  to  them  in  the  promise,  and 
poulcd  up  in  baptism,  (Deut.  xxx.  (),)  which  continues  valid,  and  so  a  valid 
tostitnotiy  for  them  while  they  do  not  reject  it.  Yet  it  docs  not  necessa- 
rily follow,  that  these  persons  arc  immediately  fit  for  the  Lord's  Supper, 


'{h  V    \\ 


wi 


f,  fi 


M^ 


mm 


294 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


because,  tbo'  they  are,  in  a  latitude  of  expression,  to  be  accounted  visible 
believers,  or  in  Numero  Fidelium*  as  even  infants  in  covenant  are,  yet  they 
may  want  that  ability  to  examine  themselves,  and  that  special  exercise  of 
faith,  which  is  requisite  to  that  ordinance;  as  was  said  upon  Proposit,  IV. 
Abo.  5.  The  denial  of  baptism  to  Hie  children  mi  question,  JiatJi  a  dangerous 
tendency  to  irreligion  and  apostacy;  because  it  denies  them,  and  so  the 
children  of  the  church  successively,  "to  have  any  part  in  the  Lord;" 
which  is  the  way  to  make  them  "cease  from  fearing  the  Lord:"  Jos.  xxii. 
22.  24,  25.  27.    For  if  they  have  a  "part  in  the  Lord,"  i.  e.  a  portion  in 
Israel,  and  so  in  the  Lord  the  God  of  Israel,  then  they  are  in  the  church, 
or  members  of  it,  and  so  to  be  baptized,  according  to  Propos.  I.    The 
owning  of  the  children  of  those  that  successively  continue  in  covenant  to 
be  a  "part  of  the  church,"  is  so  far  from  being  destructive  to  the  purity 
and  prosperity  of  the  church  and  of  religion  therein,  (as  some  conceive,) 
that  this  imputation  belongs  to  the  contrary  tenet.     To  seek  to  be  moie 
pure  than  the  rule,  will  ever  end  in  impurity  in  the  issue.    God  hatli  so 
framed  his  covenant,  and  consequently  the  constitution  of  his  church 
thereby,  as  to  design  a  continuation  and  propagation  of  his  kingdom 
therein,  from  one  generation  to  another.    Hence  the  covenant  rung,  "to 
us,  and  to  our  seed  after  us  in  their  generations."    To  keep  in  the  line, 
and  under  the  influence  and  efficacy  of  this  covenant  of  God,  is  the  true 
way  to  the  church's  glory :  to  cut  it  off  and  disavow  it,  cuts  off  the  pos- 
terity of  Zion,  and  hinders  it  from  being  (as  in  the  most  glorious  times  it 
shall  be)  "an  eternal  excellency  and  the  joy  of  many  generations."    Thia 
progress  of  the  covenant  establisheth  the  church :  Deut.  xxix.  13 ;  Jer. 
XXX.  20.     The  contrary  therefore  doth  disestablish  it.     This  obligeth  and 
advantageth  to  the  conveyance  of  religion  down  to  after  generations;  the 
care  whereof  is  strictly  commanded,  and  highly  approved  by  the  Lord: 
Psalm  Ixxviii.  4,  5,  6,  7;  Gen.  xviii.  19.    This  continues  a  nursery  still 
in  Christ's  orchard  or  vineyard,  (Isa.  v.  1.  7 ;)  the  contrary  neglects  that, 
and  so  lets  the  whole  run  to  ruine.    Surely,  God  was  an  holy  God,  and 
loved  the  purity  and  glory  of  the  church  in  the  Old  Testament:  but  when 
he  went  in  this  way  of  a  successive  proj/ress  of  the  covenant  to  that  end: 
Jer.  xiii.  11.    If  some  did  then,  or  do  now,  decline  to  unbelief  and  apos- 
tacy, that  doth  not  make  "the  faith  of  God"  in  his  covenant  "of  none 
effect,"  or  the  advantage  of  interest  therein,  inconsiderable;  yea,  the  more 
holy,  reforming  and  glorious  that  the  times  are,  or  shall  be,  the  more 
eminently  is  successive  continuation  and  propagation  of  the  church  therein 
designed,  promised  and  intended:  Isa.  Ix.  15,  and  lix.  21;  Ezok.  xxxvii. 
25.  28;  Psalm  cii.  16.  28;  Jer.  xxxii.  39. 

Aro.  6.  The  parents,  in  question,  are  personal,  immediate,  and  yet  continu- 
ing members  of  the  church. 

1.  That  they  are  personal  members,  or  members  in  their  own  persons, 

•  On  the  lilt  or  the  (UthfUI. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


295 


appears — 1,  Because  they  are  personally  holy,  (1  Cor.  vii.  14.)  not  parents 
only,  but  [your  children]  are  holy.  2,  They  are  personally  baptized,  or 
have  bad  baptism,  the  seal  of  membership,  applied  to  their  own  persons; 
which  being  regularly  done,  is  a  divine  testimony  that  they  are  in  their 
own  persons  members  of  the  church.  3,  They  are  personally  under  dis- 
cipline, and  liable  to  church  censures  in  their  own  persons;  vide  Propos. 
III.  4,  They  are  personally  (by  means  of  the  covenant)  in  a  visible  state 
of  salvation.  To  say  they  are  not  members  in  their  own  persons,  but  in 
their  own  parents,  would  be  as  if  one  should  say,  they  are  saved  in  their 
parents,  and  not  in  their  persons.  5,  When  they  commit  iniquity,  they 
personally  break  the  covenant;  therefore  are  personally  in  it:  Jerem.  xi. 
2. 10;  Ezek.  xvi. 

2.  By  the  like  reasons,  it  appears,  that  children  are  immediate  members, 
as  to  the  essence  of  membership,  (i.  e.  that  they  themselves,  in  their  own 
persons,  are  the  in-imediate  subjects  of  this  adjunct  of  church-member- 
ship,) though  they  come  to  it  by  means  of  their  parents'  covenanting.  For 
as  touching  that  distinction  of  mediate  and  immediate,  as  applied  to  mem- 
bership, (which  some  urge)  we  are  to  distinguish — 1,  Between  the  efficient 
and  essence  of  membership.  2,  Between  the  instrumental  efficient,  or 
means  thereof,  which  is  the  parents^  profession  and  covenanting;  and  the 
principal  efficient,  which  is  divine  institution.  They  may  be  said  to  be 
mediate  (or  rather  mediately)  members,  as  they  become  members  by  means 
of  their  parents'  covenanting,  as  an  instrumental  cause  thereof:  but  that 
doth  nothing  vary  or  diminish  the  essence  of  their  membership.  For  divine 
institution  giveth  or  granteth  a  real  and  personal  membership  unto  them, 
as  well  as  unto  their  parents,  and  maketh  the  parent  a  publick  person,  and 
so  his  act  theirs  to  that  end.  Hence  the  essence  of  membership,  that  is, 
"covenant-interest,  or  a  place  and  portion  within  the  visible  church,"  is 
really,  properly,  personally  and  immediately  the  portion  of  the  child,  by 
divine  gift  and  grant,  (Jos.  xxii.  25.  27;)  HiiQit  children  "have  a  part  in  the 
Lord,"  as  well  as  themselves.  "A  part  in  the  Lord,"  there,  and  "church 
membership"  (or  "membership  in  Israel")  are  terms  equivalent.  Now 
"the  children"  there,  and  "a  part  in  the  Lord,"  are  sxibject  and  adjunct, 
which  nothing  comes  between,  80  as  to  sever  the  adjunct  from  the  subject; 
therefore  they  are  immediate  subjects  of  that  adjunct  of  immediate  members. 
Again,  their  visible  ingrafting  into  Christ  the  head,  and  so  into  the  church 
his  body,  is  sealed  in  their  baptism.:  but,  in  ingrafting,  nothing  comes 
betwixt  the  graft  and  the  stock:  their  union  is  immediate;  hence  they  are 
immediately  inserted  into  the  visible  church,  or  immediate  members 
thereof.  The  "little  children"  in  Deut.  xxix.  11,  were  personally  and 
immediately  a  part  of  the  "  people  of  God,"  or  members  of  the  church  of 
Israel,  as  well  as  their  parents.  To  be  in  covenant,  or  to  be  a  covenantee 
is  the  formalis  ^atio^  of  a  church  member.    If  one  come  to  bo  in  covenant 

*  Funn«l  reqalilte. 


! .  f  ■ : 


S-1 


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t )  .ill 


296 


MAQNALIA    GHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


one  way,  and  '^'"  other  in  another,  but  both  are  in  covenant  or  covenantees 
(i.  e.  parties  ^,nth  whom  the  covenant  is  made,  and  whom  God  takes  into 
covenant)  as  children  here  are,  (Gen.  xvii.  7,  8,)  then  both  are  in  their 
own  persons  the  immediate  subjects  of  the  formalis  ratio  of  membership, 
and  so  immediate  members.  To  act  in  covenanting  is  but  the  instrumental 
means  of  membership,  and  yet  children  are  not  without  this  neither.  For 
the  act  of  the  parent  (their  publick  person)  is  accounted  theirs,  and  they 
are  said  to  "enter  into  covenant:"  Deut.  xxix.  11,  12.  So  that  what  is  it 
that  children  want  unto  an  actual,  compleat,  proper,  absolute  and  imme- 
diate membership — so  far  as  these  terms  may  with  any  propriety  or  per- 
tinency be  applied  to  the  matter  in  hand?  Is  it  covenant-mterest,  which  is 
the/ormaZ««ra<w  of  membership?  No;  they  are  in  covenant.  Is  it  Divine 
grant  and  institution,  which  is  the  principal  efficient?  No;  he  hath  clearly 
declared  himself  that  he  grants  unto  the  children  of  his  people  a  portion 
in  his  church,  and  appoints  them  to  be  members  thereof  Is  it  an  act  of 
covenanting^  which  is  the  instrumental  means?  No;  they  have  this  also 
reputatively  by  divine  appointment,  making  the  parent  a  publick  person 
and  accounting  them  to  covenant  in  his  covenanting.  A  different  manner 
and  means  of  conveying  the  covenant  to  us,  or  of  making  us  members, 
doth  not  make  a  different  sort  of  the  membership :  we  now  are  as  truly 
personally  and  immediate  members  of  the  body  of  fallen  mankind,  and, 
by  nature,  heirs  of  the  condemnation  pertaining  thereto,  as  Adam  was, 
though  he  came  to  be  so  by  his  own  personal  act,  and  we  by  the  act  of  our 
publick  person.  If  a  prince  give  such  lands  to  a  man  and  his  heirs  suc- 
cessively, while  they  continue  loyal,  the  following  heir  is  a  true  and 
immediate  owner  of  that  land,  and  may  be  personally  disinherited,  if  dis- 
loyal, as  well  as  his  father  before  him.  A  member  is  one  that  is,  according 
to  rule,  (or  according  to  divine  institution)  within  the  visible  cluuch. 
Thus  the  child  is  properly  and  personally,  or  immediately.  Paul  casts  all 
men  into  two  sorts,  those  within  and  those  without — i.  e.  Members  and 
non-members:  1  Cor.  v.  12.  It  seems  he  knew  of  no  such  distinction  of 
mediate  and  immediate  as  puts  a  medium  between  these  two  objects.  If 
children  be  compleat  and  immediate  members,  as  their  parents  are,  then 
they  shall  immediately  have  all  church  privileges,  as  their  parents  have, 
without  any  further  act  or  qualification. — Answ.  It  follows  not.  All  privi- 
leges that  belong  to  members,  as  such,  do  belong  to  the  children  as  well 
as  the  parents:  but  all  church  privileges  do  not  so.  A  member  as  such 
(or  all  members)  may  not  partake  of  all  privileges;  but  they  are  to  make 
progress,  both  in  memberly  duties  and  privileges,  as  their  age,  capacity 
and  qualifications  do  fit  them  for  the  same. 

8.  That  their  membership  still  continues  in  adult  age,  and  ceasotli  not 
with  their  infancy,  appears — 1,  Because  in  Scripture,  persons  are  "bnkon 
off"  only  for  notorious  sin,  or  incorrigible  imponitcncy  and  unbelief,  not 
for  growing  up  to  adult  ago:  Rom.  xi.  20.     2,  I'hc  Jew  children  circmiciacd 


did  not  cease  tc 
and  were  by  vi 
various  duties, 
pertained  to  ad 
hut  as  making 
16,  17,  with  G 
which  the  Scri 
church  (by  Lev 
cease  with  infai 
that  one  specia 
under  engagem 
grown  up,  whei 
is  no  ordinary 
excommunicati( 
of  the  persons  i 
non-members : 
sealed  by  baptii 
whereof  he  wa 
church,  and  of  1 
Now,  if  the  par 
hx  now  the  roo 
Cor.  vii.  14.    T 
xvii.  7 ;)  and  if 
subject  of  bapti 

Proposition  VI. — Si 
idence,  have  been 
Church  cause,  in  j 
bttH  called  thereu 

TUIS  MANIFI 

child  to  privilej 
cnant  carrying 
covenant,  i.  e.  v 
and  covenant,  t 
being  distinct  f 
notwithstandinj 
bers,  then  subjt 
is  required  in  t 
is  not  to  be  im] 
8,  God  reckon( 
ft'Si  desire  and 
David  to  build 
his  son,  (Heb. 
is  a  willing  mil 
according  to  w 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


297 


did  not  ceas€  to  be  members  by  growing  up,  but  continued  in  the  cliurch, 
and  were  by  virtue  of  their  membership,  received  in  infancy,  bound  unto 
various  duties,  and  in  special  unto  those  solemn  personal  professions  that 
pertained  to  adult  members,  not,  as  then,  entring  into  a  neiv  membership, 
but  as  making  a  progress  in  memberly  duties:  Deut.  xxvi.  2.  10,  and  xvi. 
16,  17,  with  Gal.  v.  3.  3,  Those  relations  of  bom-servants  and  subjects^ 
which  the  Scripture  makes  use  of  to  set  forth  the  state  of  children  in  the 
church  (by  Lev.  xxv.  41, 42 ;  Ezek.  xxxvii.  25,)  do  not  (as  all  men  know) 
cease  with  infancy,  but  continue  in  adult  age.  Whence  also  it  follows, 
that  one  special  end  of  membership  received  in  infancy,  is  to  leave  persons 
under  engagement  to  service  and  subjection  to  Christ  in  his  church,  when 
grown  up,  when  they  are  fittest  for  it,  and  have  most  need  of  it.  4,  There 
is  no  ordinary  way  of  cessation  of  membership,  but  by  death,  dismission, 
excommunication,  or  dissolution  of  the  society:  none  of  which  is  the  case 
of  the  persons  in  question.  5,  Either  they  are,  when  adult,  members  or 
non-members:  if  non-members,  then  a  person  admitted  a  member,  and 
sealed  by  baptism,  not  cast  out,  nor  deserving  so  to  be,  may  (the  church 
whereof  he  was  still  remaining)  become  a  non-member  and  out  of  the 
church,  and  of  the  unclean  world ;  which  the  Scripture  acknowledgetli  not. 
Now,  if  the  parent  stand  member  of  the  church,  the  child  is  a  member  also; 
for  now  the  root  is  holy,  therefore  so  are  the  branches:  Rom.  xi.  16;  1 
Cor.  vii.  14.  The  parent  is  in  covenant;  therefore  so  is  the  child,  (Gen. 
xvii.  7 ;)  and  if  the  child  be  a  member  of  the  visi  jle  church,  then  he  is  a 
subject  of  baptism,  according  to  Propos.  I. 

Proposition  VI. — Such  Church-members,  who  either  by  Death,  or  some  other  extraordinary  Prov- 
idence, have  been  inevitably  hindred  from  Publick  acting  as  aforesaid,  yet  have  given  the 
Church  cause,  in  judgment  of  charity,  to  look  at  them  as  so  qualified,  and  such  as  had  they 
beeit  called  thereunto  would  have  so  acted,  their  children  are  to  be  baptised. 

This  manifest — 1,  Because  the  main  foundation  of  the  right  of  the 
child  to  privilege  remains,  viz:  God's  institution,  and  the  force  of  his  cov- 
enant carrying  it  to  the  generations  of  such  as  continue  keepers  of  the 
covenant,  i.  e.  not  visibly  breakers  of  it.  By  virtue  of  which  institution 
and  covenant,  the  children  in  question  are  members,  and  their  membership 
being  distinct  from  the  parents'  membership,  ceaseth  not,  but  continr.es, 
notwithstanding  the  parents'  decease  or  necessary  absence ;  and,  if  mem- 
bers, then  subjects  of  baptism.  2,  Because  the  parents'  not  doing  what 
is  required  in  the  fifth  proposition,  is  through  want  of  opportunity ;  which 
is  not  to  be  imputed  as  their  guilt,  so  as  to  be  a  bar  to  the  child's  privilege. 
8,  God  reckoneth  that  as  done  in  his  service,  to  which  there  was  a  mani- 
fest desire  and  endeavour,  albeit  the  acting  of  it  were  hindered;  as  in 
IXivid  to  build  the  temple,  (1  King.  viii.  18,  19;)  in  Abraham  to  sacrifice 
his  son,  (Heb.  xi.  17,)  according  to  that  in  2  Cor.  viii.  12:  "Where  there 
is  a  willing  mind,  it  is  accepted  according  to  what  a  man  hath,  and  not 
according  to  what  he  hath  not:"  which  is  true  of  this  church  duty,  as  well 


i'.i  ■ 


1  ;i 


>/i' 


:utt| 


■l\x 

-in' 


(  '    .!  i 


Tim 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


as  of  that  of  alms.  It  is  a  usual  phrase  with  the  ancients  to  stile  such  and 
luch  martyrs  in  voto,  and  baptised  in  voto,  because  there  was  no  want  of 
desire  that  way,  though  their  desire  was  not  actually  accomplished.  4 
The  terms  of  the  proposition  import  that  in  charity,  that  is  here  dono 
interpretatively,  which  is  mentioned  to  be  done  in  the  fifth  propositioa 
expressly. 


Proposition  VII. — Tkt  Members  of  Orthodox  Churekei,  beitig  mund  in  the  faith,  and  not  tearf 
dalouo  in  life,  and  preaenting  due  testimony  thereof;  these  occasionally  coming  from  one  church 
to  another,  may  have  their  children  baptized  in  the  church,  whither  they  come  by  virtue  of 
communion  of  churches;  but  if  they  remove  their  habitation,  they  ought  orderly  to  covenant 
and  subject  themselves  to  the  government  of  Christ  in  the  church,  where  they  settle  their  abode, 
and  so  their  children  to  be  baptised — it  being  the  church's  duty  to  receive  such  unto  communion, 
so  far  as  they  are  regularly  fit  for  the  same. 

1.  Such  members  of  other  churches,  as  are  here  described,  occasionally  com- 
ing from  one  church  to  another,  their  children  are  to  be  baptised  vi  the  church 
tchither  they  come,  by  virtue  of  communion  of  churches.  1,  Because  he  that 
is  regularly  a  memb  >r  of  a  true  particular  church,  is  a  subject  of  baptism 
according  to  propos.  first  and  second.  •  But  the  children  of  the  parents 
here  described  are  such,  according  to  propos.  3fth  and  sixth;  therefore 
they  are  meet  and  lawful  subjects  of  baptism,  or  have  right  to  be  baptised. 
And  "communion  of  churches"  infers  &  ich  acts  as  this  is,  viz:  to  baptize 
a  fit  subject  of  baptism,  tho'  a  member  of  another  church,  when  the  same 
is  orderly  desired.  (See  "Platform  of  Discipline,"  Chap.  XV.  Sec.  4.) 
For,  look,  as  every  church  hath  a  double  consideration — viz:  1,  Of  its 
own  constitution  and  communion  within  itself;  2,  Of  that  communion 
which  it  holds  and  ought  to  maintain  with  other  churches — so  the  officer 
(the  pastor  or  teacher)  thereof,  is  there  set — 1,  To  administer  to  this 
church  constantly;  2,  To  do  acts  .of  communion  occasionally,  viz:  such  as 
belong  to  his  office,  as  baptising  doth,  respecting  the  members  of  other 
churches,  with  whom  this  church  holds  or  ought  to  hold  communion. 

?  To  refuse  communion  with  a  true  church,  in  lawful  and  pious  adionn, 
is  unlawful,  and  justly  accounted  schismatical.  For,  if  the  church  be 
true,  Christ  holdeth  some  communion  with  it;  and  therefore  so  must  we; 
but,  if  we  will  not  have  communion  with  it  in  those  acts  that  are  good 
and  pious,  then  in  none  at  all:  Total  separation  from  a  true  church  is  un- 
lawful; but  to  deny  a  communion  in  good  actions  is  to  make  a  total 
separation.  Now,  to  baptize  a  fit  subject,  as  is  the  child  in  question,  it:  a 
"lawful  and  a  pious  action,"  and  therefore,  "by  virtue  of  communion  of 
churches,"  in  the  case  mentioned  to  be  attended. 

And  if  baptism,  lawfully  administered,  may  and  ought  to  be  received 
by  us,  for  our  children,  in  another  true  church,  where  Providence  so  casta 
us  as  that  we  cannot  have  it  in  our  own,  (as  doubtless  it  may  and  ouglit  to 
be,)  then  also  we  may  and  ought  m  like  cases  to  dispense  baptism,  whea 
desired,  to  a  meet  and  lawful  subject,  being  a  member  of  another  church. 


Question  II. —  Whi 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


299 


To  deny  or  refuse  either  of  these>  would  be  an  unjustifiable  refusing  of 
communion  of  churches,  and  tending  to  sinful  separation. 

3.  Siich  as  remove  their  hahitatimiy  ought  orderly  to  covenant  and  subject 
themselves  to  the  government  of  Christ  in  the  churchy  where  they  settle  their 
abode,  and  so  their  children  to  be  baptised.  1,  Because  the  regularly  bap- 
tised are  disciples,  and  under  the  discipline  and  government  of  Christ; 
but  they  that  are  absolutely  removed  from  the  church,  whereof  they  were, 
so  as  to  be  uncapable  of  being  under  discipline  there,  shall  be  under  it  no 
where,  if  not  in  the  church  where  they  inhabit.  They  that  would  have 
church-priuilec,°^  ought  to  be  under  church-power:  but  these  will  be  under 
no  church-power,  but  as  lambs  in  a  large  place,  if  not  under  it  there, 
where  their  settled  abode  is.  2,  Every  Christian  ought  to  covenant  for 
himself  and  for  his  children,  or  professedly  to  give  up  himself  and  his  to 
the  Lord,  and  that  in  the  way  of  his  ordinances,  (Deut.  xxvi.  17,  and  xii. 
5,)  and  explicite  covenanting  is  a  duty,  especially  where  v/e  are  called 
to  it,  and  have  opportunity  for  it:  nor  can  they  well  be  said  to  covenant 
implicitly,  that  do  explicitly  refuse  a  professed  covenanting,  when  called 
thereunto.  And  especially  this  covenanting  is  a  duty  when  we  would 
partake  of  such  church-privilege,  as  baptism  for  our  children  is.  But  the 
parents,  in  question,  will  now  be  professed  covenanters  no  where,  if  not 
in  the  church  where  their  fixed  habitation  is.  Therefore  they  ought 
orderly  to  covenant  there,  and  so  their  children  to  be  baptised.  3,  To 
refuse  covenanting  and  subjection  to  Christ's  government  in  the  church 
where  they  live,  being  so  removed  as  to  be  utterly  uncapjible  of  it  else- 
where, would  be  a  "  walking  disorderly,"  and  would  too  much  savour  of 
"profaneness  and  separation;"  and  hence  to  administer  baptism  to  the 
children  of  such  as  "stand  in  that  way,"  would  be  to  administer  Christ's 
ordinances  to  such  as  are  in  "a  way  of  sin  and  disorder;"  which  ought 
not  to  be,  (2  Thes.  iii.  6 ;  1  Chron.  xv.  13,)  and  would  be  contrary  to  that 
rule,  (1  Cor.  xiv.  40,)  "Let  all  things  be  done  decently  and  in  order." 


.J 


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4">1GMj^ 


5  ir^n-it 


Question  II. —  Whether,  according  to  the  Word  of  God,  there  ought  to  be  a  Contociation  of 
Churches,  and  what  thould  he  the  manner  of  it? 

Answer. — The  answer  may  be  briefly  given  in  the  proposition  fol- 
lowing: 

1.  Every  church  or  particular  congregation  of  visible  saints  in  gospel- 
order,  being  furnished  with  a  presbytery,  at  least  with  a  teaching  elder, 
and  walking  together  in  truth  and  peace,  hath  received  from  the  Lord 
Jesus  full  power  and  authority  ecclesiastical  within  itself,  regularly  to 
administer  all  the  ordinances  of  Christ,  and  is  not  under  any  other  eccle- 
siastical jurisdiction  whatsoever.  For  to  such  a  church  Christ  hath 
"given  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  that  what  they  bind  or  loose 
on  earth,  shall  be  bound  or  loosed  in  heaven,"  (Mat.  xvi.  19,  and  xviii.  17, 
18.)    Elders  are  "ordained  in  every  church,"  (Acta  xiv.  23;  Tit.  i.  5,) 


300 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA 


and  are  therein  authorised  officially  to  administer  in  the  word,  prayer, 
sacraments  and  censures,  (Mat.  xxviii.  19,  20;  Acts  vi.  4;  1  Cor.  iv.  1, 
and  V.  4.  12;  Acts  xx.  28;  1  Tim.  v.  17,  ond  iii.  5.)  The  reproving  of 
the  church  of  Corinth,  and  of  the  Asian  churches  severally,  imports  they 
had  power  each  of  them  within  themselves  to  reform  the  abuses  that  were 
amongst  them,  (2  Cor.  v. ;  Rev.  ii.  14.  20.)  Hence  it  follows  that  conso- 
ciation of  churches  is  not  to  hinder  the  exercise  of  this  power;  but  by 
counsel  from  the  word  of  God  to  direct  and  strengthen  the  same  upon 
all  just  occasions. 

2.  The  churches  of  Christ  do  stand  in  a  sisterly  relation  each  to  other, 
(Cant.  viii.  8,)  being  united  in  the  same  faith  and  order,  (Eph.  iv.  5 ;  Col. 
ii.  5.)  To  walk  by  the  samf?  rule,  (Phil.  iii.  16.)  In  the  exercise  of  the 
same  ordinances  for  the  same  end,  (Eph.  iv.  11, 12, 18;  1  Cor.  xvi.  1,)  under 
one  and  the  same  political  head,  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  (Eph.  i.  22,  23,  and 
iv.  6;  Rev.  ii.  1,)  which  union  infers  a  communion  suitable  thereunto. 

3.  "Communion  of  churches  is  the  faithful  improvement  of  the  gifts  of 
Christ  bestowed  upon  them,  for  his  service  and  glory,  and  their  mutual 
good  and  edification,  according  to  capacity  and  opportunity,  (1  Pet.  x.  11 ; 
1  Cor.  xii.  4.  7,  and  x.  24;  1  Cor.  iii.  21,  22;  Cant.  viii.  9;  Rom.  i.  15; 
Gal.  vi.  10.) 

4.  "Acts  of  communion  of  churches  are  such  as  these: 

1.  "Hearty  care  and  prayer  one  for  another,  (2  Cor.  xi.  28;  Cant,  viii,  8;  Rom.  i.  9; 
Col.  i.  9;  Eph.  vi.  18.) 

2.  "To  afford  relief  by  communicntion  of  their  gifts  in  temporal  or  spiritual  necessities, 
(Rom.  XV.  26,  27 ;  Acts  xi.  22.  29;  2  Cor.  viii.  1.  4.  14.) 

3.  "To  maintain  unity  and  peace,  by  giving  an  account  one  to  another  of  tiicir  publick 
actions,  when  it  is.  orderly  desired,  (Acts  xi.  2, 3,4 — 18:  Josh.  xxii.  13.  21. 30;  1  Cor. 
X.  32,)  and  to  strengthen  one  another  in  their  regular  administrations;  ns  in  spuciiij 
by  a  concurrent  testimony  against  persons  justly  censured,  (Acts  v.  41,  and  xvi.  4,5; 
2  Tim.  iv.  16;  2  Thes.  iii.  14.) 

4.  "To  seek  and  accept  help  from,  and  give  help  unto  each  other: 

1.  "  In  case  of  divisions  and  contentions  whereby  the  peace  of  any  church  is  disturbed, 
(Acts  XV.  2.) 

2.  "In  matters  of  more  than  ordinary  importance,  (Prov.  xxiv.  6,  and  xv.  22,)  as  ordination, 
translation  and  deposition  of  elders  and  such  like,  (1  Tim.  v.  22.) 

3.  "In  doubtful  and  dillicuU  questions  and  controversies,  doctrinal  or  practical,  that  may 
.                  arise,  (Acts  xv.  2.  6.) 

4.  "  For  the  rectifying  of  male-administrations,  and  healing  of  errors  and  scandals,  that 

are  unhealed  among  themselves,  (3  Juh.  vur.  9.  10;  2  Cor.  ii.  6.  II;  I  Cor.  xv. ;  Re/. 

ii.  14,  15,  16;  2  Cor.  xii.  20,  21,  and  siii.  2.)  Churches  now  have  need  of  help  in  like 

cases,  as  well  as  churches  then ;  Christ's  core  is  still  fur  whole  churches,  as  well  as  for 

particular  persons;  and  apostles  being  now  ceased,  there  remains  the  duty  of  brotherly 

love,  and  mutual  care,  and  helpfulness,  incuntbcnt  upon  churches,  especially  ddera  for 

that  end. 
• 

5.  "In  love  and  fuithfulnoss  to  tiiko  notice  of  the  troubles  and  diflicuUics,  errors  and 
scandals  of  another  church,  and  to  administer  help,  (whfn  the  case  necessarily  calls 
for  it)  tho'  they  should  so  neglect  their  own  good  and  duty,  as  not  to  seek  it,  (Exod. 
xxiii.  4,  6;  Prov.  xxiv.  11,  12.) 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


801 


6.  "To  odmoniah  one  another,  when  there  is  need  and  cause  for  it,  iind  after  due  means 
with  patience  used,  to  withdraw  from  a  church,  or  peccant  p.irty  therein,  obstinuteiy 
persisting  in  error  or  scandal;  as  in  the  Platform  of  Discipline  (Cap  XV.  8uct.  3, 
Partic.  3,)  is  mure    t  large  declared,  (Gal.  il  11.  14;  2  Thes.  ilL  6;  Rom.  xvL  17.) 

5.  "Consociation  of  churches  is  their  mutual  and  solemn  agreement  to 
exercise  communion  in  such  acts,  as  aforesaid,  amongst  th'emselves,  with 
special  reference  to  those  churches  which  by  Providence  are  planted  in  a 
convenient  vicinity,  though  with  liberty  reserved  without  offence,  to  make 
use  of  others,  as  the  nature  of  the  case  or  the  advantage  of  opportunity 
may  lead  thereunto. 

6.  "The  churches  of  Christ  in  this  country  having  so  good  opportunity 
for  it,  it  is  meet  to  be  commended  to  them,  as  their  duty,  thus  to  consoci- 
ate.  For — 1,  Communion  of  churches  being  commanded,  and  consociation 
being  but  an  agreement  to  practise  it,  this  must  needs  be  a  duty  also: 
Psal.  cxix.  106;  Neh.  xxviii.  29.  2,  Paul  an  apostle  sought  with  much 
labour  the  conference,  concurrence,  and  right  hand  of  fellowship  of  other 
apostles:  and  ordinary  elders  and  churches  have  not  less  need  of  each 
other,  to  prevent  their  running  in  vain:  Gal.  ii.  2.  6.  9.  3,  Those  general 
Scripture  rules,  touching  the  need  and  use  of  counsel  and  help  in  weighty 
cases,  concern  all  societies  and  polities,  ecclesiastical  as  well  as  civil:  Prov. 
xi.  14,  and  xv.  22,  and  xx.  18,  and  xxiv.  6 ;  Eccles.  iv.  9, 10.  14.  4,  The 
pattern  in  Acts  xv.  holds  forth  a  warrant  for  councils,  which  may  be 
greater  or  lesser,  as  the  matter  shall  require.  5,  Concurrence  and  com- 
munion of  churches  in  gospel  times  is  not  obscurely  held  forth  in  Isa.  xix. 
23,  24,  25;  Zeph.  iii.  9;  1  Cor.  xi.  16,  and  xiv.  32.  36.  6,  There  hixs 
constantly  been  in  these  churches  a  possession  of  communion,  in  giving 
the  right  hand  of  fellowship  in  the  gathering  of  churches,  and  ordination 
of  elders;  which  importeth  a  consociation,  and  obligeth  to  the  practice 
thereof.  Without  which  we  should  also  want  an  expedient,  and  sufficient 
cure  for  emergent  church  difficulties  and  differences:  with  the  want 
whereof  our  way  is  charged,  but  unjustly,  if  this  part  of  the  doctrine 
thereof  were  duly  practised. 

7.  "The  manner  of  the  church's  agreement  herein,  or  entring  into  this 
consociation,  may  be  by  each  church's  open  consenting  unto  the  things 
here  declared  in  answer  to  the  second  question,  as  also  to  what  is  said 
thereabout,  in  Chap.  XV.  and  XVI.  of  the  Platform  of  Discipline,  with 
reft^rence  to  other  churches  in  this  colony  and  countrey,  as  in  pro})os.  V. 
is  before  expressed. 

8.  "The  manner  of  exercising  and  practising  that  communion,  which 
this  consent  or  agreement  specially  tendeth  unto,  may  be  by  making  use 
occasionally  of  elders  or  able  brethren  of  other  churches;  or  by  the  more 
solemn  meetings  of  both  elders  and  messengers  in  lesser  or  greater  coun- 
cils, as  the  matter  shall  require." 


^1 


.'    'I 


V,' 


802 


MAGNALIA   CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


REMARKS  UPON  TUE  SYNODICAL  PROruSITlONS. 

§  1.  TuE  Propositions  thus  voted  by  the  major  part,  mora  than  seven 
to  one  in  the  synod,  were  clog'd  by  the  dissent  of  sovond  reverend  and 
judicious  persons  in  that  venerable  assembly;  who  wore  joidous  lest  the 
sacred  ordinance  of  baptism  should  come  to  bo  applio<l  unto  such  unintx^t 
subjects  as  would  in  a  while  put  an  end  unto  Now-EngUuurs  primitive 
and  peculiar  glory  of  "  undetiled  administrations."  Tho'  we  cannot  say 
that,  in  this  our  synod,  the  observation  of  Thuanus  was  vcritivd,  (VAk/hi",*! 
quce  ut  Theohgocis  controversiis  Finis  imj)onatur,  insU'{uunUo\  mnjoruin  txxi- 
iandarum  scepe  initium  existunt;*  yet  the  reciprocations  of  argument  which 
ensued  on  this  difference,  quickly  became  sensible  to  mankind,  as  by  simie 
other  common  eftccts  oi controversies  so  especially  by  the  disquisitions  which 
were,  on  this  occasion,  published  unto  the  world.  llort>  not  ov)nvx»rning 
our  selves  with  the  ^^  Anti-synodalia  Americamts^^\  conqjosevl  by  Mr.  Charles 
Chauncey,  the  president  of  the  College,  and  answered  by  Mr.  «lohn  Allen, 
pastor  of  Dedham,  we  shall  only  take  notice  of  the  two  /»nn-</i.six»i<r«<',<, 
which  made  most  figure  in  the  management  of  this  disputation.  Fij-si,  Mr. 
John  Davenport,  in  opposition  to  the  synod,  emitted  a  tivalise,  under  the 
title  of  ^^  Another  Essay  for  Investigation  of  the  Truth:"  wheivto  there  wa.s  hy 
another  hand  prefixed,  tJiat  which  the  eldoi"s  of  the  synoil  judged  the  dis- 
tinctest  and  exaotest  thing  that  has  been  written  on  that  side,  under  the 
title  of,  "^u  Apologetical  Preface''''  for  the  defence  of  the  syniHl.  Mr.  Rich. 
Mather,  being  thereunto  appointed,  wrote  a  full  answer  to  the  Kssan;  ami 
Mr.  Jonathan  Mitchel  wrote  a  fuller  answer  to  the  J^nfmv;  lK>th  of  which 
quickly  saw  the  light. 

§  2.  The  true  state  of  the  difference  cannot  be  Knter  given  than  bv 
epitomizing  the  j905j'<jb;w  and  argumaits  in  the  elase  of  the  *■*■  AiHihjttical 
Preface^''  on  the  one  part,  and  the  answers  to  those  positions  and  ai'gunionts, 
on  the  other.  And  I  am  the  more  willing  to  give  it,  because  tlic  coclo^i- 
astical  affairs  of  this  country  have  so  much  turned  upon  it 

ON  THE    ONE    SIDE,   THUS    REASONED   THE    LEARNED    APOLOGIST: 

1.  The  Synod  did  acknowledge,  that  "there  ought  to  bo  true  s;uing 
faith  in  the  parent,  according  to  the  judgment  of  rational  charity,  or  eliw 
the  child  ought  not  to  be  baptized."  We  entreated  and  urgv^l,  again  ainl 
again,  that  this,  which  they  themselves  acknowledged  was  a  prinviple  of 
truth,  might  be  set  down  for  a  conclusion,  and  then  wo  should  nil  ugnw 
But  those  reverend  persons  would  not  consent  to  this, 

ON  THE  OTHER  SIDE,    THUS   REPLIED  THE   EXCELLENT  ANSWERER: 

We  are  to  distinguish  between  faitli  in  the  hopeful  iMyinning  of  it^  the 
charitable  judgment  whereof  runs  upon  a  great  latitude;  and  fu'th  in  the 

*  Debiitca,  which  are  appointed  fur  the  purpose  uf  putting  aii  riid  to  tlif«>lt>;;ii-!il  et'iitrtooraioit,  olXoii  iii\-<>  h«» 
to  greater  controverciet  than  existed  before.  t  Kv>i<lj  tv>  tliu  ;^)Uu\!ica(  TiivK>t. 


*  CathecumcDS  a 


OB,    THE    HI8T0BT   OT   NEW-ENOLAND. 


803 


mecial  exercise  of  it,  unto  the  visible  discovery  whereof,  more  experienced 
oiKrations  are  to  be  enquired  after.  Tlio  words  of  Dr.  Ames  are:  "Chil- 
dren an  »t  to  be  admitted  to  partake  of  all  church  priviledges,  till  first 
increase  of  faith  do  appear;  but  from  those  which  belong  to  the  begin- 
ning of  faith  and  entrance  into  the  church,  they  are  not  to  be  excluded." 

The  apostles  constantly  baptised  j 'arsons  upon  the  first  beginning  of 
their  Christianity,  but  the  Lord's  Supper  followed  after,  as  annexed  unto 
some  jtrorjress  in  Christianity.  The  same  strictness,  as  to  outward  signs, 
is  not  necessary  unto  a  charitable  judgment  of  that  initial  faith,  which 
entitles  unto  baptism,  as  there  is  unto  the  like  judgment  of  that  exercised 
feith  which  is  requisite  unto  the  Supper  of  the  Lord.  We  all  own,  that 
only  "visible  believers"  are  to  have  their  children  baptised;  and  it  is 
expressed  in  the  Synod's  result;  but  the  question  is,  "Who  are  visible 
believers?"  Our  brethren  strove  so  to  screw  up  the  expressions  for  bap- 
tism, that  all  that  have  their  children  baptised  must  unavoidably  be  brought 
unto  the  Lord's  table,  and  unto  a  power  of  voting  in  the  churches.  This, 
we  say,  will  prove  a  church-corru2)ting  principle. 

ApoiiOGY. — II.  We  have  no  warrant  in  all  the  Scripture  to  apply  the 
se:a  of  baptism  unto  those  children  whose  parents  are  in  a  state  of  unfit- 
ness for  the  Lord's  Supper.  Those  (Acts  ii.  41,)  who  were  baptised,  con- 
tinued breaking  bread  also;  unless  the  father  were  in  a  state  of  fitness  for 
the  Passover,  his  child  might  not  be  circumcised.  Neither  do  we  read 
that  in  the  primitive  times,  baptism  was  of  a  greater  latitude,  as  to  the 
subject  thereof,  than  the  Lord's  Supper.  Catechumeni  ad  Baptisterixnn 
nunquam  admittendi  sunt.* — Concil  Ara,  chap.  xix.  In  the  dawnings 
of  reformation  in  England,  our  Juel  could  plead  against  Harding,  "that 
baptism  was  as  much  to  be  reverenced,  as  the  body  and  blood  of  Christ." 
Nay,  a  grievous  error  has  therefore  been  committed  in  former  ages,  and 
other  churches,  to  administer  the  Lord^s  Supper  unto  infants. 

Answer.^— By  a  state  of  unfitness,  must  be  meant  either  non-member- 
ship; but  the  parents,  in  the  question,  are  members  of  the  church;  and 
80  to  them  do  belong  all  church  priviledges,  according  as  they  shall  be 
capable  thereof,  and  appear  duly  qualified  for  the  same:  they  have  a  Jus 
ad  rewt,f  though  not  Jus  in  re;^  as  a  child  has  a  right  to  his  father's  estate, 
however  he  have  not  the  actual  fruition  of  it,  until  he  be  qualified  with 
such  and  such  abilities.  Or  else  is  meant  a  want  of  actual  qualifications 
fitting,  whereby  a  person  is  either  in  himself  short  of  actual  fitness  for  the 
Lord's  table,  or  wanteth  a  church-approbation  of  his  fitness.  Now,  we 
conceive  there  is  a  warrant  in  Scripture  for  the  applying  of  baptism  to 
children,  whose  parents  do  want  actual  qualifications  fitting  them  for  the 
Lord's  Supper.  The  parent  might  want  actual  fitness  for  the  Passover, 
by  manifold  ceremonial  unclean nesses,  and  yet  that  hindered  not  the  cir- 
cumcision of  the  child.     He  must  be  judged  clean  by  the  priest  of  the 

*  C&thecumcM  lire  never  to  be  admitted  to  the  bupUstery.     t  Right  to  the  thing.     %  A  right  in  the  thing. 


I 


If. : 


li 


■      1 


I      ' 

,  *f- 

n 

'I 

S04 


MAGKALIA    OHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


church  whereof  he  was  a  member,  and  so  free  to  partake  of  the  holy 
things.  Thus,  the  parents  in  the  question  must  have  their  fitness  for  tlie 
Lord's  table  judged  by  those  to  whom  the  judgment  belongs.  But  wliat 
fitness  for  the  Lord's  Supper  had  those  that  were  baptized  by  John  Bu]> 
tist,  and  by  Christ's  disciples  at  his  appointment,  in  the  beginning  of  his 
publick  ministry?  What  fitness  had  the  jaylor,  when  himself  and  all  his 
were  baptized  after  an  hour's  instruction,  wherein  probably  he  had  not 
so  much  as  heard  any  thing  of  the  Lord's  Supper?  The  teaching  of 
which,  followed  after  disciplining  and  baptizing,  as  is  hinted  by  that  order 
in  Matth.  xxviii.  19,  20,  and  by  the  ancient  practice  of  not  teaching  the 
catechumeni  any  thing  about  the  Lord's  Supper  till  after  they  were  bap- 
tized, as  is  affirmed  by  Hanmer  and  Baxter,  out  of  Albospinceus.  We 
constantly  read  in  the  Acts,  that  persons  were  baptized  immediately  upon 
their  first  entrance  into  membership;  but  we  never  do  read  that  they  did 
immediately  upon  their  first  membership  receive  the  Lord's  Supper.  Yea, 
80  far  is  baptism  from  being  inseparable  from  immediate  admission  to  the 
Lord's  Supper,  that  we  read  of  no  one,  (no,  not  of  the  adult)  in  all  the 
New  Testament,  that  was  admitted  to  the  Lord's  Supper  immediately 
upon  his  baptism. 

The  only  place  that  sounds  as  if  it  were  quickly  after,  viz :  Acts  ii.  41, 
42,  is  alledged  by  our  brethren.  But  it  is  here  said,  they  (after  their 
being  added  and  baptized)  continued  in  (or  gave  sedulous  attendance  to) 
the  apostles  doctrine  [first]  and  then  breaking  of  bread.  There  was  a 
time  of  gaining  further  acquaintance  with  Christ,  and  with  his  ways  and 
ordinances,  by  the  apostles'  instruction,  between  their  baptizing  and  tlielr 
participation  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  And  the  churches  of  Christ  in  all, 
especially  in  the  best  ages,  and  the  choicest  lights  therein,  both  ancient 
and  modern,  have  concurred  in  this  principle,  "that  baptism  is  of  larger 
extent  than  the  Lord's  Supper,  and  that  many  that  are  within  the  visible 
church,  may  have  baptism  for  themselves,  at  least  for  their  children,  who 
yet  ut  present  want  nctual  fitness  for  the  Lord's  Supper."  The  authors 
that  write  of  confirmation  do  abundantly  prove  this  assertion.  Here  is 
not  room  to  insert  the  evidences,  that  in  the  first  ages  of  the  church,  there 
were  many  within  the  church,  who  were  debarred  from  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per, and  yet  had  their  children  baptized.  And  since  the  Keforniation, 
the  reforming  divines  have  in  their  doctrine  unanimously  taught,  and  in 
their  practice  many  of  them  endeavoured,  a  strict  selection  of  those  thiit 
should  be  admitted  unto  the  Lord's  Supper;  when  yet  they  have  been 
more  large  in  point  of  baptism.  Plentiful  testimonies  are  cited,  first  from 
Calvin,  from  Crotius,  from  Bucan,  from  Beza,  from  Polanus,  from  Ursia 
and  Paroius,  and  from  the  "Ilarmony  of  Confessions;"  and  then  from 
Ames,  from  Hooker,  and  from  Ilildersham,  to  this  purpose. 

Apology. — III  The  parents  of  the  children  in  question,  are  not  mem- 
bers of  any  instituted  church,  according  to  gospel  rules;  because  they 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    KEW-ENGLAND. 


805 


^ere  never  under  any  explicit  and  personal  covenant.  If  this  second 
generation  do  retain  their  membership  by  virtue  of  their  parents'  cove- 
nant, made  for  them  in  minority;  then  in  case  all  the  pro-parents  were 
dead,  this  second  generation  would  be  a  true  church  of  Christ,  without 
any  further  act  of  covenanting.  But  this  they  are  not.  For  then  they 
would  have  the  power  to  manage  all  church-affairs,  as  every  true  church 
hath;  which  the  synod  will  not  grant  unto  them. 

Answer. — We  doubt  not  to  affirm  with  Dr.  Ames,  that  children  are 
members  of  an  instituted  church,  according  to  gospel  rules;  and  that  they 
are  under  personal  covenant  or  personally  taken  into  covenant  by  God, 
according  to  his  gospel  rules,  tho'  they  have  not  performed  the  act  of 
covenanting  in  their  own  persons;  yea,  under  the  explicit  covenant  also, 
if  the  parent's  covenanting  was  explicit.  Though  we  take  it  for  a  prin- 
ciple granted  by  Congregational  men,  with  one  consent;  that  an  implicit 
covenant,  preserves  the  being  of  a  true  chilrch,  and  so  of  true  church- 
membersiiip.  We  also  say,  the  second  generation,  continuing  in  a  visible 
profession  of  the  covenant,  '"ith  and  religion  of  their  fathers,  are  a  true 
church  of  Christ,  though  they  have  not  yet  made  any  explicit  personal 
expression  of  their  engagement,  as  their  fathers  did.  Even,  as  the  Israel- 
ites, that  were  numbered  in  the  plains  of  Moab,  were  a  true  church,  and 
under  the  covenant  of  God,  made  with  them  in  Horeb,  though  their 
parents,  with  whom  it  was  first  made  in  Horeb,  were  all  dead,  and  that 
before  the  solemn  renewal  of  the  covenant  with  them  in  the  plains  of 
Moab.  Our  denial  of  liberty  unto  these  to  vote  in  church-affairs,  till  they  be 
qualified  for,  and  admitted  to  the  Lord's  Supper,  is  no  prejudice  to  our 
grant  of  their  being  a  true  church.  For  the  case  of  a  true  church  may 
be  such,  as  that  they  may  be  at  present  unfit  to  exercise  a  power  of  acting 
in  church-affairs,  which  yet  may  be  radically  in  them ;  even  till,  by  the 
use  of  needful  means,  they,  or  a  select  number  among  them,  be  brought  up 
unto  a  better  capacity  for  it.  We  might  also  ask  whether  it  would  prove 
women  to  bo  no  members  of  an  instituted  church,  because  if  all  the  men 
were  dead,  tiiey  could  not  then  be  a  church?  We  may  add:  if  discipline 
and  other  ordinances  be  kept  up,  we  may  hope  God  will  so  bless  his  ordi- 
nances, that  a  considerable  number  shall,  from  time  to  time,  have  such 
grace  given  them,  as  to  be  fit  for  full  communion,  and  carry  on  the  things 
of  his  house  with  competent  strength,  beauty  and  edification. 

Apology. — IV.  It  is  not  mere  membership,  but  qualified  membership 
that  gives  right  unto  baptism.  John's  baptism,  which  was  Christian,  might 
not  be  applied  to  some,  who  were  members  of  the  visible  church,  because 
they  were  not  qualified  with  repentance,  (Luke  iii.  8,  and  vii.  30.)  This 
seems  to  cut  the  sinews  of  the  strongest  argument  brought  by  the  synod, 
for  the  enlargement  of  baptism;  which  is  tho  membership  of  the  children 
ill  controversie. 

Answer. — Some  privileges  in  tho  church  belong  to  persons  merely 
Vol.  II.— 20 


Af 


/•.''If  ii 


-U' 


'«    y^^Pi; 


?06 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


because  they  are  members  of  it:  so  doth  baptism  and  cburch-watcb.  But 
other  privileges  belong  to  them  as  cloathed  with  such  and  such  qualifica- 
tions: thus  the  Lord's  Supper  now,  as  the  Passover  of  old.  If  children  in 
their  minority  are  members,  as  our  brethren  acknowledge  them  to  be, 
then  there  are  members  that  are  not  yet  fit  for  full  communion.  And  for 
the  adult,  when  a  man  is  by  admonition  debarred  from  the  Lord's  Table, 
and  yet  not  excommunicated;  he  continues  a  member,  yea,  a  personal 
member,  in  our  bretheren's  account,  and  yet  is  not  in  full  communion.  It 
is  clear  then  that  membership  and  full  communion  are  separable  things. 
Besides,  'tis  a  membership  dejure,  and  not  only  de  facto,  whereof  we  speak, 
when  we  speak  of  mere  membership.  Now,  such  a  membership  implies 
a  qualification,  that  a  person  being  a  church  member,  is  not  under  such 
gross  and  incorrigible  ignorance,  heresie,  scandal  or  apostacy,  as  renders 
him  an  immediate  subject  of  excommunication.  Hence,  mere  membership 
is  not  so  to  be  opposed  unto  qualified  membership,  as  if  it  were  destitute 
of  all  qualifications.  Understand  "mere  membership,"  for  ["merely  this, 
that  a  man  is  regularly  a  member,"  or,  "that  the  church,  acting  regularly, 
may  own  him  as  accepted  by  rule  into  covenant"]  and  then  the  assertion, 
"that  it  is  not  suflBcient  to  give  a  person  a  right  unto  baptism,  that  he  be 
regularly  a  member  of  the  visible  church,  but  he  must  have  some  further 
qualifications  than  so,  or  else  he  hath  not  a  right  thereunto:"  This  is 
indeed  an  " anti-synodalian  assertion,"  and  we  doubt  not  to  affirm,  that 
it  is  anti-scriptural. 

The  synod  builds  upon  "covenant-interest,"  or  "federal-holiness,"  or 
"visible  church-membership,"  as  that  which  gives  right  unto  baptism:  and 
accordingly  in  their  fifth  proposition,  they  have  comprised  both  the  right 
to  baptism,  and  the  "manner  of  administration;"  which  manner  is  not 
therefore  to  be  neglected,  because  membership  alone  gives  right;  for  God 
hath  made  it  one  commandment  of  four,  to  provide  for  the  manner  of  his 
worship,  that  it  be  attended  in  a  solemn,  humble,  reverent  and  profitable 
manner.  Hence,  all  "reformed  churches"  do  in  their  directories  require 
professions  and  promises  from  those  who  present  the  child  unto  bapti?m ; 
though  they  unanimously  grant  the  child's  right  unto  baptism,  by  its  being 
"born  within  the  visible  church."  Besides,  what  have  infants  more  than  a 
"mere  membership,"  to  give  them  right  unto  baptism?  We  know  no 
stronger  argument  for  "infant  baptism"  than  this,  that  church-members, 
or  Foederati*  are  to  be  baptised.  At  the  transition  from  Old  to  New  Tes- 
tament church  membership,  something  more  might  well  be  required  than 
a  "mere  membership"  in  the  Jewish  church,  which  was  then  also  under  an 
extream  degeneracy:  it  was  necessary  that  the  "reformed  administration" 
should  penitently  be  embraced.  And  much  of  what  was  required  by 
John,  may  be  referred  unto  the  "manner  of  administration,"  which  the 
general  scandals  then  fallen  into  called  for.    Nor  will  he  that  reads  the 

*  Pcnoni  formally  unll«d  (o  tbe  oburoh. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


807 


Scriptures,  think  that  the  persons  baptised  by  John,  did  excel  those  who 
are  described  in  the  synod's  propositions.  "While  the  parent  that  was 
born  in  the  church,  regularly  continues  in  it  without  scandal,  he  is  eccle- 
siastically accounted  to  have  the  being  of  repentance;  and  so  to  have 
the  thing  that  John  required.  But  if  any  stand  guilty  of  open  scandals, 
we  know  not  why  they  should  not  make  a  "particular  confession"  of 
their  sin  therein. 

Apology. — V.  That  which  will  not  make  a  man  capable  of  receiving 
baptism  himself,  in  case  he  were  unbaptised,  doth  not  make  him  capable 
of  transmitting  right  of  baptism  unto  his  child.  But  a  man  may  be  an 
unbeliever,  and  yet  come  up  to  all  that  the  synod  hath  said  in  their  fifth 
proposition.  Bucer  is  accounted  by  Parker  justly  to  mention,  "that  none 
ought  to  be  confirmed  members  of  the  church,  besides  those  who  do 
hold  forth  not  only  verbal  profession  of  faith,  but  apparent  signs  of 
regeneration." 

Answer. — 'Tis  true,  that  which  doth  not  put  a  man  into  a  state  of  right 
of  baptism  for  himself,  (that  is,  into  a  state  of  "church  membership")  will 
not  enable  him  to  give  baptism  right  unto  his  child.  But  it  is  possible  for 
an  adult  person  in  such  a  state  nevertheless  to  have  something  fall  in, 
which  may  hinder  the  actual  application  of  baptism  to  himself,  or  his 
actual  fitness  for  baptism,  in  case  he  were  unbaptised.  And  yet  the  same 
thing  may  not  hinder  a  person  already  baptised,  and  standing  in  a  cove- 
nant state,  from  conveying  baptism  right  unto  his  child.  Besides,  the 
synod's  proposition  speaks  of  church  members.  Yea,  and  he  will  have  an 
hard  task  of  it,  who  shall  undertake  to  prove,  "that  adult  persons,  under- 
standing, believing,  and  professing  publickly  the  doctrine  of  faith,  not 
scandalous  in  life,  and  now  solemnly  entering  into  that  covenant,  wherein 
they  give  up  themselves  and  theirs  to  the  Lord  in  his  church,  and  subject 
themselves  to  the  government  of  the  Lord  therein,  may  be  denied  baptism 
upon  their  desire  thereof."  'Tis  not  easie  to  believe,  that  multitudes  bap- 
tised, in  the  Scriptures  had  more  to  render  them  visible  believers,  than 
the  persons  described  by  the  synod.  It  is  argued,  a  man  [may  be]  an 
unbeliever,  and  yet  come  up  to  all  this.  Simon  Magus,  and  Ananias  and 
Sapphira,  not  only  might  he,  but  ivere  unbelievers,  and  yet  regularly  bap- 
tised. But  if  it  be  said,  that  a  man  may  come  up  to  all  that  the  synod 
hath  said,  and  yet  be  "ecclesiastically  judged  an  unbeliever,"  shew  us  any 
ground  for  such  a  judgment.  As  for  Bucer  and  Parker,  they  plainly 
speak  of  such  a  confirmation,  or  owning  men  for  confirmed  members,  as 
imports  their  admission  to  the  Lord's  Table.  But  if  the  judgment  of 
Bucer  and  Parker  may  be  taken  in  this  controversie,  it  will  soon  be  at  end, 
for  it  is  evident  enough  (by  quotations  too  many  for  this  place)  that  Bucer 
and  Parker  fully  concur  with  the  synod,  in  the  extent  of  baptism. 

Apology. — VL  The  application  of  the  seal  of  baptism  unto  those  who 
are  not  true  believers,  (we  mean  visibly,  for  De  OccuUis  non  Judicat  Ecde- 


808 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


sia,*)  is  a  profanation  thereof,  and  as  dreadful  a  sin  as  if  a  man  should 
administer  the  Lord's  Supper  unto  unworthy  receivers;  which  is  (as  Cal- 
vin saith)  as  sacrilegious  impiety,  as  if  a  man  should  take  the  hlood  or  body 
of  Christ  and  prostitute  it  unto  dogs.  We  marvel  that  any  should  think 
that  the  blood  of  Christ  is  not  as  much  profaned  and  villified  by  undue 
administration  of  baptism,  as  by  undue  administration  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. Yea,  that  saying  of  Austin's  is  solemn  and  serious :  Qui  indigne  ac- 
cipit  haptisma,  Judicium  accipit,  nan  saZufem/f  and  the  same  Austin  in  his 
book,  De  Fide  et  OperibuSy\  pleads  for  strictness  in  the  administration  of 
baptism,  and  so  did  Tertullian  before  him. 

Answer. — We  readily  grant,  that  baptism  is  not  to  be  applied  to  any 
but  visible  believers.  We  marvel  that  any  should  speak  as  if  any  of  us 
did  think  that  the  blood  of  Christ  is  not  profaned  by  the  undue  adminis- 
tration of  baptism,  as  well  as  by  undue  observation  of  the  Lord's  Supper: 
though  we  suppose  the  degree  of  sinful  profanation  of  the  Lord's  name  in 
any  ordinance,  will  be  intended  by  the  decree  of  special  communion  that 
we  have  with  the  Lord  in  that  ordinance ;  and  by  the  danger  that  such 
profanation  infers  unto  the  whole  church,  and  unto  the  particular  partaker. 
But  where  is  there  any  thing  to  show  that  the  administration  of  baptism 
extended  by  the  synod  is  undue?  The  rule  concerning  the  two  sacra- 
ments appoints  baptism  to  all  disciples ;  but  the  Lord's  Supper  only  for 
self-examining  disciples:  hence  the  one  may  be  extended  further  than  the 
other,  without  undue  administration.  Neither  did  Calvin  conceive  it  a 
profanation  to  extend  baptism  further  than  the  Lord's  Supper.  Nor  did 
ever  Austin  or  Tertullian  plead  for  greater  strictness  in  baptism  than  the 
synod;  except  where  Tertullian  erroneously  plead  for  the  delay  of  bap- 
tism: whereas  Austin  requires  not  more  of  adult  converts  from  heathen- 
ism, than  is  in  the  parents,  who  are  described  by  the  synod. 

Apology. — VIL  It  hath  in  it  a  natural  tendency  to  the  hardening  of 
unregenerates  in  their  sinful  condition,  when  life  is  not  only  promised,  but 
sealed  unto  them,  by  the  precious  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.  Baptism  is  a 
seal  of  the  whole  covenant  of  grace,  as  well  as  the  Lord's  Siij)per;  and 
therefore  those  that  are  not  interested  in  this  covenant  by  faith,  ought  not 
to  have  the  seal  thereof  applied  unto  them.  We  might  add  unto  all  this, 
that  ihere  is  danger  of  great  corruption,  and  pollution,  creeping  into  the 
churches  by  the  enlargement  of  the  subject  of  baptism. 

Answer. — The  Lord's  truth  and  grace,  however  it  may  be  abused,  by 
the  corruption  of  man's  perverse  and  sinful  nature,  hath  nftt  in  its  self 
any  natural  tendency  to  harden  any,  but  the  contrary.  And  how  can 
our  doctrine  have  any  such  natural  tendency,  when  as  men  arc  told  over 
and  over,  that  only  outward  advantages  are  more  absolutely  scaled  unto 
them  in  baptism;  but  the  .^aving  benefits  of  the  covenant,  conditionally; 


*  The  church  psMei  no  Judgmont  on  the  Mcrets  of  Ihn  heart. 

t  He  who  rocelvei  baptism  unworthily,  r«ai<lvea  cuuUumnutlun,  not  tAlTallon, 


X  On  Faith  auU  VVorki, 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


309 


80  that  if  they  fail  of  the  condition,  which  is  effectual  and  unfeigned  faith, 
they  miss  of  salvation,  notwithstanding  their  baptism?  The  outward 
priviledges  must  not  be  rested  in,  but  improved  as  incouragements  to  the 
obtaining  of  internal  and  special  grace.  On  the  other  side,  the  Scriptures 
tell  us,  that  men's  denying  the  children  of  the  church  to  have  "any  part 
in  the  Lord,"  hath  a  strong  tendency  in  it  to  make  them  "cease  from 
fearing  the  Lord,  and  harden  their  hearts  from  his  fear."  But  the  awful 
obligations  of  covenant-interest  have  a  great  tendency  to  soften  the  heart, 
and  break  it,  and  draw  it  home  to  God.  Hence  when  the  Lord  would 
powerfully  win  men  to  obedience,  he  often  begins  with  this,  that  "  he  is 
their  God."  The  natural  tendency  of  man's  corrupt  heart  is  no  argument 
against  any  ordinance  of  God.  'Tis  true,  baptism  is  a  seal  of  the  whole 
covenant  of  grace ;  but  it  is  by  way  of  initiation.  Hence  it  belongs  to  all 
that  are  within  the  covenant,  or  have  but  a  first  entrance  thereinto.  And 
is  there  no  danger  of  corruption  by  overstraining  tJie  subject  of  baptism? 
Certainly,  it  is  a  corruption  to  take  from  the  rule,  as  well  as  add  to  it. 
Moses  found  danger  in  not  applying  the  initiating  seal,  to  such  tor  whom 
it  was  appointed.  Is  there  no  danger  of  putting  these  out  of  the  visible 
church,  whom  our  Lord  would  have  kept  in?  Our  Lord's  own  disciples 
may  be  in  danger  of  his  displeasure  by  keeping  poor  little  ones  away  from 
him.  To  pluck  up  all  the  tares,  was  a  zealous  motion;  but  there  was 
danger  in  it.  Besides,  if  the  enlargement  be  beyond  the  bounds  of  the 
rule,  it  will  bring  in  corruption ;  else  not.  Our  work  is  therefore  to  keep 
close  unto  the  rule,  as  the  only  true  way  unto  the  churches  purity  and 
glory.  The  way  of  the  Ana-baptists,  to  admit  none  unto  membership  and 
baptism  but  adult  professors,  is  the  straitest  way;  one  would  think  it 
should  be  a  way  of  great  purity ;  but  experience  hath  shew'd  that  it  has 
been  an  inlet  unto  great  corruption,  and  a  troublesome,  dangerous  under- 
miner  of  reformation.  If  we  do  not  keep  in  the  way  of  a  converting, 
grace-giving  covenant,  and  keep  persons  under  those  church -dispensations, 
wherein  grace  is  given,  the  church  will  die  of  a  lingering,  though  not  vio- 
lent, death.  The  Lord  hath  not  set  up  churches  only  that  a  few  old 
Christians  may  keep  one  another  warm  while  they  live,  and  then  carry 
away  the  church  into  the  cold  grave  with  them  when  they  die;  no,  but 
that  they  might  with  all  care,  and  with  all  the  obligations  and  advantages 
to  that  care  that  may  be,  nurse  up  still  successively  another  generation 
of  subjects  to  our  Lord,  that  may  stand  up  in  his  kingdom  when  they  are 
gone.  "In  church  reformation,  'tis  an  observable  truth,  [saith  Paricus,] 
that  those  that  are  for  too  much  strictness,  do  more  hurt  than  profit  the 
church."  Finally,  there  is  apparently  a  greater  danger  of  corruption  to 
the  churches,  by  enlarging  the  subjects  of  full  communion,  and  admitting 
unqualified,  or  meanly  qualified  persons,  to  the  Lord's  table,  and  voting 
in  the  church;  whereby  the  interest  of  the  power  of  godliness  will  soon 
be  prejudiced,  and  elections,  admissions,  censures,  so  carried,  as  will  be 


810 


MAONALIA    CHBI&TI    AMEBICANA; 


hazardous  thereunto.    Now,  'tis  evident  that  this  will  be  the  temptation 
even  "to  overlarge  full  communion,"  if  baptism  be  limited  unto  the  chil- 
dren  of  such  as  arc  admitted  thereunto. 

§  3.  These  were  the  summa  capita*  of  the  disputation  between  those  two 
reverend  persons;  but  the  remarkable  event  and  effect  of  this  disputation 
is  now  to  be  related.  Know,  then,  that  Mr.  Michael,  partly  by  the  lioht 
of  truth  fairly  offered,  and  partly  by  the  force  of  prayer  for  the  good  suc- 
cess of  the  offer,  was  too  hard  for  the  most  learned  apologist;  who,  afti;r 
he  had  written  so  exactly  on  the  anti-synodalian  side,  that, 


Si  pergama  dextrd 


Defend*  poterant,  etiam  hae  defenta  fuietent  ;t 

finding  that  Scripture  and  reason  lay  most  on  the  other  side,  not  only 
surrendered  himself  a  glad  captive  thereunto,  but  also  obliged  the  church 
of  God,  by  publishing  unto  the  world  a  couple  of  most  nervous  treatises 
in  defence  of  the  synodical  propositions.  The  former  of  these  treatises 
was  entitled,  "The  Fr.st  Principles  of  New  England,  concerning  the  Subject 
of  Baptism,  and  Ccmmunion  of  Churches:''^  wherein,  because  the  anti- 
synodists  commonly  reproached  the  doctrine  of  the  synod,  as  being  no  less 
new  than  the  practice  of  it,  he  answers  this  popular  imputation  of  innova- 
tion and  apostacy,  by  demonstrating,  from  the  unquestionable  writings  of 
the  chief  and  first  fathers  in  our  churches,  that  the  doctrine  -oi  the  synod 
was  then  generally  believed  by  them:  albeit  the  practice  thereof  had 
been  buried  in  the  circumstances  of  the  "  new  plantation."  Together  with 
this  essay,  he  shews  his  inexpressible  value  for  his  excellent  opponent  and 
conqueror,  not  only  by  professing  a  deep  respect  for  that  blessed  man,  and 
using  about  him  the  words  of  Beza  about  Calvin,  "now  he  is  dead,  life  is 
less  sweet,  and  death  will  be  less  bitter  to  m  "  but  also  by  inserting  an 
elaborate  letter,  which  that  worthy  man  had  written  to  him,  wherein, 
among  other  passages,  there  are  these  words:  "Please  to  consider  which 
of  these  three  propositions  you  would  deny :  1,  The  whole  visible  churcli 
under  the  New  Testament  is  to  be  baptized.  2,  If  a  man  be  once  in  ihe 
church,  nothing  less  than  censurable  evil  can  put  him  out.  3,  If  the 
parent  be  in  the  visible  church,  his  infant  child  is  so  too."  And  he  adds: 
"Whether  they  should  be  baptized,  as  in  a  catholick  or  in  a  particular 
church,  is  another  question,  and  I  confess  myself  not  so  peremptory  in 
this  latter,  as  I  am  in  the  thing  itself,  that  they  ought  to  be  baptised. 
Yet  still  I  think  that,  when  all  stones  are  turned,  it  will  come  to  thi?, 
that  all  the  baptized  are,  and  ought  to  be,  under  discipline  in  particular 
churches." 

The  other  of  these  treatises  was  intituled,  "  A  Discourse  concerning  the 
Subject  of  Baptism;^'  wherein  having  elaborately  proved,  "That  the  qual- 
ifications expressed  in  the  fifth  proposition  of  the  synod  give  right  to 

*  Main  polnla.  t  Could  human  arm  have  aavod  mjr  nalivu  Iniid, 

She  lUU  ihould  live— taved  by  this  Bingte  hand. 


OR,    THE    III8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND, 


311 


baptism ;"  and  that  persons  thus  qualified  are  church-members,  and  visi- 
ble believers,  and  of  old  had  a  right  unto  circumcision,  and  have  church- 
discipline  belonging  to  them ;  and  that  the  apo  sties  did  baptize  persons 
who  were  no  further  qualified;  he  then  distinguishes  between  a  particular 
church,  as  it  is  more  strictly  taken  for  a  "particular  company  of  covenant- 
ing believers,  entrusted  by  our  Lord  with  the  keys  of  the  kingdom  of 
heaven;"  and  as  it  is  more  largely  taken  for  that  "special  part  of  our 
Lord's  visible  church,  which  doth  subsist  in  this  or  that  particular  place:" 
aud  he  shews  that  a  membership  of  the  catholick  church,  discovered  by  a 
relation  to  a  particular  church,  not  in  the  former,  but  in  the  latter  sense, 
is  the  formal  reason  of  baptism:  concluding  with  a  full  answer  to  all 
objections.  Indeed,  the  learned  author  of  the  book,  was  not  the  least 
argument  in  the  book.  This  alone  might  have  passed  as  no  inconsiderable 
argument  for  the  synodical  propositions,  that  besides  divers  others  who 
did  the  like,  so  considerate  a  person  as  the  apologist,  after  lie  had  so 
openly  and  so  solidly  appeared  against  them,  should  at  last  as  publickly 
declare  it,  "that  study  and  prayer,  and  much  affliction,  had  brought  him 
to  be  of  another  belief"  It  was  a  notable  observation  of  Mr.  Cotton, 
once,  in  his  letter  to  Mr.  Williams,  "that  one  might  suspect  the  way  ;f 
the  RIGID  SEPARATION  to  be  not  of  God,  because  those  who  in  tenderness 
of  conscience  had  been  drawn  into  the  error  of  that  way,  yet,  when  they 
have  grown  in  grace,  they  have  also  grown  to  discern  the  error  of  the 
separation.''^  Thus  it  was  observed,  that  several  very  excellent  men,  who 
did  according  to  their  present  light  conscientiously  dissent  from  the  synod, 
yet,  as  they  grew  in  the  manifold  grace  of  God,  and  in  ripeness  for  heaven, 
they  came  to  see  that  the  rigidity  of  their  former  principles  had  been  a 
failing  in  them.  And  if  the  apologist  were  one  who  so  signalized  a  modest 
sense  of  second  thoughts  unto  the  world,  it  can  be  reckoned  no  disparage- 
ment unto  him ;  until  the  humility  of  Austin  in  his  retractions,  or  the 
ingenuity  of  Bellarmine  in  his  recognitions,  come  to  be  accounted  their 
blemishes ;  or  until  Bucer's — yea,  and  Luther's — change  of  their  opinions 
about  consubstantiation,  and  the  recovery  of  Zinglius  from  inclinations  to 
Anti-paadobaptism,  shall  bo  esteemed  the  disgrace  of  those  renowned  men; 
or,  until  Mr.  Robinson  shall  be  blamed  for  composing  his  weighty  argu- 
ments against  the  rigid  separation  which  once  he  had  zealously  defended. 
I  shall  to  this  occasion  but  apply  the  words  of  Dr.  Owen  unto  Mr.  Cawdry, 
to  take  off  the  charge  of  inconstancy  laid  upon  him,  for  his  ai)pearing  on 
behalf  of  the  Congregational  church  discipline:  "He  that  can  glory  that 
in  fourteen  years  he  hath  not  altered  nor  improved  his  conceptions  of  some 
things,  of  -  o  greater  importance  than  that  mentioned,  shall  not  have  me 
for  his  rival." 

§  4.  Very  gradual  was  the  procedure  of  the  churches  to  exercise  that 
church-care  of  their  children,  which  the  synodical  propositions  had  recom- 
mended: for,  though  the  pastors  were  generally  principled  for  it,  yet,  in 


Bm^i 


mm 


312 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


very  many  of  the  churches,  a  number  of  brethren  were  so  stiffly  and 
fiercely  set  the  other  way,  that  the  pastors  did  forbear  to  extend  their 
practice  unto  the  length  of  their  judgment,  through  the  fear  of  uncomfort- 
able schisms  which  might  thereupon  ensue.  And  there  fell  out  one 
singular  temptation,  which  had  a  great  influence  upon  this  matter! — that 
famous  and  faithful  society  of  Christians,  the  first  church  in  Boston,  had 
afi;er  much  agitation,  so  far  begun  to  attend  the  discipline  directed  in  the 
doctrine  of  the  synod,  that  they  proceeded  ecclesiastically  to  censure  the 
adult  children  of  several  communicants  for  scandals,  whereinto  they  had 
fallen.  But  that  church,  for  a  supply  of  their  vacancy  upon  the  death  of 
their  former  more  synodalial  ministers,  applying  themselves  unto  Mr.  John 
Davenport,  the  greatest  of  the  anti-synodists,  all  the  interests  of  the  synod 
came  to  be  laid  aside  therein,  on  that  occasion.  Hereupon,  thirty  brethren 
of  that  eminent  church  offered  several  reasons  of  their  dissent  from  their 
call  of  that  worthy  person;  whereof  one  was  in  these  terms: 

"We  should  walk  contrary  to  Rev.  iii.  3:  not  •holding  fast  what  we  have  received;'  nor 
should  we,  'as  we  have  received  Christ  Jesus  the  Lord,  so  walk  in  him.'  [The  doctrine  of 
the  synod]  it  having  been  a  received  and  a  professed  truth,  by  the  holy  body  of  the  church, 
who  have  voted  it  in  the  affirmative,  and  that  after  much  patience  with,  and  candor  towards 
those  that  were  otherwise  minded;  divers  days  having  been  spent  about  this  great  genera. 
tion-truth,  which  since  hath  been  confirmed  by  the  synod.  Full  liberty  hath  also  been  granted 
unto  those  who  scrupled,  to  propose  their  questions;  and  they  were  answered,  with  such 
publick  satisfiiction,  that  those  few  who  remained  unsatisfied,  promised  to  sit  down  and  leave 
the  body  to  act,  excepting  one  or  two.  Accordingly,  there  was  an  entrance  upon  the  work; 
but  the  Lord  lay  it  net  to  the  ch.irge  of  those  that  hindred  progress  therein,  which  with 
great  blessing  and  success  has  been  and  is  practised  in  neighbour  churches." 

But  the  difference  produced  so  much  division,  that  the  major  part  of 
the  church,  by  far,  proceeded  to  their  election  of  that  great  man;  this 
lesser  part  nevertheless  carefully  and  exactly  following  the  advice  of 
councils,  fetched  from  other  churches  in  the  neighbourhood,  set  up  another 
church  in  the  town  of  Boston,  which  hath  since  been  one  of  the  most  con- 
siderable in  the  country.  Very  uncomfortable  were  the  paroxims,  which 
were  the  consequents  of  thifi  ferment ; 

Longa  eat  injuria,  Longa 


Ambages"- 


and  the  whole  people  of  God  throughout  the  colony  were  too  much  di3- 
tinguished  into  such  as  favored  the  new  church ;  whereof  the  former  were 
for  it.  Indeed,  for  a  considerable  while,  tho'  the  good  men  on  both  sides 
really  loved,  respected  and  honoured  one  another,  yet,  through  soitie 
unhappy  misunderstandings  in  certain  particular  persons,  the  communi- 
cants of  these  two  particular  churches  in  Boston,  like  the  two  distingui^liM 
rivers,  not  mixing,  tho'  running  between  the  same  banks,  held  not  com- 
munion with  one  another  at  the  table  of  the  Lord :  but  in  two  sevens  of 


*  The  wrong  luats  well,  and  iievvr  Bocms  tu  tire. 


years,  that  breac 
in  the  neighbou 
wherein,  lament 
tions,  they  gave 
reconciliation, 
at  Antioch,  abo 
nsvTg  ^  oyioijxovTO 
ever,  the  two  c 
propositions  of ' 
ton  has,  from  th 
had  no  small  eff 
§  5.  But  it  is, 
baptise  the  chil 
church-watch  tc 
some  of  the  chu 
the  children  of 
baptise  the  offsp 
municants;  nev 
obtained  of  thei 
faction  at  the  bi 
but  to  concur  w 
for  such  a  disc 
directed  for  the 
Very  various 
churches  into  1 
prayers  and  the 
much  more  mc 
delayed,  that  tli 
late  as  the  yeai 
thcroof,  did  eff( 
neglected,  cam( 
nation  of  their 
themselves,  at 
history  of  the 
inveterate  negh 
"church  histor 
ou3  "church  c 
Know,  then 
for  the  directic 
the  ''State  of 
having  privati 
Buch  dissenters 
meetings  or  d( 
of  two  or  thre 


OS,    THE   HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


813 


years,  that  breacli  was  bealed,  and,  unto  the  general  joy  of  the  Christians 
ia  the  neighbourhood,  both  the  churches  kept  a  solemn  day  together, 
wherein,  lamenting  the  infirmities  that  had  attended  their  former  con' 
tions,  they  gave  thanks  to  the  great  Peace-maker  for  effecting  this  joyiui 
reconciliation.  The  schism  was  not  so  long  lived  as  that  which  happered 
at  Antioch,  about  the  ordination  of  a  minister,  whereof  Theodoret  says, 
nsvT£  ^  oyioijxovra  SiSfisnev  irr) — "t<  endured  fourscore  and  Jive  years."  How- 
ever, the  two  churches  continued  still  their  various  dispositions  to  the 
propositions  of  the  synod;  and  it  is  well  known  that  the  example  of  Bos- 
ton has,  from  the  beginning,  as  the  prophets  once  intimated  of  Jerusalem, 
had  no  small  efficacy  upon  the  land. 

§  5.  But  it  is,  at  last,  come  to  this:  that  tho'  some  of  our  churches  yet 
baptise  the  children  of  none  but  their  communicants,  and  extend  their 
church-watch  to  none  but  the  persons  of  their  communicants,  and  tho' 
some  of  the  churches  go  a  step  further,  and  extend  their  church- watch  to 
the  children  of  their  communicants,  but  yet  most  unaccountably  will  not 
baptise  the  offspring  of  these,  till  these  parents  become  themselves  com- 
municants; nevertheless,  the  most  of  the  ministers  in  the  countrey  have 
obtained  of  their  churches,  not  only  to  forbear  all  expressions  of  dissatis- 
faction at  the  baptism  of  such  as  the  synod  has  declar'd  the  subjects  of  it, 
but  to  concur  with  them,  when  their  votes  are  upon  occasion  demanded 
for  such  a  disciple  as  the  synod  has  from  the  eighteenth  of  Matthew 
directed  for  the  baptised. 

Very  various  have  been  the  methods  of  the  pastors  to  bring  their 
churches  into  the  desired  order;  m^ny  the  meetings,  the  debates,  the 
prayers  and  the  fasts,  with  which  this  matter  has  been  accomplished ;  and 
much  more  many  the  difficulties,  where  the  matter  had  been  so  long 
delayed,  that  the  retrieval  was  well  nigh  to  be  despaired.  Yea,  it  was  as 
late  as  the  year  1692,  that  the  last  church,  which,  after  a  long  omission 
thcroof,  did  effectually  set  upon  the  church  care  of  the  disciples  formerly 
neglected,  came  to  their  duty ;  and  they  did  it  with  such  a  further  expla- 
nation of  their  principles,  as  diverse  great  opposers  of  the  synod  professed 
themselves,  at  last,  able  to  comply  withal.  Now,  because  the  particular 
history  of  the  proceedings  used,  when  things  had  run  thus  far  into  an 
inveta-ate  neglect,  may  be  very  subservient  unto  one  main  design  of  our 
"church  history,"  which  is  to  gi'x'R  an  experimental  direction  for  more  ardu- 
ous "church  cases,"  I  shall  here  give  it  unto  my  reader. 

Know,  then,  that  the  pastor  of  tho  church,  after  solemn  supplications 
for  the  direction  of  Heaven  about  it,  haviixg previously  preached  and  pj'inted 
the  ^^  State  of  the  Truth,"  which  he  was  now  reducing  into  practice,  and 
having  privately  with  personal  conferences  endeavoured  the  satisfliction  of 
such  dissenters  as  he  counted  more  significant,  he  then,  avoiding  all  publick 
meetings  or  debates,  drew  up  the  following  instrument,  which  by  the  hands 
of  two  or  three  chosen  persons  ho  sent  about  unto  the  brethren: 


ilM^lS;:fl!»»t(r     t^i 


Mr  li 


iii 


liLI 


814 


MAONALIA   CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


PERSUASIOlfS  AID  PROPOSALS  LAID  BBFORB  THE  CHURCH  IN . 

I.  It  is  my  persuasion,  that  our  Lord  Joaus  Christ  hath  in  the  world  a  catholic  church 
which  is  his  mystical  body,  and  hath  all  his  elecUcalled  people  belonging  thereunto. 

II.  It  is  my  persuasion,  that  the  catholic  churvh  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  becomes  in  vnri> 
ous  degrees  visible  unto  us;  and,  according  to  the  degrees  of  its  visibility,  it  becomes  cnp^w 
ble  of  a  visible  communion  with  its  glorious  head. 

III.  It  is  my  persuasion,  that  when  men  profess  the  faith  of  the  gospel,  with  obedience 
unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  according  to  that  gospel,  and  overthrow  not  that  profession  by 
a  scandalous  conversation,  they  are  to  be  looked  upon  as  members  of  the  visible  catholic 
church  of  our  Lord ;  they  are  to  be  treated  as  Christians;  to  call  them  or  count  them  heuthmi, 
is  to  do  them  a  grievous  injury. 

IV.  It  is  my  persuasion,  that  when  such  professors  regularly  combine  into  a  society  for 
the  evangelical  worship  and  service  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  furnish  themselves  with 
officers  of  his  appointment,  they  then  bocome  a  part  of  the  catholic  church,  so  visible,  as  to 
be  a  body  politic,  entrusted  with  the  administration  of  those  ordinances  which  are  priviledges 
in  that  kingdom  cf  heaven. 

V.  It  is  my  persuasion,  that  a  farticular  church,  thus  betrusted  with  the  ordinancrs  of  our 
Lord  Jesu!)  Christ,  is  to  be  concerned  for  the  applying  some  of  those  ordinance.^  utitu  8ub> 
jects  that  have  not  yet  arrived  so  far  in  visible  Christianity  as  to  be  constituent  pans  of  that 
holy  society. 

It  is  my  persuasion,  that  baptism  is  an  ordinance  to  be  administered  unto  them  that  are 
in  the  visible  catholick  church,  while  those  Christians  have  not  yet  joined  themselves  unto 
a  particular  church,  but  are  only  in  a  state  of  initiation  and  preparation  for  it.  In  the  Scrip* 
ture  we  do  not  read  of  any  that  were  baptized  after  their  joining  to  full  communion  in  a  par< 
ticular  church  of  the  New-Tcstamont,  but  of  many  that  were  so  before. 

Under  the  influence  of  these  persuasions,  there  are  now  these  proposals  which  I  would 
make  unto  that  particular  church  of  God,  whereof  I  am  an  unworthy-overseer  in  the  Lord: 

I.  It  is  my  proposal,  that  if  any  person,  instructed  and  orthodo/  'n  our  Christian  reli^on, 
do  bring  testimonials  of  a  sober  and  blameless  conversation,  and  publicly  submit  ihemselv.;s 
unto  the  bonds  of  such  a  sacred  covenant  as  now  foUoweth: 

"  You  now,  from  your  heart,  profosiin(r  a  serious  boliof  to  the  Christian  religion,  as  it  has  liccn 
generally  declared  and  embraced  by  the  faithful  in  this  place,  do  iiere  give  up  yourself  to  God  in 
Christ;  promising  with  hia  help  to  endeavour  to  walk  according  to  the  rules  of  that  holy  religion 
all  your  days :  choosing  of  God  aa  your  beat  good  and  your  last  end,  and  Christ,  as  the  Prupiiet, 
and  Priest,  and  the  King  of  your  aoiil  forever.  You  do  therefore  submit  unto  the  laws  of  hi^ 
kingdom,  as  they  are  administered  in  this  church  of  hia  t  and  you  will  also  carefully  and  sincerely 
labour  after  those  more  positive  and  increased  evidences  of  regeneration,  which  may  further 
encourage  you  to  seek  an  admission  unto  the  table  of  the  Lord." 

I  say,  I  propound,  that  I  may  without  offence  baptise  this  |)erson  and  his  house,  and  that 
such  persons  may  be  watched  over,  if  not  as  brethren,  yet  as  disciples,  in  the  porch  of  the 
Lord's  temple ;  of  whom  we  have  cause  to  hope  that  they  will  shortly  express  their  dvsi.-es 
after  the  Lord's  Supper,  with  such  tokens  of  growth  in  grace  upon  them,  as  that  we  may 
chearfully  receive  them  thereunto. 

II.  It  is  my  proposal,  that,  as  for  the  children  thus  baptized  in  their  minority,  the  elders 
of  the  church  may  be  inquisitive  and  industrious  about  their  being  brought  up  in  the  nur- 
ture and  admonition  of  the  Lord.  Out  that  when  they  como  to  be  adult,  the  elders  of  the 
church  may,  to  confi.m  thom  in  their  church-state,  put  them  upon  the  open  renewal  of  their 
baptismal  eovenaPv,  with  a  subjection  of  themselves  unto  the  watch  of  the  church;  and  if 
any  of  them  do  upon  examination  itppear  to  have  more  sensible  and  plenary  symptoms  of 
conversion  i*:iio  God,  they  may  be  exhorted  immediately  to  make  n>gular  upprouchos  unto 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


tiie  L-\b1e  of  the  Lord;  and  that  if  any  of  them  contumaciously  despise  and  refusu  tinir 
duty  of  renewing  their  covenant,  and  owning  the  government  of  the  Lord  over  them,  they 
may  after  proper  admonitions  be  debarred  from  standing  among  the  people  of  God,  which 
otherwise  they  might  lay  claim  unto. 

I,  therefore,  propound,  that  the  church  may  seasonably  look  after  a  full  supply  of 
officers,  whereby  this  work  may  be  fully  prosecuted.  In  the  mean  time,  I  am  will- 
ing to  attend  as  much  of  this  work  as  God  shall  enable  me  unto.  Asking  of  you 
that  none  of  you  would  object  about  my  giving  meat  in  due  season  to  any  part  of 
my  blessed  master's  family,  which  he  hath  mode  me  a  steward  of;  but  that  all  of 
you  would  help  me  with  your  daily  prayers,  and  whatever  other  assistances  may  be 
useful  unto  Youb  solicitous  Pastor  and  Servant. 

This  instrument  was  within  a  few  days  brought  back  unto  the  pastor, 
with  such  a  return  at  the  close  of  it: 


"We,  the  brethren  of  the 


church  in< 


-,  consider  how  {blly  those  reverend 


persons  that  have  rule  over  us,  and  watch  for  our  souls,  have  declared  what  they  judge  to 
bo  the  mind  of  God,  about  the  subject  of  baptism,  and  apprehending  that  we  may  have  Itun 
too  long  in  the  omission  of  duty  thereabouts;  do  now  ^ignifie,  that  we  are  not  unwilling  to 
have  the  perswasions  and  proposals,  which  our  pastor  hath  here  laid  before  us,  carefully 
put  into  practice;  and  that  we  would  have  no  obstruction  given  to  the  holy  endeavours 
wiiich  may  be  used  this  way,  to  advance  the  interest  of  religion  in  the  midst  of  us," 

Hereunto  the  generality  of  the  brethren,  perhaps  twenty  to  one,  had 
subscribed  their  names.  And  those  few  that  were  not  yet  so  wholly 
rescued  from  their  anti-synodalian  scruples,  yet  verbally  signified  their 
Christian  and  peaceable  assurances  that  it  should  give  no  uneasiness  unto 
their  minds  to  see  the  desires  of  their  pastor  accomplished;  which  was 
done  accordingly. 

But  thus  much  concerning  the  proceedings  in  a  synod  of  New-England 
Churches,  for  the  "church  care  of  their  posterity."  "We'll  conclude  all 
by  an  agreeable  speech  of  the  great  Bomus  (in  Comment,  de  Relig.  1.  4.  c. 
6):  Libert  fidelium  baptizantur,  utparticipes  sinit  et  hoeredes  divinorum  bene- 
ficiorum  ecclesice  promisorumj  uique  cetate  provecti  parentum  religionem  et  pie- 
tatem,  profiteantur.* 

*  The  children  of  the  faithful  are  baptiied,  that  they  may  be  partaken  and  heir*  of  the  divine  bleieings  prom- 
iied  to  the  church,  and  when  they  reach  a  BUllablo  age,  may  profois  the  religion  and  piety  of  their  parenti. 


\      11 

i 


816 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI        MBRIOANA; 


THE  FOURTH  PART. 
THE  REFORMING  SYNOD  OP   NEW-RN6LANB, 

WITH  SUBSEQUENT   ESSAYS  OF    REFORMATION    IN  THE  -  IIURCIIRS. 

O  vera  panitentia,  quid  d*  U  Novi  reftram  !  Omnia  Ugala  (m  mdvi*,  »mm«  r/mtM  (h  rrtrrp* 
omnia  adverta  tu  mitigat,  omnia  eontrita  tu  *anat,  omnia  con/nmi  tn  Intida*,  tmnia  dufrmtn 
tu  animat. — Cvfrun.* 

§  1.  TiiK  settloincnt  of  tlio  Now-English  ohuivl»0}»,  with  n  h>ng  wn'i  < 
of  preaorving  and  prosperous  smiles  from  lloaveii  upi»n  thorn,  is  doubtless 
to  1)0  roekonod  amongst  tho  more  "wonderful  works  of  tunl,"  in  this  agi>- 
the  true  glories  of  tho  young  i)lantatiou  luul  not  upon  tho  faoo  of  UxixVn 
earth  a  parallel,  our  (nUvrmn'es  t/wntifelvcii  i>^inij  Jtuhjfa,  \\x\i  when  piH>pi,> 
began  more  notoriously  to  forgot  tho  "errand  into  tho  wilderness,"  and 
when  tho  enchantments  of  thin  world  eausod  tho  rising  giM\erati*>n  nioio 
sensibly  to  neglect  tho  primitive  designs  and  interests  of  tyli<iion  \\p.y. 
pounded  by  their  fathers;  a  chaiuje  in  the  tonour  of  tho  divine  dispoiisji- 
tions  towards  this  country,  was  quickly  the  matter  of  overy  Knly  s  obser- 
vation. By  hvid,  some  of  tho  principle  graiiia,  espivially  our  whv\»t  and 
our  pease,  fell  under  an  unaccountable  /»/«.>>•<,  from  which  we  aw  not,  evoii 
unto  this  day,  delivered;  and  besides  that  constant  frv>wn  of  lioavon  upoa 
our  husbandry,  recurring  every  year,  few  years  havo  j^jisstnl,  wheri'iu 
either  worms  or  droughts,  or  some  consuming  disj\sters  havo  not  K^rallou 
the  "labour  of  the  husbandman."  By  mi,  wo  wore  visited  with  niulli- 
plied  shipwrecks,  enemies  prey'd  on  our  vessels  and  sailors,  and  the  affairs 
of  tho  merchant  were  clogged  with  losses  abroad;  or jhrs^  brv\»king  forth 
in  the  chief  seats  of  trade  at  home,  wasted  their  sulwtanw  with  yet  nu>re 
costly  desolations.  Nor  did  the  land  and  the  stti  nu>rt>  pi\H»laim  tho  eon- 
troversie  of  our  God  against  us,  than  that  other  okMnotit  of  the  air,  by 
the  contagious  vapours  whereof  several  jumtiUiitial  sieknesses  did  soino- 
times  become  epidemical  among  us.  Yea,  tho  juilgment*  of  God  having 
done  first  the  part  of  the  vwth  upon  us,  proceeded  then  to  do  tho  part  of 
a  lion,  in  lamentable  irars,  wherein  the  barbarous  Indians  cruelly  butoh- 
ered  many  hundreds  of  our  iidiabitants,  and  seatteivd  whole  towns  with 
miserable  ruins.  When  dismal  calamities  befol  tho  prinuti\o  Ohristiais, 
as  acknowledged  by  the  great  Cyprian,  that  tho  cause  theiwf  waj?,  Ihx>;iuso 
they  were  Patrimonio  et  Lucro  studenks — "too  much  minding  to  gi^t  estates 
and  riches;"  Supcrbiam.  Sectantes — "too  proud;"  ivmulationi  d  dim'ntioni 
vacantes — "given  to  contention;"  sim})licitatis  Jidti  nt\jliijt'n(i'S — "tjogligoiit 
of  the  plain  faith  of  the  gospel;"  Sucida  verbis  colis,  ft  non  /actis^  trnunci' 
antes — "  worldly ;"  tinttsqtiisque  sibi  placentes  et  omnibus  di.fpiicfutes — "  pleas- 

*  O  true  penitence  t  what  now  can  1  My  of  thoe  ?  thuu  kM>M<9t  all  thai  arv  bouiMl,  o|h><m>»I  all  thinirs  lh»t  art 
•hill.  sufieuesL  all  adveniUet,  hi'olesl  all  that  are  bruiiiod,  makutl  clear  all  Mwti*  thai  art«  c«»>l'u«>«(,  aiiinia(»( ;.!! 
Ibul  deapair. 


OR,    TIIK    UlbTOKY    OF    NEW-KNOLANU. 


817 


ing  lljcmsclves  and  vexing  others."  Tlieso  were  the  ninn  which,  ho  Hiiid, 
brought  thorn  into  sujff'crinijs;  for  these,  he  said,  Vajmlnmm  iUuiue  ut  mer- 
aUitr.*  Truly,  if  Nt-w-Kngland  liad  not  abounded  witii  the  like  ojjhices, 
it  may  be  supposed  sueh  uulaniities  hud  not  befullun  it.  It  intimated  a 
more  than  ordinary  displcasuro  of  God  for  some  oflences,  wiien  ho  pro- 
ceeded so  far  08  to  put  over  liis  ])oor  people  into  the  hands  of  tawny  and 
blootly  salvages:  and  t  iie  whole  army  had  cause  to  enquire  into  their  own 
ff/x7/j'oH.v,  v/hen  they  Haw  tlie  Lord  of  Hosts,  with  a  dreadful  decimation^ 
taking  off  so  many  of  our  brethren  by  the  worst  of  executioners.  The 
cry  of  the  last  of  the  Biitish  kings,  then  was  the  cry  of  the  NewKnglish 
Christians,  Vac  nuhin  peccatorihus  oh  imviania  secukra  noslra!^ 

§  2.  The  serious  people  throughout  the  country  were  uwakoncd  by  these 
intiniiitions  of  divine  displeasure,  to  ai<juirc  into  the  causes  and  matters  of 
the  controvemc.  And  besides  the  sc/f-rc/ormij^.j  eflects  of  these  calamities 
on  the  hearts  and  lives  of  many  particular  Christians,  who  were  hereby 
brought  unto  an  exactor  walk  with  God,  particular  churches  exerted  their 
power  oi N(l/-re/ormalio7i,  especially  in  the  time  of  the  Indian  war;  wherein 
with  much  solcnni  fasting  and  prayer,  they  renewed  their  covenants  with 
God  and  one  another.  Moreover,  the  general  courts  enacted  what  laws 
were  judged  proper  for  the  extinction  of  those  provoking  evils,  which 
might  expose  the  land  unto  the  anger  of  Heaven:  and  the  ministers  in 
their  several  congregations,  by  their  Tiiinistry,  set  themselvs  to  testifie 
against  those  evils.  Nor  is  it  a  thing  unworthy  of  a  great  remark,  that 
great  successes  against  the  enemy  accompanied  some  notable  transactions 
both  in  church  and  in  court,  for  the  reformation  of  our  provoking  evils. 
Indeed,  the  people  of  God  in  this  land  were  not  gone  so  far  in  defjcneracy, 
but  that  there  were  further  ^ "gfces  of  disorder  and  corruption  to  be 
found — I  must  freely  si)eak  ii  -in  other,  yea,  in  all  other  jjlaces,  where 
the  Protestant  religion  is  professed:  and  the  most  im[)artial  observers 
must  have  acknowledged,  that  there  was  proportionably  still  more  of  true 
religion,  and  a  larrjer  nuihotr  of  the  strictest  saints  in  this  country,  than  in 
any  other  on  the  face  of  the  earth.  But  it  was  to  be  confessed,  that  the 
degeneracy  of  New-Kngland,  in  any  measure,  into  the  spirit  of  the  ivorkl, 
was  a  thing  extreanily  aggravated,  by  the  greatness  of  our  obliijations  to 
the  contrary,  and  even  sinful  omissions  in  this,  were  no  less  criminal  than 
the  most  odious  commissions  in  some  other  countries. 

§  3.  After  ^)eace  was  restored  unto  the  country,  the  evil  spirit  of  apostacy 
from  the  "power  of  Godliness,"  and  the  various  discoveries  and  conse- 
quences of  such  an  apostasie,  became  still  more  sensible  to  them  that 
"feared  God."  Wherefore,  that  there  might  be  made  a  more  exact  scrutiny 
into  the  causes  of  the  divine  displeasure  against  the  land,  and  into  the 
inctJiods  of  removing  and  preventing  the  matter  of  lamentation,  and  that 
llie  essays  of  reformation  might  be  as  well  more  extensive  as  more  effectual 

*  We  arc  Kourgcd  as  we  deserve,  f  Alas  for  ua  Blnnera,  that  we  huvo  no  ruaiTullf  uiniieil ! 


tj 


mm  i 


A  ,*'       ^t 


4 


318 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


than  they  had  been  hitherto,  the  General  Court  of  the  Massachusetts  colony 
were  prevailed  withal  to  call  upon  the  churches,  that  they  would  send 
their  elders  and  other  messengers  to  meet  in  a  synod,  for  the  solemn 
discussion  of  those  two  questions:  "What  are  the  provoking  evils  of 
New-England?"  and,  "What  is  to  be  done,  that  so  those  evils  maybe 
reformed? "  It  is  very  certain  that  the  controversie  which  the  God  of 
heaven  had  (and  still  hath!)  with  New-England,  was  a  matter  about  which 
many  "did  not  enquire  wisely."  As  of  old,  several  of  our  ancients  com- 
plained that  the  Pagans  looked  upon  the  Christians  (in  their  way  of  worship) 
as  the  causes  of  all  the  plagues  on  the  Koman  empire:  whatever  mischief 
came,  forthwith,  Christianos  ad  Leones:*  Thus,  among  the  people  of 
New-England,  many  assigned  the  plagues  upon  the  country  unto  very 
strange  causes,  as  their  several  interests  and  affections  led  them.  A  synod 
was  convened  therefore,  to  enquire  more  wisely  of  that  matter:  it  would 
astonish  one  to  be  told  that  an  assembly  of  Lutherans,  coming  together  to 
enquire  after  the  cause  of  the  judgments  which  God  had  brought  upon 
their  churches,  most  unhappily  determined,  "  that  their  not  paying  respect 
enough  unto  images  in  their  churches,  was  one  cause  of  the  Lord's  con- 
troversie with  them."  Unhappy  enquirers!  instead  of  their  dream,  that 
they  had  not  sinned  enough  against  the  second  commandment,  they  should 
have  thought  whether  they  had  not  sinned  too  much  against  the  fourth. 
But  we  hear  not  a  word  of  their  bewailing  their  universal  prophanations 
of  the  Lord's-day  to  this  day.  Our  New-English  assembly  did  enquire 
to  better  purpose.  The  churches,  having  first  kept  a  general  fast,  that  tlie 
gracious  presence  and  spirit  of  God  might  be  obtained  for  the  direction  of 
the  approaching  synod,  the  synod  convened  at  Boston,  September  10, 
1679,  chusing  Mr.  John  Shermon  and  Mr.  Urian  Oakes  for  joint  moderatorii 
during  the  biggest  part  of  the  session.  There  was,  at  first,  some  agitation 
in  this  reverend  assembly,  about  "the  matter  of  a  regular  synod,"  raised 
upon  this  occasion,  that  some  of  the  churches,  notwithstanding  the  desires 
of  their  elders  to  be  accompanied  with  other  messengers^  would  send  no 
messengers  but  their  elders  to  the  assembly.  Upon  the  debate,  it  was 
resolved,  that  not  only  elders^  but  other  messengers  also,  were  to  be  delegated 
by  churches,  and  have  their  suffrage  in  a  synod,  representing  those  churches ; 
the  primitive  pattern  of  a  synod,  in  the  fifteenth  chapter  of  the  Acts,  and 
the  primitive  practice  of  the  churches  in  the  ages  next  following  tlic 
apostles;  and  the  arguments  of  such  eminent  writers  as  Juel,  Whitakcr, 
Parker,  and  others,  against  those  who  mention  that  laicJcs  are  no  fit  matter 
for  such  assemblies;  being  judiciously  considered  as  countenancing  of 
this  asserti'"<n.  The  assembly  kept  a  day  of  prayer  with  fasting  before 
the  Lord,  and  spent  several  days  in  discoursing  upon  the  two  grand  qimtions 
laid  before  them,  with  utmost  liberty  granted  unto  every  person  to  express 
his  thoughts  thereupon.    A  committee  was  appointed  then  to  draw  up  the 

*  Awoy  with  the  Chrlsltans  to  tho  Uun«t 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


319 


mind  of  the  assembly ;  whicli  being  done,  it  was  read  over  once  and  again, 
andeach  paragraph  distinctly  weighed,  and  then,  upon  a  mature  deliberation, 
the  whole  was  unanimously  voted,  as  to  the  substance,  end  and  scope  thereof. 
So  'twas  presented  unto  the  General  Court,  who  by  an  act  of  October  15, 
1679,  "commended  it  unto  the  serious  consideration  of  all  the  churches 
and  people  in  the  jurisdiction,  enjoining  and  requiring  all  persons  in  their 
respective  capacities  to  a  careful  and  diligent  reformation  of  all  those 
provoking  evils  mentioned  therein,  according  to  the  true  intent  thereof, 
that  so  the  anger  and  displeasure  of  God,  many  ways  manifested,  might 
be  averted,  and  his  favour  and  blessing  obtained." 

§  4.  When  the  punishment  of  scourging  was  used  upon  a  criminal  in 
Israel,  it  was  the  order  and  usage  that,  while  the  executioner  was  laying 
on  his  blows,  with  an  instrument,  every  stroke  whereof  gave  three  lashes 
to  the  delinquent,  there  were  still  present  three  judges;  whereof,  while  one 
did  number  the  blows,  and  another  kept  crying  out,  "smite  him,"  a  third 
read  three  scriptures  during  the  time  of  the  scourging,  and  the  scourging 
ended  with  the  reading  of  them.  The  first  scripture  was  that  in  Deut. 
xxviii.  58:  "If  thou  wilt  not  observe  to  do  all  the  words  of  this  law,  then 
the  Lord  will  make  thy  plagues  wonderful."  The  second  scripture  was 
that  in  Deut.  xxix.  9:  "Keep  therefore  the  words  of  this  covenant,  that 
ye  may  prosper  in  all  that  ye  do."  The  third  scripture  was  that  in  Psalm 
Ixxviii.  38 :  "  But  he,  being  full  of  compassion,  forgave  their  iniquity,  and 
destroyed  them  not."  This  was  done  partly  for  the  admonition,  partly 
for  the  consolation,  of  the  criminal.  Truly,  when  the  scourges  of  Heaven 
were  imployed  upon  the  churches  of  New-England,  for  their  miscarriages, 
and  they  were  sorely  lashed  with  ^ne  blow  after  another,  not  only  partic- 
ular ministers,  but  a  whole  synod  of  them,  took  upon  themselves  the 
office  of  reading  to  the  whole  country  those  words  of  God  which  were 
judged  agreeable  to  the  condition  of  such  a  scourged  people. 

Nothing  shall  detain  my  reader  from  the  admonitions  of  this  reforming 
synod,  when  I  have  recited  the  solemn  words  in  the  preface  to  those 
admonitions : 

"  The  tilings  insisted  on  [say  they]  have,  at  least  many  of  them,  been  often  mentioned 
and  inculcuti'd  by  those  whom  the  Lord  hath  set  as  watchmen  to  the  house  of  Israel ;  tiiough, 
alas !  not  with  that  success  whii-h  their  souls  have  desired.  It  is  not  n  small  matter,  nor 
ought  it  to  seem  little  in  our  eyes,  that  the  churches  have  in  this  way  confessed  and  dcclnrod 
the  truth,  which,  coming  from  u  synod,  as  their  joint  concurring  testimony,  will  carry  more 
authority  with  it  than  if  one  man  only,  or  many  in  their  single  capacities,  should  speak  the 
Bttmo  things.  And  undoubtedly  the  issue  of  this  undertaking  will  be  most  signal,  either 
as  to  mercy  or  misery.  If  New-England  remember  whence  she  is  fallen,  and  do  the  first- 
Works,  there's  reason  to  hope  that  it  shall  bo  better  w>th  us  than  at  our  beginnings.  But  if 
this,  after  all  other  means  in  and  by  which  the  Lord  hath  been  striving  to  reclaim  us,  shall 
bo  despised,  or  become  ineffectual,  wo  may  dread  what  is  like  to  follow.  'Tis  a  solemn 
thought  Ihut  the  Jewish  church  had,  as  the  churches  in  Now-England  have  this  dny,  an 
opportunity  to  reform,  if  they  would  in  Josiah's  time:  but  because  they  had  no  heart  unto 
It,  the  Lord  quickly  removed  them  out  of  his  sight.    What  God  out  of  hia  sovereignty  may 


M 


I. 


1 

1 

1 

i 

320 


MAQNALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


do  for  us,  no  man  can  say;  but  according  to  his  wonted  dispensations,  we  are  a  perishing 
people,  if  now  we  reform  not." 

And  now  therefore  hear  the  synod : 

THE   NECESSITY   OF   REFORMATION 

WITH  THE  EXPEDIENTS  SUBSERVIENT  THEREUNTO,  ASSERTED,  IN  ANSWER  TO  TWO  QUESTIONS. 

Question  I. — What  are  the  Evila  that  have  provoked  the  Lord  to  bring  hie  Judgments  on 

New-England  ? 

Answer. — That  sometimes  God  hath  had,  and  pleaded  a  controvcrsie 
with  his  people,  is  clear  from  the  Scripture,  (Hos.  iv.  1,  and  xii.  2 ;  Mich, 
vi.  1,  2 ;)  where  God  doth  plainly  and  fully  propose,  state,  and  plead  his 
controvcrsie,  in  all  the  parts  and  causes  of  it,  wherein  he  doth  justifie  him- 
self by  the  declaration  of  his  own  infinite  mercy,  grace,  goodness,  justice, 
righteousness,  truth  and  faithfulness,  in  all  his  proceedings  with  them; 
and  judge  his  people,  charging  them  with  all  those  provoking  evils  which 
had  been  the  causes  of  that  controvcrsie,  and  that  with  the  most  high  and 
heavy  aggravation  of  their  sins,  and  exaggeration  of  the  guilt  and  punish- 
ment, whence  he  should  have  been  most  just  in  pleading  out  his  contro- 
versie  with  them  unto  the  utmost  extremity  of  justice  and  judgment. 

That  God  hath  a  controvcrsie  with  his  New-England  people  is  undeni- 
able, the  Lord  having  written  his  displeasure  in  dismal  characters  against 
us.  Though  personal  afflictions  do  oftentimes  come  only  or  chiefly  for 
probation,  yet,  as  to  publick  judgments,  it  is  not  wont  to  \)q  so;  especially 
when,  by  a  continued  series  of  providence,  the  Lord  doth  appear  and 
plead  against  his  people,  (2  Sum.  xxi.  1,)  as  with  us  it  hath  been  iVoni 
year  to  year.  Would  the  Lord  have  whetted  his  glittering  sword,  and 
his  hand  have  taken  hold  on  judgment?  Would  he  have  sent  such  a 
mortal  contagion,  like  a  besom  of  destruction,  in  the  mid.st  of  us?  Woukl 
he  have  said,  "  Sword  1  go  through  the  land,  and  cut  oft'  man  and  boast?" 
Or  would  he  have  kindled  such  devouring  fires,  and  made  such  foari'ul 
desolations  in  the  earth,  if  he  had  not  been  angry?  It  is  not  for  nothing 
that  the  merciful  Gud,  who  doth  not  willingly  alUict  nor  grieve  tlio  chil- 
dren of  men,  hath  done  all  those  things  unto  us;  yea,  and  sometimct>  with 
a  cloud  hath  covered  himself,  that  our  prayer  .should  not  pass  through; 
and  although  'tis  possible  that  the  Lord  may  contend  with  us  partly  on 
uccount  of  secret  unobserved  sins,  (Josh*  vii.  11,  12;  2  Kings  xvii.  9; 
Psalm  xe.  8,)  in  which  resjiect,  a  deep  and  most  serious  inquiry  into  the 
causes  of  his  controvcrsie  ought  to  be  attended;  nevertheless,  it  is  sadly 
evident  that  there  are  visible  evils  manifest,  which  withr-ut  doubt  the  Lord 
is  provoked  by.     For, 

1.  There  is  a  great  and  visible  decay  of  the  power  of  Godliness  amongst 
many  professors  in  these  churclics.  It  may  bo  feared  that  there  is  in  too 
many  spiritual  and  heart  apostacy  from  God,  whence  communion  with 


OR,    THE    UISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


321 


him  in  the  ways  of  his  worship,  especially  in  secret,  is  mucli  neglected, 
and  whereby  men  cease  to  know,  and  fear,  and  love,  and  trust  in  him; 
but  take  up  their  contentment  and  satisfaction  in  something  else;  this 
was  the  ground  and  bottom  of  the  Lord's  controversie  with  his  people  of 
old,  (Psalm  Ixxviii.  8.  37,  and  Ixxxi.  11;  Jer.  ii.  5.  11.  13,)  and  with  his 
people  under  the  Mew-Testament,  also,  (Rev.  ii.  4,  6.) 

II.  The  pride  that  doth  abound  in  New-England  testifies  against  us, 
(Hos.  V.  4;  Ezek.  vii.  10,)  both  spiritual  pride,  (Zeph.  iii.  11,)  whence  two 
greiit  evils  and  provocations  have  proceeded,  and  prevailed  among  us. 
1,  A  refusing  to  be  subject  to  order,  according  to  divine  appointment, 
(Numb.  xvi.  3 ;  1  Pet.  v.  5.)  2,  Contention,  (Prov.  xiii.  10,)  an  evil  that 
is  most  eminentl}'  against  the  solemn  charge  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
(Josh.  xiii.  34,  3o,)  and  that  for  which  God  hath  by  severe  judgments 
punished  his  people,  both  in  former  and  latter  ages.  This  malady  hath 
been  very  general  in  the  country ;  we  have,  therefore,  cause  to  fear  that 
the  wolves,  which  God  in  his  holy  providence  hath  let  loose  upon  us, 
have  been  sent  to  chastise  his  sheep  for  dividings  and  strayings  one  from 
another;  and  that  the  wars  and  lightings,  which  have  proceeded  from  the 
lust  of  pride  in  special,  have  been  punished  with  the  sword,  (Jam.  iv.  1 ; 
Job.  xix.  29.)  Yea,  and  pride  in  respect  of  apparel  hath  greatly  abounded; 
servants  and  the  poorer  sort  of  people  are  notoriously  guilty  in  this  matter, 
who  (too  generally)  go  above  their  estates  and  degrees,  thereby  transgress- 
ing the  laws  both  of  God  and  man,  (Matth.  xi.  8.)  Yea,  it  is  a  sin  that 
even  the  light  of  nature  and  laws  of  civil  nations  have  condemned,  (1  Cor. 
xi.  14.)  Also,  many,  not  of  the  meaner  sort,  have  offended  God  by 
strange  apparel,  not  becoming  serious  Christians,  especially  in  these  days 
of  aflhction  and  misery,  wherein  the  Lord  calls  upon  men  to  put  off  their 
ornaments,  (Exod.  xxxiii.  5;  Jer.  iv.  30.)  A  sin  which  brings  wrath  upon 
the  greatest  that  shall  be  found  guilty  of  it,  (Zoph.  i.  8,  with  Jer.  Iii.  13.) 
Particularly  the  Lord  hath  threatened  to  visit  with  sword  and  sickness, 
and  with  loathsome  diseases,  for  this  very  sin,  (Isa.  iii.  16.) 

III.  Inasmuch  as  it  was  in  a  more  peculiar  manner  with  respect  to  the 
second  commandment,  that  our  fathers  did  follow  the  Lord  into  this  wil- 
derness, whilst  it  was  a  land  not  sown,  wo  may  fear  that  the  breaches  of 
that  comniiindment  are  some  part  of  the  Lord's  controversie  with  New- 
England.  Church-fellowship  and  other  divine  institutions  are  greatly 
neglected.  Many  of  the  rising  generation  are  not  mindful  of  that  which 
their  baptism  doth  engage  them  unto,  viz:  to  use  utmost  endeavours  that 
they  may  be  fit  for,  and  so  partake  in  all  the  holy  ordinances  of  the  Lord 
Jesu?,  (Matth.  xxviii.  20.)  There  are  too  many  that  with  profane  Esau 
slight  spiritual  priviledges.  Nor  is  there  so  much  of  discipline  extended 
towards  the  children  of  the  covenant,  as  wo  are  generally  agreed  ought  to 
bo  done.  On  the  other  hand,  humane  inventions  and  will-worship  have 
been  set  up  even  in  Jerusalem.    Men  have  set  up  their  thresholds  by 

Vol.  II.— 21 


i  " 


ommmmmli 


822 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


God's  threshold,  and  their  posts  by  his  post.  Quakers  are  false  worship. 
pers;  and  such  Anabaptists  as  have  risen  up  among  us,  in  opposiiion  to 
the  churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  receiving  into  their  society  those  that 
have  been  for  scandal  dehvered  unto  Satan ;  yea,  and  improving  those  as 
administrators  of  holy  things  who  have  been  (as  doth  appear)  justly  under 
church-censures,  do  no  better  than  set  up  an  altar  agaiiist  the  Lord's  altar. 
Wherefore  it  must  needs  be  provoking  to  God  if  these  things  be  not  duly 
and  fully  testified  against,  by  every  one  in  their  several  capacities  resp(jct- 
ively,  (Josh.  xxii.  19;  2  Kings  xxiii.  13;  Ezek.  xliii.  8;  Psalms,  xcix.  8; 
Hos.  xi.  6.) 

IV.  The  holy  and  glorious  name  of  God  hath  been  polluted  and  profaned 
amongst  us,  more  especially.  1,  By  oaths  and  imprecations  in  ordinary 
discourse;  yea,  and  it  is  too  common  a  thing  for  men  in  a  more  solemn 
way  to  swear  unnecessary  oaths;  when  as  it  is  a  breach  of  the  third  coni- 
mandment,  so  to  use  the  blessed  name  of  God.  And  many  (if  not  the 
most)  of  those  that  swear,  consider  not  the  rule  of  an  oath,  (Jer,  iv.  2.) 
So  that  we  may  justly  fear  that  because  of  swearing  the  land  mourns,  (Jer. 
xxiii.  10.  2.)  There  is  great  prophaneness  in  respect  of  irreverent  behav- 
iour in  the  solemn  worship  of  God.  It  is  a  Tiequent  thing  for  men  (though 
not  necessitated  thereunto  by  any  infirmity)  to  sit  in  prayer  time,  and 
some  with  their  heads  almost  covered,  and  to  give  way  to  their  own  sloth 
and  sleepiness,  when  they  should  be  serving  God  with  attention  and  inten- 
tion, under  the  solemn  dispensation  of  his  ordinances.  We  read  but  of 
one  man  in  Scripture  that  slept  at  a  sermon,  and  that  sin  had  like  to  have 
cost  hirti  his  life,  (Acts  xx.  9.) 

V.  There  is  much  Sabbath-breaking;  since  there  are  multitudes  that  do 
profanely  absent  themselves  or  theirs  from  the  public  worship  of  God  on 
his  holy  day,  especially  in  the  most  populous  places  of  the  land;  and 
many,  under  pretence  of  differing  apprehensions  about  the  beginning  of 
the  Sabbath,  do  not  keep  a  seventh  part  of  time  holy  unto  the  Lord,  as 
the  fourth  commandment  requireth;  walking  abroad,  and  travelling  (not 
meerly  on  the  account  of  worshipping  God  in  the  solemn  assemblies  of  his 
people,  or  to  attend  works  of  necessity  or  mercy)  being  a  common  pnictico 
on  the  Sabbath-day,  which  is  contrary  unto  that  rest  enjoyned  by  the 
commandment  Y'^a,  some  that  attend  their  particular  servile  callings  and 
employments  afler  the  Sabbath  is  begun,  or  before  it  is  ended.  Worldly, 
unsuitable  discourses  arc  very  common  upon  the  Lord's  day,  contrary  to 
the  Scripture,  which  requireth  that  men  should  not  on  holy  times  find 
their  own  pleasure  nor  speak  their  own  words,  (Isa.  Iviii.  13.)  Many  t!iat 
do  not  take  caro  so  to  dispatch  their  worldly  businesses,  that  they  may  bo 
free  and  fit  for  the  duties  of  the  Sabbath,  and  that  do  (if  not  wholly  neg- 
lect) after  a  careless,  heartless  manner,  perform  the  duties  that  concern  the 
sanctification  of  the  Sabbath.  This  brings  wrath,  fires  and  other  judg- 
ments upon  a  professing  people,  (Neh.  iii.  17,  18;  I'er.  xvii.  27.) 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAXD. 


323 


YI.  As  to  what  concerns  families  and  government  thereof,  there  is 
much  amiss.  There  are  many  families  that  do  not  pray  to  God  constantly 
morning  and  evening,  arid  many  more,  wherein  the  Scriptures  are  not 
daily  read,  that  so  the  word  of  Christ  might  dwell  richly  with  them. 
Some,  and  too  many  houses,  that  are  full  of  ignorance  and  prophaneness, 
and  these  not  duly  inspected,  for  which  cause  wrath  may  come  upon  others 
round  about  them,  as  well  as  upon  themselves,  (Jos.  xxii.  20;  Jerem.  v. 
7,  and  x.  25.)  And  many  householders  who  profess  religion,  do  not  cause 
all  that  are  within  their  gates  to  become  subjects  unto  good  order,  as  ought 
to  be,  (Exod.  xx.  10.)  Nay,  children  and  servants,  that  are  not  kept  in 
due  subjection,  their  masters  and  parents  especially  being  sinfully  indulgent 
towards  them.  This  is  a  sin  which  brings  great  judgments,  as  we  see  in 
Eli's,  and  David's  family.  In  this  respect  Christians  in  this  land  have 
become  too  like  unio  the  Indians,  and  then  we  need  not  wonder  if  the 
Lord  hath  afflicted  us  by  them.  Sometimes  a  sin  is  discerned  by  the 
instrument  that  Providence  doth  punish  with.  Most  of  the  evils  that 
abound  amongst  us,  proceed  from  defects  as  to  family  government. 

VII.  Inordinate  passions.  Sinful  heats  and  hatreds,  and  that  among 
church-members  themselves,  who  abound  with  evil  surmisings,  uncharita- 
ble and  unrighteous  censures,  back-bitings,  hearing  and  telling  tales,  few 
that  remember  and  duly  observe  the  rule,  with  an  angry  countenance  to 
drive  away  the  tale-bearer;  reproachful  and  reviling  expressions,  some- 
times to  or  of  one  another.  Hence  law-suites  are  frequent,  brother  going 
to  law  with  brother,  and  provoking  and  abusing  one  another  in  publick 
courts  of  judicature,  to  the  scandal  of  their  holy  profession,  (Isa.  Iviii.  4; 
1  Cor.  vi.  6,  7.)  And  in  managing  the  discipline  of  Christ,  some  (and  too 
many)  are  acted  by  their  passions  and  prejudices,  more  than  by  a  spirit 
of  love  and  faithfulness  towards  their  brother's  soul,  which  things  are,  as 
against  the  law  of  Christ,  so  dreadful  violations  of  the  church-covenant, 
made  in  the  presence  of  God. 

VIII.  There  is  much  intemperance.  That  heathenish  and  idolatrous 
practice  of  health-drinking  is  too  frequent;  that  shameful  iniquity  of  sin- 
ful drinlving  is  become  too  general  a  provocation.  Days  of  training,  and 
otber  publick  solemnities,  have  been  abused  in  this  respect;  and  not  only 
English,  but  Indians,  have  been  debauched  by  those  that  call  themselves 
Christians,  who  have  put  their  bottles  to  them,  and  made  them  drunk  also. 
This  is  a  crying  sin,  and  the  more  aggravated,  in  that  the  first  planters  of 
this  colony  did  (as  is  in  the  patent  expressed)  come  into  this  land  with  a 
design  to  convert  the  heathen  unto  Christ:  but  if,  instead  of  that,  they  be 
tauglit  wickedness,  which  before  they  were  never  guilty  of,  the  Lord  may 
Well  punish  us  by  them.  Moreover,  the  sword,  sickness,  poverty,  and 
almost  all  the  judgments  which  have  been  upon  New-England,  are  men- 
tioned in  the  Scripture,  as  the  woful  fruit  of  that  sin,  (Jer.  v.  11,  12,  and 
xxviii.  1,  2,  and  Ivi.  9.  12;  Prov.  xxiii.  21.  29,  30,  and  xxi.  17;  Uos.  vii. 


■m^ 


MM 


I 


'M 


1 


:i:    '^ 


)  I 


s 

.  Ill 


82:1 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


II 
ill 


5,  and  xxviii.  9.  There  are  more  temptations  and  occasions  unto  thai  sin 
publickly  allowed  of)  than  any  necessity  doth  require;  the  proper  end  of 
taverns,  &c.,  being  for  the  entertainment  of  strangers,  which,  if  they  were 
improved  to  that  end  only,  a  far  less  number  would  suffice :  But  it  is  a  com- 
mon practice  for  town-dwellers — ^yea,  and  church-members — to  frequent 
publick  houses,  and  there  to  misspend  precious  time,  unto  the  dishonour 
of  the  gospel,  and  the  scandalizing  of  others,  who  are  by  such  examples 
induced  to  sin  against  God.  In  which  respect  for  church-members  to  be 
unnecessarily  in  such  houses,  is  sinful,  scandalous,  and  provoking  to  God, 
(1  Cor.  viii.  9,  10;  Eom.  xiv.  21;  Matth.  xvii.  27,  and  xviii.  7.) 

And  there  are  other  hainous  breaches  of  the  seventh  commandment 
Temptations  thereunto  are  become  too  common,  viz:  such  as  immodest 
apparel,  (Prov.  vii.  10,)  laying  out  of  hair,  borders,  naked  necks  and  arms, 
or,  which  is  more  abominable,  naked  breasts,  and  mixed  dancings,  light 
Ijehaviour  and  expressions,  sinful  company -keeping  with  light  and  vain 
persons,  unlawful  gaming,  an  abundance  of  idleness,  which  brought  ruin- 
ating judgment  upon  Sodom,  and  much  more  upon  Jerusalem,  (Ezek.  xvi. 
49,)  and  doth  sorely  threaten  New-England,  unless  effectual  remedies  be 
thoroughly  and  timously  applied. 

IX.  There  is  much  want  of  truth  amongst  men.  Promise-breuking  is 
a  common  sin,  for  which  New-England  doth  hear  ill  abroad  in  the  world. 
And  the  Lord  hath  threatened  for  that  transgression  to  give  his  ])e()ple 
into  the  hands  of  their  enemies,  and  that  their  dead  bodies  should  be  for 
meat  unto  the  fowls  of  heaven,  and  to  the  beasts  of  the  earth,  which  judg- 
ments have  been  verified  upon  us,  (Jer.  xxxiv.  18.  20.)  And  false  reports 
have  been  too  commor,  yea,  walking  with  reproaches  ar;I  slanders,  and 
that  sometimes  against  the  most  faithful  and  eminent  servants  of  God. 
The  Lord  is  not  wont  to  sufl'er  such  iniquity  to  pass  unpunished,  (Jer.  ix. 
4,  5;  Numb.  xvi.  41.) 

X.  Inordinate  affection  unto  the  world.  Idolatry  is  a  God-provoking, 
judgment-procuring  sin.  And  covetousness  is  idolatry  (Eph.  v.  5.)  There 
hath  been  in  many  professors  an  insatiable  desire  after  hmd  and  worldly 
accommodations;  yea,  so  jxs  to  forsake  churches  and  ordinances,  and  to 
live  like  heathen,  only  that  so  they  might  have  elbow-room  enough  in  the 
world.  Farms  and  merchandisings  have  been  preferred  before  tlic  things 
of  God.  In  this  respect  the  interest  of  New-England  seemeth  to  be 
changed.  We  differ  from  other  out-goings  of  our  nation,  in  that  it  was 
not  any  worldly  considerations  that  brought  our  fathers  into  this  wilder- 
ness, but  religion,  even  that  so  they  might  build  a  sanctuary  unto  the 
Lord's  name;  whereas  now  religion  is  made  subservient  unto  worldly 
interests.  Such  iniquity  causeth  war  to  be  in  the  gates,  and  cities  to  be 
burnt  up,  (Judg.  viii.  5;  Mat.  xxii.  5.  7.)  Wherefore,  we  cannot  but  sol- 
emnly bear  witness  against  that  practice  of  settling  plantations  without 
any  ministry  amongst  them,  which  is  to  prefer  the  world  before  the  gos- 


pel :  When  Lo 
was  in  Abrahar 
dations  in  Sodc 
leave  his  goodly 
was  too  much  s 
power  of  the  si 

1,  From  thai 
some  traders  w 
mechanicks  are 
that  have  dealt 
whom  we  live ; 
the  name  of  CI 
for  the  sin  of  o 
a  punishment 
Isa.  V.  7.) 

2,  It  is  also 
worldly  spirit, 
Go^l,  by  a  con 
other,  hath  bee 
this  year  more 
find  that  when 
earth,  either  b) 
ings,  or  drough 
rience  of,)  it  ha 
ence  unto  publ 
hearts  and  han^ 
(and  is  wont  ir 
outward  plent^ 
6.  8.  10;  2  Chi 
more  than  is  m 
(Prov.  xi.  24.) 

XI.  There  h 
the  Lord  hath 
vants,  but  by 
luilh  been  smil 
established  for 
every  one  fro 
under  lesser  ju 
have  been  zea 
been  reproach 
unwilling  to  n 
his  hand  is  str 
XIL  A  pu' 
that  are  of  N 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


325 


pel:  When  Lot  did  forsake  the  land  of  Canaan,  and  the  church,  which 
was  in  Abraham's  family,  that  so  he  might  have  better  worldly  accommo- 
dations in  Sodom,  God  fired  him  out  of  all,  and  he  was  constrained  to 
leave  his  goodly  pastures,  whic  h  his  heart  (though  otherwise  a  good  man) 
was  too  much  set  upon.  Moreover,  that  many  are  under  the  prevailing 
power  of  the  sin  of  worldliness  is  evident — 

1,  From  that  oppression  which  the  land  groaneth  under.  There  are 
some  traders  who  sell  their  goods  at  excessive  rates,  day-labourers  and 
mechanicks  are  unreasonable  in  their  demands;  yea,  there  have  been  those 
that  have  dealt  deceitfully  and  oppressively  towards  the  heathen  among 
whom  we  live;  whereby  they  have  been  scandalized  and  prejudiced  against 
the  name  of  Christ.  The  Scripture  doth  frequently  threaten  judgments 
for  the  sin  of  oppression,  and  in  special  the  oppressing  sword  cometh  as 
a  punishment  of  that  evil,  (Ezek.  vii.  11,  and  xxii.  15;  Pro  v.  xxviii.  8; 
Isa.  V.  7.) 

2,  It  is  also  evident  that  men  are  under  the  prevailing  power  of  a 
worldly  spirit,  by  theii  strait-handedness  as  to  publick  concernments. 
Gofl,  by  a  continued  series  of  providence,  for  many  years,  one  after  an- 
other, hath  been  blasting  the  fruits  of  the  earth  in  a  great  measure;  and 
this  year  more  abundantly.  Now,  if  we  search  the  Scriptures,  we  shall 
find  that  when  the  Lord  hath  been  provoked  to  destroy  the  fruits  of  the 
earth,  either  by  noxious  creatures,  or  by  his  own  immediate  hand  in  blast- 
ings, or  droughts,  or  excessive  rains,  (all  which  judgments  we  have  expe- 
rience of,)  it  hath  been  mostly  for  this  sin  of  strait-handedness  with  refer- 
ence unto  publick  and  pious  concerns,  (Hag.  i.  9.  11.)  As  when  people's 
hearts  and  hands  are  enlarged  upon  these  accounts,  God  hath  promised 
(and  is  wont  in  his  faithful  providence  to  do  accordingly)  to  bless  with 
outward  plenty  and  prosperity,  (Prov.  iii.  9,  10;  Mai.  iii.  10;  1  Cor.  ix. 
6.  8.  10;  2  Chron.  xxxi.  10;)  so,  on  the  other  hand,  when  men  withhold 
more  than  is  meet,  the  Lord  sends  impoverishing  judgments  upon  them, 
(Prov.  xi.  24.) 

XL  There  hath  been  opposition  to  tho  work  of  reformation.  Although 
the  Lord  hath  been  calling  upon  us,  not  only  by  the  voice  of  his  ser- 
vants, but  by  awful  judgments,  that  we  should  return  unto  Him  who 
hath  been  smiting  of  us,  and  notwithstanding  all  the  good  laws  that  are 
established  for  the  suppression  of  growing  evils,  yet  men  will  not  return 
every  one  from  his  evil  way.  There  hath  been  great  incorrigibleness 
under  lesser  judgments;  sin  and  sinners  have  many  advocates.  They  that 
have  been  zealous  in  bearing  witness  against  the  sins  of  the  times,  have 
been  reproached,  and  other  ways  discouraged;  which  argueth  an  heart 
unwilling  to  reform.  Hence  the  Lord's  controversie  is  not  yet  done,  but 
his  hand  is  stretched  out  still,  (Lev.  xxvi.  23,  24;  Isa.  xii.  18.) 

XII.  A  publick  spirit  is  greatly  wanting  in  the  most  of  men.  Few 
that  are  of  Nchemiah's  spirit,  (Neh.  v.  16;)  all  seek  their  own,  not  tho 


^  1* 

a.  jl 

■iBjaLii.jLi,- 


S2G 


MAGNALIA    CHKISTI    AMERICANA. 


things  that  are  Jesus  Christ's ;  serving  themselves  upon  Christ  antT  Ins 
holy  ordinances.  Matters  appertaining  to  the  kingdom  of  God,  are  eitlK-r 
not  at  all  regarded,  or  not  in  the  first  place.  Hence,  schools  of  leaniin.r 
and  other  publick  concerns  are  in  a  languishing  state.  Hence  also  am 
unreasonable  complaints  and  murmurings  because  of  publick  charges 
which  is  a  great  sin;  and  a  private  self-seeking  spirit,  is  one  of  those  evils 
that  renders  the  last  times  perilous,  (2  Tim.  iii.  1.) 

XIII.  There  are  sins  against  the  gospel,  whereby  the  Lord  has  booti 
provoked.  Christ  is  not  prized  and  embraced  in  all  his  offices  and  ordi- 
nances as  he  ought  to  be.  Manna  hath  been  loathed,  the  pleasant  laml 
despised,  (Psal.  cvi.  24.)  Though  the  gospel  and  covenant  of  grace  call 
upon  men  to  repent,  yet  there  are  multitudes  that  refuse  to  repent,  when 
the  Lord  doth  vouchsafe  them  time  and  means.  No  sins  provoke  the 
Lord  more  than  impenitency  and  unbelief,  (Jer.  viii.  6;  Zech.  vii.  11,  12, 
13;  Heb.  iii.  17, 18;  Rev.  ii.  21,  22.)  There  is  great  unfruitfulness  under 
the  means  of  grace,  and  that  brings  the  most  desolating  judgments,  (Isa.  v. 
4,  5;  Mat.  iii.  10,  and  xxi.  43.) 

Finally,  there  are  several  considerations  which  seem  to  evidence  that 
the  evils  mentioned  are  the  matters  of  the  Lord's  controversie :  1,  In  that 
(though  not  as  to  all)  as  to  most  of  them,  they  are  sins  which  many  are 
guilty  of.  2,  Sins  which  have  been  acknowledged  before  the  Lord  on 
days  of  humiliation  appointed  by  authority,  and  yet  reformed.  3,  Many 
of  them  not  punished  (and  some  of  them  not  punishable)  by  men ;  there- 
fore the  Lord  himself  doth  punish  for  them. 

Question  II. — What  it  to  be  done,  that  to  these  evils  may  be  reformed  ? 

Answer. — I.  It  would  tend  much  to  promote  the  interest  of  reforma- 
tion, if  all  that  are  in  place  above  others,  do,  as  to  themselves  and  fami- 
lies, become  every  way  exemplar}'.  Moses,  being  to  reform  others,  began 
with  what  concerned  himself  and  his.  People  are  apt  to  follow  the  ex- 
ample of  those  that,  are  above  them,  (2  Chron.  xii.  1 ;  Gal.  ii.  14.)  If, 
then,  thbi'e  be  a  divided  heart,  or  any  other  of  the  sins  of  the  times,  found 
in  any  degree  among  those  (or  any  of  them)  that  are  leaders,  either  as  to 
civil  or  ecclesiastical  order,  reformation  there  would  have  a  great  and 
happy  influence  upon  many. 

II.  In  as  much  as  the  present  standing  generation  (both  as  to  leaders 
and  people)  is  for  the  greater  part  another  generation  than  what  was  in 
New-England  forty  years  ago,  for  us  to  declare  our  adherence  to  the  faith 
and  order  of  the  gospel,  according  to  what  is  in  Scripture,  expressed  in 
the  Platform  of  Discipline,  may  be  likewise  a  good  means,  both  to  recover 
those  that  have  erred  from  the  truth,  and  to  prevent  apostacy  for  the  future. 

HI.  It  is  requisite  that  persons  be  not  admitted  unto  communion  in  the 
Lord's  Supper,  without  making  a  personal  and  public  profession  of  their 
faith  and  repentance,  either  orally  or  in  some  other  way,  so  as  shall  be  to 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


827 


tlie  just  satisfaction  of  the  churcli;  and  that  therefore  both  elders  and 
cliuicUes  be  duly  watchful  and  circumspect  in  this  matter,  (1  Cor.  xi.  28, 
21);  Acts  ii.  41,  42;  Ezek.  xliv.  7,  8,  9.) 

IV.  In  order  to  reformation,  it  is  necessary  that  the  discipline  of  Christ 
in  tlie  power  of  it  should  be  upheld  ir>  ♦he  churches.  It  is  evident  from 
Christ's  epistles  to  the  church  in  the  lesser  Asia,  that  the  evils  and  degen- 
eracies then  prevailing  among  Christians,  proceeded  ohiefly  from  the  neg- 
lect of  discipline.  It  is  a  known  and  true  observation,  that  remissness 
ill  tlie  exercise  of  discipline,  was  attended  with  corruption  of  manners, 
and  that  did  provoke  the  Lord  to  give  men  up  to  strong  deiu.sions  in 
matters  of  faith.  Discipline  is  Christ's  ordinance,  both  for  the  preven- 
tion of  apostacy  in  churches,  and  to  recover  them  when  collapsed.  And 
these  New-English  churches  are  under  peculiar  engagements  to  the  faith- 
ful unto  Christ,  and  unto  his  truth  in  this  matter,  by  virtue  of  the  church 
covenant,  as  also  that  the  management  of  discipline,  according  to  the 
Scripture,  was  the  special  design  of  our  fathers  in  coming  into  this  wil- 
derness. The  degeneracy  of  the  rising  generation  (so  much  complained 
of)  is  in  a  great  measure  to  be  attributed  unto  neglects  of  this  nature. 
If  all  church  discipline,  in  these  respects,  were  faithfully  and  diligently 
attended,  not  only  towards  parents,  but  also  towards  the  children  of  the 
church,  according  to  the  rules  of  Christ,  we  may  hope  that  the  sunk  and 
dying  interest  of  religion  will  be  revived,  and  a  world  of  sin  prevented  for 
the  future;  and  that  disputes  respecting  the  subjects  of  baptism  would  be 
comfortably  issued. 

V.  It  is  requisite  that  utmost  endeavoui-s  should  be  used,  in  order  unto 
a  full  supply  of  officers  in  the  churches,  according  to  Christ's  institution. 
The  defect  of  these  churches,  on  this  a^^count,  is  very  lamentable,  there 
being  in  most  of  the  churches  only  one  teaching  officer  for  the  burden  of 
the  whole  congregation  to  lye  upon.  The  Lord  Christ  would  not  have 
instituted  pastors,  teachers,  ruling-eldevs  (nor  the  apostles  have  ordained 
elders  in  every  church — Acts  xiv.  23;  Titus  i.  5,)  if  he  had  not  seen  there 
vas  need  of  them  for  the  good  of  his  people;  and  therefore  for  men  to  think 
tliey  can  do  well  enough  without  them,  is  both  to  break  the  second  com- 
mandment, and  to  reflect  upon  the  wisdom  of  Christ,  as  if  he  did  appoint 
unnecessary  officers  in  his  church.  Experience  hath  evinced  that  personal 
instruction  and  discipline  hath  been  an  happy  means  to  reform  degenerated 
congregations;  yea,  and  owned  by  the  Lord  for  the  conversion  of  many 
souls:  but  where  there  are  great  congregations,  it  is  impossible  for  one 
man,  besides  his  labours  in  publick,  fully  to  attend  these  other  things  of 
great  importance,  and  necessary  to  be  done,  in  order  to  nn  effectual  re- 
formation of  families  and  congregations. 

VI.  It  is  incumbent  on  the  magistrate  to  take  care  that  these  officers 
have  due  encouragement  and  maintenance  affijrded  to  them.  It  is  high 
injustice  and  oppression — ^yca,  a  sin,  that  cries  in  the  Lord's  ears  for  judg- 


nmMii 


828 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


ment — when  t^^^cc  «,ie  withheld  from  faithful  and  diligent  labours,  (.Tamos 
V.  4.)  And  if  it  be  so  to  those  that  labour  about  carnal  things,  much  more 
as  to  those  who  labour  day  and  night  about  the  spiritual  and  eternal  wel- 
fare of  souls,  (1  Cor.  ix.  11. 18, 14.)  And  the  Scripture  is  express,  that  not 
only  the  members  of  churches,  but  all  that  are  taught  in  the  word,  are  bonml 
to  communicate  to  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good  things,  (Gal.  vi.  4;  Lviko 
X.  7;  1  Tim.  v.  17,  18.)  If  therefore  people  be  unwilling  to  do  ^vhat 
justice  and  reason  calls  for,  the  magistrate  is  to  see  them  do  their  duty  in 
this  matter.  Wherefore,  magistrates,  and  that  in  Scriptures  referring  to 
the  days  of  the  New-Testament,  are  said  to  be  the  church's  nursing  fathers, 
(Is.  xlix.  28 ;)  for  that  it  concerns  them  to  take  care  that  the  churches  be  fed 
with  the  bread  and  water  of  life.  The  magistrate  is  to  be  a  keeper  of  both 
tables,  which  as  a  magistrate  he  cannot  be,  if  he  do  not  promote  the  inter- 
est of  religion  by  all  those  means  which  are  of  the  Lord's  appointment. 
And  we  find  in  Scripture  that  when  the  Lord's  ministers  have  been  forced 
to  neglect  the  house  of  God,  and  go  every  one  into  the  field  (as  too  much 
of  that  hath  been  amongst  us)  because  the  people  did  not  allow  tliein  that 
maintenance  which  was  necessary,  the  magistrate  did  look  upon  himself  as 
concerned  to  effect  a  reformation,  (Neh.  xiii.  10.) 

VII.  Due  care  and  faithfulness,  with  respect  unto  the  establishment  and 
execution  of  wholesome  laws,  would  very  much  promote  the  interest  of 
reformation.  If  there  be  no  laws  established  in  the  common-wealth  but 
what  there  is  Scripture  warrant  for,  and  those  laws  so  worded  as  that  tlicy 
may  not  become  a  snare  unto  any  that  arc  bound  to  animadvert  upon  tl-.e 
violaters  of  them,  and  that  then  they  be  impartially  executed;  prolancness, 
heresie,  schism,  disorders  in  families,  towns,  churches,  would  be  happily 
prevented  and  reformed.  In  special  it  is  necessary  that  those  laws  for 
reformation  of  provoking  evils,  enacted  and  emitted  by  the  general  court 
in  the  day  of  our  calamity,  should  be  duly  considered,  lest  we  boeomo 
guilty  of  dissembling  and  dallying  with  the  Almighty,  and  thereby  sin  and 
wrath  be  augmented  upon  us:  in  particular,  those  laws  which  res})ect  the 
regulation  of  houses  for  publick  entertainment,  that  the  number  of  such 
houses  do  not  exceed  what  is  necessary,  nor  any  so  entrusted  but  persons 
of  known  approved  piety  and  fidelity,  and  that  inhabitants  be  prohibited 
drinking  in  such  houses,  and  those  that  shall  without  licence  from  authority 
sell  any  sort  of  strong  drink,  be  cxemplarily  punished.  And  if  withul 
inferior  officers,  constables  and  tithing-men,  be  chosen  constantly  of  tlie 
ablest  and  most  prudent  in  the  j»lace,  authorized  and  sworn  to  a  faithful 
discharge  of  their  respective  trusts,  and  duly  encouraged  in  their  just 
informations  against  any  that  shall  transgress  the  laws  so  establislioil,  wo 
may  hope  that  much  of  that  profancness  which  doth  threaten  the  ruinc  of 
the  uprising  generation  will  be  prevented. 

VIII.  Solemn  and  explic"*^^  renewal  of  covenant  is  a  Scripture  expedient 
for  reformation.     We  ""h'jm  read  of  any  solemn  reformation  but  it  was 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


329 


accomplished  in  this  way,  as  the  Scripture  doth  abundantly  declare  and 
testifie.  And  as  the  judgments  which  befel  the  Lord's  people  of  old  arc 
recorded  for  our  admonition,  (1  Cor.  x.  11,)  so  the  course  which  they  did 
(according  to  God)  observe,  in  order  to  reformation,  and  averting  those 
judgments,  is  recorded  for  our  imitation,  and  this  was  an  explicit  renova- 
tion of  covenant.  And  that  the  Lord  doth  call  us  to  this  work,  these 
considerations  seem  to  evince:  1,  If  implicit  renewal  of  covenant  be  an 
expedient  for  reformation,  and  to  divert  impending  wrath  and  judgment, 
then  much  more  an  explicit  renewal  is  so;  but  the  first  of  these  is  indubit- 
able. In  prayer,  and  more  especially  on  days  of  solemn  humiliation  before 
the  Lord,  there  is  an  implicit  renewal  of  covenant,  and  yet  the  very  dic- 
tates of  natural  conscience  put  men  upon  such  duties,  when  they  are 
apprehensive  of  a  day  of  wrath  approaching.  If  we  may  not  renew  oiir 
covenants  with  God,  for  fear  lest  men  should  not  be  true  and  faithful  in 
doing  what  they  promise,  then  we  must  not  observe  days  of  fasting  and 
prayer;  which  none  will  say.  2,  When  the  church  was  overrun  with 
idolatry  and  superstition,  those  whom  the  Lord  raised  up  as  reformers  put 
them  upon  solemn  renewal  of  covenant:  so  Asa,  Jehoshaphat,  lie/ekiah, 
Josiah.  By  a  parity  of  reason,  when  churches  are  over-grown  with  world- 
liness  (which  is  spiritual  idolatry)  and  other  corruptions,  the  same  course 
may  and  should  be  observed  in  order  to  reformation;  nay — 3,  Wo  lind  in 
Scripture  that  vvhen  corruption  in  manners  (though  not  in  worship)  hath 
prevailed  in  the  church,  renovation  of  covenant  huth  been  the  expedient 
whereby  reformation  hath  been  attempted,  and  in  some  measure  attained. 
The  Jews  have  dreaded  the  sin  of  idolatry  ever  since  the  Babylonian 
captivity,  (John  viii.  41.)  But  in  Ezra's  and  Nehemiah's  time,  too  much 
sensuality  and  Sabbath -breaking,  oppression,  strait-handedness  respecting 
the  publick  worship  of  God  (the  very  same  sins  that  are  found  with  us) 
were  common,  prevailing  iniquities.  Therefore  did  those  reformers  put 
them  upon  renewing  their  covenant,  and  solemnly  to  promise  God  that 
they  would  endeavour  not  to  offend  by  those  evils,  as  formerly,  (Kzr.  x. 
3;  Neh.  v.  12,  13,  and  x.  per  totum*  and  xiii.  15.)  4,  The  things  which 
are  mentioned  in  the  Scripture,  as  grounds  of  renewing  covenant,  are 
applicable  unto  us,  e.  g. :  The  averting  of  divine  wrath  is  expressed,  as  a 
sufficient  reason  for  attendance  unto  this  duty,  (2  Chr.  xxix.  10;  Ezra  x. 
14.)  Again,  being  circumstanced  with  difficulties  and  distresses  is  men- 
tioned as  the  ground  of  explicit  renovation  of  covenant,  (Neh.  ix.  9.  j8.) 
Ilence  the  Lord's  servants,  when  so  circumstanced,  have  been  wo  it  to 
make  solemn  vows  (and  that  is  an  express  covenanting)  (Gen.  xxviii.  20, 
21 ;  Judg.  xi.  30;  Numb.  xxi.  1,  2.)  Now,  that  clouds  of  wrath  are  hanging 
over  these  churches,  every  one  seeth;  and  that  we  are  circumstanced  witii 
some  distressing  difficulties,  is  sufficiently  known.  Tliis  consideration 
alone  might  be  enough  to  put  us  upon  more  solemn  engagements  unto  tho 

*  Throughout. 


Ki     *. 


!''.v-'sM      (         1 


>    f ! 


330 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Lord  our  God.  5,  Men  are  hereby  brought  under  a  sti\>ugor  oUiguiioa 
unto  better  obedience.  There  is  an  awe  of  God  upon  the  cojiscioncos  of 
men  when  so  obliged.  As  it  is  iu  respect  of  oatlu^  thov  that  have  any 
conscience  in  them,  when  under  such  bonds,  are  afmid  to  vioh\te  thoin. 
Some  that  are  but  legalists  and  hypocrites,  yet  solonn  covenants  witli  Goil 
have  such  an  awe  upon  conscience  as  to  enforce  thiMu  unto  an  outward 
reformation,  and  that  doth  divert  temporal  judgmcnti*.  And  they  that 
are  sincere,  will  thereby  be  engaged  unto  a  more  close  and  holy  wulkiiiT 
before  the  Lord,  and  so  become  more  eminently  blessings  unto  the  stK'ie- 
ties  and  places  whereto  they  do  belong.  6,  This  way  is  to  pivvont  i^antl 
therefore  also  to  recover  out  of)  apostacy.  In  this  resjHvt,  although  there 
were  no  visible  degeneracy  amongst  us,  yet  this  ronovalimi  of  covenati; 
might  be  of  singular  advantage.  There  was  no  publiok  idolatry  (^or  otlu-r 
transgression)  allowed  of  in  the  days  of  Joshua,  (Judg.  ii.  7;  Josh,  xxiii.  8,) 
yet  did  Joshua  perswade  the  children  of  Israel  to  rmiow  thoir  oovonunt; 
doubtless  that  so  he  might  thereby  restrain  them  ftxwu  future  idolatry  aiul 
apostacy,  (Josh.  xxiv.  25.) 

Lastly,  The  f'hurches,  which  have  lately  and  solemnly  attended  this 
Scripture  expedient  fur  reformation,  have  experiemvd  the  pivsonee  of 
God  with  them,  signally  owning  them  therein;  how  much  m»Mv  might  a 
blessing  be  expected,  should  there  be  a  general  eoncunvuoo  iii  this  matter? 

IX.  In  renewing  of  covenant,  it  is  needful  that  the  sins  of  the  times 
should  be  engaged  against,  and  reformation  thereof  l^iu  tlie  name  and  by 
the  help  of  Christ)  promised  before  the  Lord,  (Ezra  x.  3;  Neh.  v.  12,  lo, 
and  chap,  x.) 

X.  It  seems  to  be  most  conducive  unto  edification  and  ivfortnation  that, 
in  renewing  covenant,  such  things  as  are  clear  and  indisputable  Ik>  ex- 
pressed, that  so  all  the  churches  may  agree  in  covetianting  to  pmmote  tho 
interest  of  holiness  and  close  walking  with  God. 

XI.  As  an  expedient  for  reformation,  it  is  g(H)d  that  cfleotual  care 
should  be  taken  respecting  schools  of  learning.  The  intetvsts  of  religion 
and  good  literature  have  been  wont  to  rise  and  fall  together.  We  ivad  iu 
Scripture  of  masters  and  scholars,  and  of  schools  and  a>lloges,  (I  Chroii. 
XXV.  8;  Mai.  ii.  12;  Acts  xix.  9,  and  xxii.  8.)  And  the  most  eminent 
reformers  amongst  the  Lord's  people  of  old  thought  it  their  eonoorii  to 
erect  and  uphold  them.  Was  not  Samuel  (tliat  ga>at  n^fvUMuer)  pivsident 
of  the  college  at  Nayoth,  (1  Sam.  x.  18,  11>,)  and  i.s  thought  to  be  one  of 
the  first  founders  of  colleges?  Did  not  Klijah  and  Klisha  restore  the 
schools  erected  in  the  land  of  Israel  ?  And  Josiah  (another  gnnU  ivformer) 
shewed  respect  to  the  college  at  Jerusalem,  (2  Kings  xxii.  i\,)  Koolesias- 
tical  story  informs  that  great  care  was  taken  by  the  ap(vstlos  and  thoir 
immediate  successors  for  the  settling  of  schools  in  all  placet'  where  the 
gospel  had  been  preached,  that  so  the  interest  of  rt»ligion  might  bo  pre- 
served, and  the  truth  propagated  to  succeeding  generatii>ns.    It  is  men- 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGL     ND. 


331 


tioned  as  one  of  the  greatest  mercies  that  ever  God  bestowed  upon  his 
people  Israel,  that  he  raised  up  their  sons  ^or  prophets,  (Amos  ii.  11,) 
which  hath  respect  to  their  education  in  schools  of  learning.  And  we 
have  all  cause  to  bless  God,  that  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  our  fathers  to 
take  care  concerning  this  matter:  for  these  churches  had  been  in  a  state 
most  deplorable,  if  the  Lord  had  not  blessed  the  college,  so  as  from  thence 
to  supply  most  of  the  churches,  as  at  this  day.  When  New-England  was 
poor,  and  we  were  but  few  in  number  comparatively,  there  was  a  spirit 
to  encourage  learning,  and  the  college  was  full  of  students,  whom  God 
hath  made  blessings,  not  only  in  this,  but  in  other  lands;  but  it  is  deeply 
to  be  lamented  that  now,  when  we  are  become  many,  and  more  able  than 
at  our  beginnings,  that  society  and  other  inferior  schools  are  in  such  a 
low  and  languishing  state.  Wherefore,  as  we  desire  that  reformation  and 
religion  should  flourish,  it  concerns  us  to  endeavour  that  both  the  college, 
and  all  other  schools  of  learning  in  every  place,  be  duly  inspected  and 
encouraged. 

XII.  In  as  much  as  a  thorough  and  hearty  reformation  is  necessary,  in 
order  to  obtaining  peace  with  God,  (Jer.  iii.  10,)  and  all  outward  means 
will  be  ineffectual  unto  that  end,  except  the  Lord  pour  down  his  spirit 
from  on  high ;  it  doth,  therefore,  concern  us  mightily  unto  God,  both  in 
ordinary  and  extraordinary  manner,  that  he  would  be  pleased  to  rain 
down  righteousness  upon  us,  (Isa.  xxxii.  15;  Hos.  x.  12;  Ezek.  xxxix. 
29;  Luke  xi.  13.) — Amen. 


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.1      ■ 


REMARKS   UPON  THE   REFORMING   SYNOD. 

§  1.  That  a  reforming  synod  could  not  accomplish  an  universal  reform- 
ation of  provoking  evils  in  the  country,  has  been  acknowledged  as  a  matter 
of  most  sensible  observation ;  and  the  increased  frowns  of  Heaven  upon 
the  country',  since  that  synod,  have  been  but  agreeable  to  such  an  increase 
of  provocation.  Alasl  how  many  instances  have  we  seen,  upon  which  our 
God  might  say  unto  us:  "When  I  would  have  healed  New-England,  then 
its  iniquities  were  but  the  more  discovered!"  Nevertheless,  it  must  be 
mentioned  unto  the  glory  of  God,  that  the  admonitions  of  the  synod  were 
not  without  very  desirable  effects  upon  many  of  his  people.  Faithful 
ministers  were  thereby  strengthened  in  lifting  up  their  voices  like  trum- 
pets to  shew  us  "our  transgressions  and  our  sins,"  and  private  Christians 
vere  awakened  unto  an  exacter  walk  with  God.  But  of  all  the  effects 
that  followed  upon  the  synod,  there  was  none  more  comprehensive  and 
significant  than  the  "renewal  of  covenant,"  which  was  attended  by  many 
of  our  churches,  in  pursuance  of  the  largest  article  of  the  reforming  expe- 
dknts,  which  had  been  recommended.  In  this  "renewal  of  covenant," 
there  were  some  churches,  who,  from  I  know  not  what  objections,  of 
"there  being  no  express  warrant  for  it  in  the  New  Testament,"  and 
"their  doing  it,  implicitly  in  every  act  of  divine  worship,"  and  "the 


Sni 


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rm 


JMUuiA-,*' 


832 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


imaginary  danger  of  innovations,"  would  not  comply  with  the  advice  of 
the  synod:  but  all  the  "virgins"  were  not  so  sleepy,  and  very  remarkable 
was  the  blessing  of  God  upon  the  churches  which  did  not  so  sleep^  not 
only  by  a  great  advancement  of  holiness  in  the  people,  who,  in  their  lesser 
societies  for  the  exercises  of  religion,  as  well  as  in  their  privacies  and  retire- 
ments, often  perused  the  copies  of  their  covenants;  but  also  by  a  great 
addition  of  converts  unto  their  holy  fellowship.  In  short,  many  of  the 
churches,  under  the  conduct  of  their  holy  pastors,  having  on  previous  days 
of  fasting  and  prayer,  set  apart  for  that  purpose,  considered  the  expecta- 
tions of  God  concerning  them,  they  were  willing  anew  to  declare  their 
most  "explicit  consent"  unto  the  "covenant  of  grace,  "and  most  explicitly 
to  engage  a  growing  "watchfulness"  in  such  duties  of  the  covenant  as 
were  more  peculiarly  accommodated  unto  their  present  circumstances. 
When  their  preparatory  church-meetings  had  produced  a  concurrence  in 
this  resolution,  they  publicly  devoted  another  day  to  fasting  and  prayer, 
whereat  a  vast  confluence  of  other  neighbours  were  usually  present;  and 
on  this  day  the  minister  of  the  place  having  in  the  forenoon  pray'd  and 
preach'd  suitably  to  the  occasion,  he  proceeded  then  to  read  the  covenant; 
whereunto  the  assent  of  the  churches  was  then  expressed,  by  the  brethren 
lifting  up  their  hands,  and  by  the  women  only  standing  up;  and  tho'  in 
some  churches  none  but  the  communicants,  yet  in  others  those  also  wliich 
we  call  "the  children  of  the  church,"  were  actively  concerned  in  these 
transactions.  But  ordinarily,  in  the  afternoon,  some  other  minister  prayed 
and  preached,  and  inculcated  the  "covenant  obligations:"  and  many  thou- 
sands of  spectators  will  testifie,  that  they  never  saw  the  "special  presence" 
of  the  "great  God  our  Saviour,"  more  notably  discovered,  than  in  the 
solemnities  of  these  opportunities. 

§  2.  The  forms  used  by  the  several  churches,  in  the  "renewal  of  cove- 
nant," were  not  in  all  points  the  same,  nor  did  our  churches  at  all  find 
that  this  variformitij  was  an  inconvenience ;  but  that  it  gave  them  a  lihtriy 
and  advantage  to  consult  their  own  edification,  by  adapting  their  forms 
unto  their  own  special  circumstances.  However,  the  form  which,  with 
little  variation,  was  most  used,  shall  be  now  recited : 

"We,  who,  thro'  the  exceeding  riches  of  tlie  grace  and  patience  of  God,  do  continue  to 
bo  a  church  of  Christ,  being  now  nsseribhid  in  the  holy  presence  of  God,  in  tiie  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  after  humble  confession  of  our  manifold  breaches  of  tlio  covcnnnt, 
before  the  Lord  our  God,  and  earnest  supplication  of  pardoning  mercy  thro'  tho  bloo('  of 
Christ,  and  deep  acknowledgment  of  our  great  unworth!"">s  to  bo  own'd  to  be  the  Lord's 
covenant-people;  also  acknowledging  our  own  inability  to  keep  covenant  with  God  or  tc 
perform  any  spiritual  duty  unless  the  Lord  Jesus  do  enable  us  thereto  by  his  Spirit  dwelling 
in  us;  and  being  awfully  sensible,  that  it  is  a  dreadful  thing  for  sinful  dust  and  aKh(S 
personally  to  transact  with  the  infinitely  glorious  Majesty  of  Heaven  and  Earth;  wo  do  in 
humble  confidence  of  his  gracious  assistnnco  and  acceptance  thro'  Christ,  each  one  of  us, 
for  ourselves,  and  jointly  as  a  church  of  tho  living  God,  and  onu  with  another,  in  niiuiiiur 
following,  t.  0. : 

"We  do  give  up  ourselves  to  that  God,  whose  name  alone  is  Jehovah,  Father,  Son  mid 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


3S3 


Holy  Ghost,  the  one  only  true  and  living  God,  and  to  our  blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  our 
only  blessL'd  Saviour,  prophet,  priest  and  king,  over  our  souls,  and  only  mediator  of  the 
covenant  of  grace,  promising  (by  the  help  of  his  spirit  and  grace)  to  cleave  unto  God,  as  our 
chief  good,  and  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  by  faith,  and  gospeUobedience,  as  becometh  his 
covenant-people  for  ever.  We  do  also  give  up  our  qfxpring  unto  God  in  Jesus  Christ, 
avouching  the  Lord  to  be  our  God  and  the  God  of  our  children,  and  ourselves  with  our 
children  to  be  his  people ;  humbly  adoring  the  grace  of  God,  that  we  and  our  offspring  with 
us  may  be  looked  upon  to  be  the  Lord's. 

"We  do,  also,  give  up  ourselves  one  to  another  in  the  Lord,  and  according  to  the  will  of 
God;  freely  covenanting  and  binding  ourselves  to  walk  together  as  a  right  ordered  cor^rega- 
tion  and  church  of  Christ,  in  all  the  ways  of  his  worship,  aucordiiig  to  tiie  holy  rules  of  the 
word  of  God;  promi:iing  in  brotherly  love  to  watch  over  one  another's  souls  faithfully,  and  to 
submit  ourselves  unto  the  discipline  and  government  of  Christ  in  his  church,  and  duly  to 
attend  nil  those  ordinances  which  Christ  hath  instituted  in  his  church,  and  commanded  to  be 
attended  by  his  people,  according  to  the  order  of  the  gospel  and  degrees  of  communion 
unto  which  we  have  attained ;  not  resting  in  measures  attained,  but  pressing  after  all.  And 
whereas  the  messengers  of  these  churches,  who  have  met  together  in  the  name  of  Christ, 
to  enquire  into  the  reason  of  God's  conlroversie  with  his  people,  have  taken  notice  of  many 
provoking  evils,  aa  the  procuring  causes  of  the  judgments  of  God  upon  New-England;  so 
far  as  we  or  any  of  us  have  been  guilty  of  provoking  God  by  any  sin  therein  discovered  to 
us,  we  desire  from  our  hearts  to  bewail  it  before  the  Lord,  and  humbly  to  entreat  for 
pardoning  mercy,  fur  the  sake  of  the  'blood  of  the  everlasting  covenant.'  And  as  an  expe- 
dient to  tlie  reformation  of  those  evils,  or  whatsoever  else,  have  provoked  the  eyes  of  God's 
glory  amongst  us,  we  do  freely  engage  and  promise,  n"  in  the  presence  of  God ; 

"First,  That  we  will  (Christ's  helping)  endeavour  every  one  of  us  to  reform  our  heart 
nnd  life,  by  seeking  to  mortifie  all  our  sir  j,  and  labouring  to  walk  more  closely  with  God 
than  ever  yet  we  have  done;  and  will  continue  to  worship  God  in  publick,  private,  secret; 
and  this  without  formality  or  hypocrisic:  and,  more  fully  and  faithfully  than  heretofore,  to 
discharge  oil  covenant  duties,  one  to  another  in  church  communion. 

"  Secmidly,  To  walk  before  God  in  our  houses,  with  a  perfect  heart,  nnd  that  we  will  uphold 
the  worship  of  God  therein  continually,  according  as  he  in  his  word  doth  require;  both  in 
respect  of  prayer  and  reading  the  Scriptures,  that  so  the  word  of  God  may  dwell  richly  in 
us:  and  we  will  do  what  in  us  lies  to  bring  up  our  children  for  Christ,  that  they  may  be 
such  as  have  the  Lord's  name  put  upon  them  by  a  solemn  dedication  to  God  in  Christ,  ought 
to  be.  And  will  therefore  (as  need  shall  be)  catechise,  exhort,  and  charge  them  to  the  fear 
of  the  Lord ;  and  endeavour  to  set  an  holy  example  before  them,  and  be  much  in  prayer  for 
their  conversion  nnd  salvation. 

"  Thirdly,  To  endeavour  to  bo  pure  from  the '  sins  of  the  times,'  especially  those  sins 
which  have  been  by  the  late  synod  solemnly  declared  and  evidenced  to  be  the  evils  that  have 
brought  the  judgments  of  God  upon  New-England;  nnd  in  our  places  to  endeavour  the 
suppression  thereof,  nnd  be  careful  so  to  walk,  as  that  we  may  not  give  occasion  to  others 
to  sin,  or  speak  evil  of  our  holy  profession. 

"  Now,  that  wo  may  observe  and  keep  this  sacred  covenant  and  nil  the  branches  of  it 
inviolable  for  ever,  we  desire  to  deny  ourselves,  and  to  depend  wholly  upon  the  power  of 
the  eternal  Spirit  of  Grace,  and  on  the  free  mercy  of  God,  and  merit  of  Christ  Jesus:  and 
where  we  shall  fail,  there  to  wait  upon  the  Lord  Jesus  for  pardon,  acceptance,  and  healing 
i'or  his  name's  sake." 

§  3.  The  Massachusetts  colony  was  not  alone  in  such  essays  of  vofbrma- 
tion:  but  the  colonies  of  Plymouth  and  Connecticut  shewed  themselves  in 
like  manner  concerned;  that  they  might  avert  the  (okcits  of  the  divine  dis- 
l)leaaure,  "whereat  they  who  dwelt  in  these  uttermost  parts  were  afraid." 


WHPI 


884 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEHICANA; 


The  rulers,  both  in  church  and  state,  had  their  serious  deliberations  with 
one  another,  and  they  together  "enquired  of  the  Lord,"  as  the  oracle  of 
his  written  word,  what  might  be  the  grounds  of  the  divine-controversie. 
The  ministers  drew  up  the  results  of  their  deliberations,  which  the  magis- 
trates recommended  unto  the  consideration  of  the  inhabitants  in  the 
several  jurisdictions.  The  pastors  of  the  churches,  hence  took  occasion,  in 
their  lively  sermons,  to  prosecute  the  ends  of  these  admonitions;  and  some 
of  them  reduced  their  instructions  into  a  catechetical  method,  that  so  the 
young  people  in  their  congregations  might  echo  back,  upon  fit  quehLions, 
those  things  which  were  needful  to  be  known  and  to  be  done,  relating  to 
the  reformation  of  the  land.  Thus,  particularly,  did  that  most  worthy 
man,  Mr.  James  Fitch,  at  Norwich ;  who  has  obliged  more  than  his  whole 
colony,  by  suffering  to  be  published,  (as  well  as  another  elaborate  cate- 
chism, containing,  "a  body  of  divinity,")  in  form  of  a  catechism,  "tIm 
Explanation  of  Uie  Solemn  Advice,  recommended  by  the  Council  of  the  Colomj 
to  t/ie  Inhabitants,  respecting  the  Reformation  of  those  Evils,  which  have  been 
the  Procuring  Cause  of  the  late  Judgments  upon  New-England.^^ 

§  4.  Our  manifold  indispositions  to  recover  the  dying  "  power  of  godli- 
ness," was  punished  with  successive  calamities;  under  all  of  which  our 
apostacies  from  that  godliness  have  rather  proceeded  than  abated.  Although 
there  hath  been  a  glorious  profession  of  religion  made  by  the  body  of  this 
people  unto  this  day;  yea,  and  although  there  be  thousands  which  by 
"keeping  their  hearts  with  all  diligence,"  and  by  "ordering  their  conver- 
sations aright,"  justifie  their  profession,  yet  the  number  of  them  that  so 
strictly  "  walk  with  God,"  has  been  wofully  decaying.  The  old  sjyirit  of 
New-England  hath  been  sensibly  going  out  of  the  world,  as  the  old  saints 
in  whom  it  was  have  gone;  and  instead  thereof  the  spirit  of  the  world,  with 
a  lamentable  neglect  o(  strict  piety,  has  crept  in  upon  the  rising  generation. 
At  last  the  country,  by  some  changes  passing  over  it,  was  thrown  into  a 
condition,  in  which  not  only  the  j)astors,  without  whom  no  reformation  is 
to  be  hoped,  were  miserably  cripled  as  to  the  doing  of  any  notable  thing  in 
reforming,  but  also  the  churches  were  many  ways  uncapable  of  doing  any 
general  thing  to  retrieve  our  growing  defections.  However,  when  the  com- 
passion of  God,  by  strange  providences,  fetched  the  country  out  of  that 
condition,  the  General  Court,  returning  to  the  exercise  of  their  former 
authority,  were  willing  to  shew  their  sense  of  the  present  circumstancct:, 
by  publishing  the  following  instrument: 


"by  the  oovehnour  and  oenkbal  couut  op  the  colony  of  the 
massachusetts-riay  in  new-england. 

"It  having  been  a  thing  too  sensiblo  and  obvious  to  eHcnpo  the  obHcrvntion  of  ull  whoaro 
not  wholly  Btrungcrs  in  our  Israel,  that  this  poor  land  hatii  laboured  under  a  long  i>erics  of 
afflictions,  and  calamities,  whereby  we  have  suflered  successively  in  all  our 'precious  and 
pleasant  things,'  and  have  seen  tliu  angor  of  tlio  righteous  God  aguiiist  us,  expressed  in  elmr- 
uctcrs  whicli  ought  to  bu  as  terrible  as  they  must  needs  be  viaibte  unto  us;  it  having  ulbO 


OR.    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


335 


both  by  the  iestimoniea  of  those  that,  after  the  most  humble  and  exact  enquiries  into  the 
mind  of  God,  have  discovered  the  same  unto  us,  and,  by  their  own  general  and  repeated 
confessions,  become  undeniable:  that  a  corruption  of  manners,  attended  with  inexcusable 
iegeneracies  and  apostacies,  found  in  too  many  of  his  people,  is  the  cause  of  that  corUroversie, 
wiiich  the  God  of  our  fathers  has  for  many  years  been  mniiitaining  with  us:  It  being  like- 
wise a><  tiiis  day  such  a  probalionrtime  with  all  New-England  as  the  country  has  never  before 
Been  frora  the  first  foundation  of  it,  and  the  judgments  of  that  Holy  God,  who  hath  beheld 
bow  incorrigible  we  have  hitherto  been,  under  all  his  dispensations,  now  arriving  to  such  an 
extremity,  tiuit  the  'ax  is  laid  to  the  root  of  the  trees,'  and  we  arc  in  eminent  danger  of  perish- 
ing, if  a  speedy  REFORMATION  ot OUT provokivg  BvUs  prcvcnt  it  not:  This  Court  have  therefore 
thought  it  needful  to  preface  their  other  endeavours  for  the  publick  welfare  with  a  very  solemn 
adnumition  unto  this  whole  people,  that  they  every  where  give  demonstrations  of  a  thorough 
repentance,  without  which  we  have  little  reason  to  hope  for  any  good  success  in  our  affairs. 

"Wherefore,  it  is  ordered  that  the  k*ws  of  this  colony  agninst  vice,  and  all  sorts  of  debauch- 
ery and  profaneness  (which  laws  hii  ro  too  much  lost  their  edge  by  the  late  interruption  of  the 
government)  be  now  faithfully  and  vigorously  put  in  execution;  particularly  the  laws 
against  blasphemy,  cursing,  proplnne-swearing,  lying,  unlnwful-gaming,  Sabbath-brenking, 
idleness,  drunkenness,  uncleannest,  and  all  the  enticements  and  nurseries  of  such  impieties: 
together  with  all  other  the  wholsome  laws  and  orders  agreeable  to  the  present  circumstances 
of  the  country;  by  the  execution  whereof  we  may  approve  our  selves, 'a  peculiar  people, 
zealous  of  good  works.' 

"And  as  all  persons  are  hereby  warned  to  avoid  those  vices,  which  these  laws  are  designed 
for  the  prevention  and  chastisement  6f,  (the  lovers  of  and  pkaders  for  such  iniquities  being 
among  the  p.".;  'na\  troublers  of  their  country,)  so  all  inferiour  officers  are  enjoined  to  per- 
form their  do;  i'<  v  ding  and  bringing  out  offender:,  against  the  aforesAid  laws,  and  withal  to 
give  notice  ';)  .•■>  h    trenders  that  they  must  expect  thejusticeof  an  exemplary  punishment. 

"And  that  no  attempt  towards  reformation  may  want  that  assistance  which  all  good  men 
will  be  willing  to  give  thereunto,  'tis  hoped  that  the  ministers  of  God  will,  to  the  publick 
reading  of  this  proclamation,  adjoin  their  own  fervent  labours,  not  only  for  the  rebuking  and 
suppressing  of  those  •  provoking  evils,'  which  are  marked  for  common  haired,  but  olso  to  wit. 
ness  against  more  spiritual  sins,  which  fall  not  so  much  under  the  cognizance  of  humane 
laws;  namely,  such  as  unbelief,  worldliness,  heresie,  pride,  wrath,  strife,  envy,  and  neglect 
of  communion  with  God  in  both  natural  and  instituted  worship,  and  the  contempt  of  the 
everlasting  gospel,  with  a  shameful  want  of  due  family-instruction,  which  are  the  'roots  of 
bitterness'  in  the  midst  of  us. 

"Moreover,  after  the  example  of  pious  rulers  commended  in  tiie  sncred  writ,  the  churches 
«re  every  where  hereby  advised  to  give  utmost  encouragement  unto  the  faithful,  and  watch- 
ful  pastors  of  their  souls;  to  seek  (where  they  lack)  a  full  settlement  and  enjoyment  of 
such  njfwers  as  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  appointed  for  their  edification;  to  reflect  seriously 
and  frequently  on  their  covenants;  to  sharpen  their  discipline  against  those  that 'walk  dis- 
orderly;' and  immediately  to  compose  their  differences  and  contentions  (if  such  there  be) 
whereby  any  of  them  mny  be  distempered  and  enfeebled,  that  so  they  moy  become  '  terrible 
08  an  army  with  banners.' 

"Furthermore,  it  is  expected  that  the  several  towns  within  this  jurisdiction  do  speedily 
furnish  thenmelves  with  the  means  for  the  good  education  of  youth,  and  take  special  care  to 
avoid /nrtvons  and  quarrels  in  their  other  town  affairs;  and  all  plantations  are  strictly  for- 
bidden to  continue  without  the  ndvont^iges  of  I  iving  the  word  of  God  constantly  preach'id 
unto  them,  or  without  a  sincere  and  active  industry  to  obtain  the  presence  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  in  nil  his  blessed  ordinances. 

"And  finally,  this  whole  people  are  hereby  advertised,  that  if  these  essays  for  an  uni- 
vcrsnl  reformation  shall  bo  obstructed  (ns  those  in  the  days  of  the  reforming  Josinh  were) 
hy  men's  being  'settled  on  their  lees,  and  hating  to  be  reformed;'  they  can  reasonably  look 
for  no  other  issue  than  this,  that  the  jealous  God '  will  punish  them  yet  seven  times  more  for 


^n  I 


836 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


their  iniquities.'  But  if  the  God  of  heaven  shall  grant  unto  them  the  grace  to  'remember 
u  hence  they  are  fallen,  and  repent,  and  do  the  first  works,'  it  will  give  a  greater  prospect  of 
prosperity,  than  cap  arise  from  the  best  counsels  and  biggest  armies. 

"The  work  of  reformation,  thus  endeavoured,  ia  now  recommended  unto  the  blessing  of  the 
Almighty,  with  whom  alone  it  is  to  recover  a  backsliding  people;  persuading  our  selves  that 
the  event  thereof  would  be  'salvation  nigh  unto  us,  and  glory  dwelling  in  our  Lord.' 
'*Martk  13, 1689."  "IsAAC  Addington,  Seer. 

§  5.  The  lamentable  disasters,  wherewith  our  God  presently  after  pun- 
ished us  for  our  not  being  "reformed  by  all  these  thirgs,"  rendred  this 
instrument  worthy  to  be  called  a  prophesie,  rather  than  a  proclamation. 
A  rjar  made  against  the  country  by  both  Pagan  and  Popish  adversaries 
in  the  East;  and  an  almost  universal  miscarriage  of  our  affairs  both  by  sea 
and  land,  and  especially  of  the  most  important  expedition  ever  made  by 
this  people,  even  that  against  Canada;  together  with  epidemical  diseases 
which  swept  away  near  a  thousand  persons  within  a  few  months,  in  one 
town;  these  testimonies  from  Heaven  against  the  land,  kept  alive  the  soli- 
citous enquiries  of  good  men, '  how  all  that  was  amiss  might  be  amended?' 
Many  things  this  way  were  propounded  and  attended  by  good  men  in  all 
orders;  but,  among  other  things,  there  was  especially  oie  voted  by  an 
p'wjembly  of  ministers,  met  at  Cambridge,  in  such  terms  as  these: 

"  Whereas  the  most  heavy  and  wasting/urfgwien/s  of  Heaven  upon  our  distressed  land,  loudly 
call  upon  us  no  longer  to  delay  the  taking  of  some  h  therto-untiiken  steps  towards  the  refnr- 
mation  of  our '  provoking  evils,'  and  the  recover -j  of  practical  religion  in  our  hearts  and  lives: 

"Among  other  expedients,  in  order  hereunto,  ve  ciiniiot  but  recommend  it,  ns  ver)'  ikIvI- 
sable,  that  the  several  churches,  having,  in  an  imtrument  proper  for  that  purpose,  ni;  d  ■  a 
catalogue  of  such  things  as  can  indisputably  be  found  amiss  among  them,  do  with  all  «vri. 
ousness  and  solemnity  pass  their  votes  that  they  count  such  things  to  be  very  offensive  nH.<, 
and  that,  renouncing  all  dependence  upon  their  own  strength  to  avoid  such  evils,  tiny  liiiiii. 
biy  nsk  tlie  help  of  the  Divine  Grace  to  assist  them  in  watching  against  the  said  evils,  IkjiIi 
in  themselves  and  in  one  another.  And  that  the  communicants  do  often  reflect  iijinii  tlinsij 
tJieir  acknowledgments  and  protestations,  ns  perpetual  monitors  unto  them,  to  prevent  the 
miscarriages  wiiercwith  too  many  professors  are  so  easily  overfciken." 

Copies  of  this  vote  were  communicated  unto  many  parts  of  the  countrv; 
in  pursuance  whereof,  there  were  several  churches  which  did  in  the  vcnr 
1692  solemnly  make  the  recommended  recoijnidons  of  duty:  hoping  that 
God  would  accept  such  acknowledgments  of  duty,  th^ir  declarations  foi' 
him,  whereupon  lie  would  also  declare  for  them;  and  thinking  that  such 
humble  acknowledgments  were  the  ucw-covnutnt-icay  for  the  obtaining  of 
help  from  Heaven  for  the  doing  of  duty.  Particularly,  to  avoid  the  length 
of  tedious  varieties,  there  was  one  church,  among  the  rest,  that  voted  that 
they  did  accept  of  the  following  instrument,  as  containing  the  serious  nc* 
knowkdijmeuts  and protistittitins  of  their  souls;  whereupon  they  would  often 
reflect,  for  the  discovering  of  what  may  be  amiss  in  their  hearts  and  lives; 
ns,  also,  for  the  directing  of  iho  2)rai/ers,  and  strengthening  of  the  cares,  which 
they  would  use  in  their  more  ■watc/i/ul  tvalk  with  God.  And  a  printed 
copy  thereof  was  accordingly  put  into  the  l".inds  of  the  communicants: 


•'acknowledgm 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


337 


"ACKNOWLEDGMENTS  AND  PROTESTATIONS  VOTED,  AS  EXPLAINING  THE  OBLIGATIONS 
LAID  UPON  US  BY  OUR  MOST  HOLY  COVENANT. 

"We,  that  through  the  goodness  of  God  have  been  combined,  and  are  still  continued  a 
church  of  his,  having  heretofore  consented  unto  the  covenant  of  grace,  according  to  the 
graeious  termd  whereof,  we  have  made  choice  of  the  Lord  Jehovah,  Father,  Son  and  Spirit, 
as  our  God,  and  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  the  glorious  Mediator,  upon  whote  fulness  of 
merit  and  power  we  rely,  as  well  to  be  strengthened  for  the  duties,  as  to  be  invested  with  the 
blessings,  of  that  well-ordered  covenant;  and  have,  therefore,  according  to  his  will,  incorpo- 
rated our  selves  into  that  evangelical  church-state,  wherein  our  desires  after  the  'sure  mercies 
of  that  covenant'  are  to  be  expressed,  maintained  and  answered:  being  herewithal  sensible, 
that  our  justification,  only  hy  faith  in  the  righteousness  of  him  who  is  a  Saviour  and  a  surety 
for  us,  does  very  strongly  oblige  us  to  close  with  all  the  commandments  of  God,  as  holy,  and 
jusl,  and  good;  and  as  those  rules,  in  conformity  to  which  alone  our  peace  can  be  lengthened 
out,  and,  being  also  awakened  by  the  most  heavy yu(^me7i/s  of  Heaven,  under  which  the 
country  hath  been  weltering  and  wasting  for  many  later  years,  to  suspect,  lest  in  the  hearts 
and  lives  of  us  in  particular,  there  may  be  found  some  of  those  accursed  things  which  have 
brought  upon  the  land  such  a  long  variety  of  sore  calamity; 

"  Ho  therefore  acknowledge,  that  we  are  under  peculiar  bonds  to '  walk  circumspectly,'  not 
only  by  avoiding  the  '  grosser  miscarriages '  of  ungodliness,  but  also  by  guarding  against  what- 
bWT  corrupticTis  do  sometimes  more  easily  obtain  among  the  profest^ing  people  of  God;  behaving 
our  selves,  'not  as  fools  but  as  wise,'  and  'redeeming  the  time,  because  the  days  are  evil.' 

"And  in  special  manner  to  revive  the  sense  of  the  lyes  which  are  laid  upon  us  by  the  coV' 
enant  of  Gud,  that  has  not  only  been  accepted,  but  also  renewed  amongst  us — 

"I.  We  acknowlodge  it  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  if  our  lovo  to  the  vorlU  should  make  us  omit  our  cow 
mnnioH  with  Gud,  and  abute  of  that  ital  and  tcatch,  which  we  should  always  keep  allvo  in  our  souls ;  or  hinder  us 
from  the  most  alTectionale  reading  of  his  word,  ond  seeki'.ig  of  his  face,  every  day  in  our  houses,  or  flrom  the  daily 
iu«  of  mi^ditatiun  and  supplication  in  our  cluaeU. 

»II.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  In  us,  if,  while  on  t'le  one  hand  we  protest  against  any  thing  in  divine  worship, 
fur  which  we  have  not  a  divine  warrant,  and  against  tho  usage  of  all  Papal  and  Pagan  iuperstition$ ;  on  the  other 
lidii,  we  should  not,  according  to  the  best  of  our  capacities  attend  und  support  the  inatitutions  of  God,  In  the  midst 
of  UB,  with  endeavours  that  there  may  be  nothing  wanUng  thereunto. 

"III.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  if,  when  we  draw  near  to  God  in  his  ordinances,  we  should  allow  our 
lelves  to  be  formal,  carnal,  or  ileepg  in  what  we  do ;  especially,  if  we  should  ordinarily  come  to  the  table  of  the 
Lord,  without  serious  eraminationit  and  Kumiliatioui  preparatory  therounto ;  or  if.  In  managing  of  church  discipline, 
n't)  Qhuuld  vent  our  own  patsiont,  and  serve  our  own  humours.  Instead  of  acting  entirely  for  the  Lord. 

"IV.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  if  we  should  abui^e  the  good  creatures  of  God  by  sensualities  in  eating, 
drinking,  and  recreation ;  or  by  extravagancies  in  our  apparel ;  and  if,  whenever  we  use  the  titles,  and  the  Scrip- 
lint  uf  our  God,  it  should  not  be  with  much  reverence  in  our  souls. 

"V.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  if  we  should  not  keep  a  strict  guard  both  on  our  own  thoughts,  m  well  na 
teordt  and  works,  on  the  Lord's  day,  and  also  on  all  that  are  under  our  Influence,  to  restrain  them  ttom  the  violit- 
tiuna  uf  that  sacred  ■  est, 

"  VI.  It  WL>ild  be  a  great  evil  in  us.  If  we  should  not  make  it  our  corefUl  study  to  have  our  famitisi  well 
In:'"'    'd,  and  well  governed,  and  in  such  a  condition  as  is  agreeable  to  the /ear  of  God. 

"  VII.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  if,  by  the  prevalency  of  a  private  spirit,  we  should  be  backward  unto  any 
pnblic  service  wherein  God  shall  call  us,  with  our;iersuns  or  estates  to  serve  our  generation;  or  if  we  should,  with 
UMjii8t  neglect  and  ceneure,  ill  requite  such  as  have  been  serviceable ;  more  especially  such  os  in  government  are 
the '  tnliiisters  of  God  unto  us  for  our  good.* 

"  VIII.  It  would  bu  a  great  evil  in  us,  if  we  should  put  offa  patient,  peaceable,  forgiving  temper  towards  our 
Dsiglibours ;  or  not  with  '  meekness  of  wisdom '  decline  And  smother  all  causes  of  coulention. 

"IX.  It  would  bu  n  great  evil  in  us,  if  we  should  spend  uur  dayn  in  idleness,  and  not  be  diligent  in  such 
empluyniunts  us  may  '  adurn  the  ouctrine  of  God,'  by  rundering  u»  iiBeful  unto  those  that  are  round  about  us. 

"  X.  It  wiiulii  t)u  n  great  evil  In  us,  if  we  should  in  any  of  uur  carriage,  or  so  much  as  in  our  discourse,  admit 
any  tiling  that  .nii}  savuur  of  a  lascivious  or  a  licentious  disposition  in  our  suuls. 

"XI.  It  wuuld  be  n  grout  evil  in  up,  if  we  should  u«o  any  dishonesty  in  our  dealings,  and,  either  by /rand  or 
force,  exact  uiiruuRunubly  upon  tliose  with  whom  we  are  cuncernod. 

"  XII.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  us,  mnllclouMy  to  make  or  ii^Jurlnusiy  to  spread  ony  rALsi  riports,  or  too 
easily  to  receive  cliindurs  against  the  innocent,  or  to  ooimtenance  the  broachers  of  them, 

"Xill.  It  would  bu  a  great  evil  In  us.  If  wo  should  not  conscientiously  observe  and  fulfll  what  promuM  we 
Imve  InwDiily  Riv(«i  one  unto  another. 

•'XIV.  It  would  bo  a  grtiut  evil  in  ui«,to  be  discontented  either  at  the  pr«<periry  which  God  would  bnveothon 
•i\|uy,  ur  at  the  a<iver«i(y  wherein  the  provideuco  of  God  has  at  any  time  ouuOued  our  sulvus. 

Vol.  II.— 22 


I!' ' '  :^' 


'f  .  Ji 


iimi  -' 


838 


MAGNALIA    CuBISTI    AMERICANA; 


"  XV.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  in  in,  if  we  shculd  not  be  ready  charitably  and  liberally  to  relieve  the  neeesil- 
Ues  of  the  poor  that  call  for  our  bounties. 

"XVI.  It  would  be  a  great  evil  In  us,  if  we  should  not  with  a  most  brotherly  affitction  either  give  or  lakt 
reprooh,  when  then  is  a  cause  for  them ;  or  if  we  should  wltb-liold  any  due  tettimonji  against  whatever  may  fail 
out  among  us  displeasing  unto  God. 

"Wherefore,  by  a  solemn  vote,  we  declare  against  all  these  evils,  as  ahominable  things; 
and,  utterly  despairing  of  any  strength  in  our  selves  to  keep  clear  thereof,  we  do  moat  hum- 
biy  ask  the  all-sufficient  grace  of  God  in  Christ,  that  neither  these,  nor  any  such  iniquities, 
may  have  'dominion  over  us;'  but  that  we  watch  against  them  all,  both  in  our  selves  and 
in  one  another." 

§  6.  Many  and  various  are  the  deliberations  continued  by  good  men, 
unto  this  day,  concerning  the  methods  of  preventing  our  aposfacies.  But 
I  shall  supersede  the  mention  of  them  all,  with  a  copy  of  certain  expedients 
and  proposals  about  reformation  lately  agreed  by  an  assembly  of  ministers 
at  Cambridge; 

"I.  There  is  a  large  number  of  people  in  this  country,  which,  not  lying  within  the  reach 
of  our  ecclesiastical  discipline,  do  from  thence  encourage  themselves  in  the  liberty  whiuh 
they  take  to  do  things  for  which  the  wrath  of  God  comes  upon  the  land.  It  would  very 
much  promote  the  design  of  reformation  among  us,  if  all  due  means  were  used  for  the 
bringing  of  more  than  there  are,  and  as  many  as  may  be,  to  submit  unto  the  church-watch; 
'twere  highly  desirable  that  the  body  of  this  professing  people  should  thus  be  brought  into  the 
way  of  reformation.  It  hath  been  by  an  happy  experience  found  that  God  has  given  a  singular 
success  unto  the  admonitions  of  our  churches,  applied  unto  such  as  have  by  their  miscar- 
riages thereto  exposed  themselves ;  many  have  been  thereby  savingly  brought  home  to  G(td. 

"  II.  The  expedients  for  the  reformation  of  our  land,  offered  by  the  synod  in  thu  year  1679, 
ought  not  to  be  forgotten;  but  the  remembrance  and  consideration  thereof  should  be  revived, 

"III.  The  concurrence  of  such  as  do  sustain  place  in  the  civil  government,  is  of  great 
importance  in  the  prosecution  of  our  desired  reformation :  and  that  we  may  enjoy  tiiis,  it 
must  be  endeavoured  that  there  should  be  no  misunderstanding  between  any  in  the  gorerri' 
tnent  and  the  ministry.  This  being  observed,  a  general  consultation  upon  the  methods  of 
reformation  is  to  be  asked  for. 

"IV.  For  the  pastors  of  our  churches,  in  visiting  their  flocks,  to  inform  themselves  about 
the  morals  of  their  people  in  every  quarter,  and  thereupon  both  publickly  and  privately 
set  themselves  to  cure  what  shall  be  found  amiss,  would  signitie  very  much  in  a  glorious 
reformation. 

"V.  Particular  churches  have  ft  power  of  self-reformation ;  and  they  would  contribute  more 
than  a  little  to  an  universal  one,  if  they  would  be  exemplary  unto  one  another  in  delibcratiuns 
upon  their  own  circumstances,  and  in  renewing,  explaining  and  enforcing  of  their  covenants. 

"VI.  It  would  be  well  if  the  ministers  in  this  (as  well  as  any  other)  association  would 
single  out  the  more  oliservable  iniquities  in  the  country,  and  successively  at  tit  seasons  pub- 
lish brief,  but  full  testimonies  against  those  iniquities.  A  manifold  advantage  might  accrue 
to  the  attempts  of  reformation  by  those  testimonies. 

"VII.  Solemn  days  of  prayer  with  fasting  celebrated  in  our  churches,  to  implore  tho 
grace  of  God  for  the  rising  generation,  would  probably  bo  of  blessed  consequence  for  the 
turning  of  our  young  people  unto  the  God  of  our  fathers.  The  more  there  is  this  way 
ascribed  unto  grace,  the  more  is  the  grace  of  God  like  to  bo  communicated;  and  there  is  in 
this  way  u  natural  and  plentiful  tendency  to  awken  our  unconverted  youtit  unto  a  aenso  of 
their  everlasting  interests.  Which,  were  it  generally  accomplished,  a  marvellous  refoima* 
tion  were  therein  effected." 

V  FINIS. 


THAUMATURGUS:  vel  man  lao,  i.e.  Liier  MemoraUlium y 

ITSE  WOJfDER-rrORKER;  OR,  BOOK  OF  MEMORABLE  EFEJfTS.'] 


THE  SIXTH  BOOK 


W 


THE  NEW-ENGLISH  HISTORY: 


WHEBEIN  TP,RY  MART 


ILLUSTRIOUS  DISCOVERIES  AND  DEMONSTRATIONS 


or 


THE   DIVINE   PROVIDENCE 


m 


REMARKABLE  MERCIES  AND  JUDGMENTS   ON  MANY   PARTICULAR  PERSONS 


AMONG  THE   PEOPLE  OF   NEW-ENGLANp, 


▲RE  OBSERVED,  COLLECTED,  AND   RELATED. 


BT    COTTON     MATHER. 


78ALM  CYII.  43:  Whoso  ib  wisx,  willobbxrvx  tbbs.^  thinos. 


HARTFORD: 

SILAS    ANDRUS    &    SON. 

1853. 


REMARK 

A 


§  1.  To  re 

our  Lord  Chi 

more  needful 

none  more  pi 

world  will  01 

ready  to  takt 

inexcusable 

the  world,  wl 

remarkable  d 

ers.    Nevert 

who  have  rei 

waJceful  zeal  t 

all  generatioi 

particularly  ( 

1658,  set  a-fc 

throughout  I 

providences. 

holy  design  a 

divines  of  N 

who  thereuf 

in  a  little  wh 

of  a  larger  \ 

would  go  on 

§  2.  But  J 

admonitions 

providences, 

pastors  in  th 

the  power  ol 

the  operatic 

possible,  be 

country;  wli 

It,  that  unto 

U'aiisuiitted 


THE  SIXTH  BOOK. 


\ 


REMARKABLES  OF  THE  DIVINE  PROVIDENCE, 

AMONG  THE  PEOPLE  OF  NEW-ENGLAND. 


§  1.  To  regard  the  illustrious  displays  of  that  providence  wherewith 
our  Lord  Christ  governs  the  world,  is  a  work,  than  which  there  is  none 
more  needful  or  useful  for  a  Christian :  to  record  them  is  a  work,  than  which, 
none  more  proper  for  a  minister :  and  perhaps  the  Great  Governour  of  the 
world  will  ordinarily  do  the  most  notable  things  for  those  who  are  most 
ready  to  take  a  wise  notice  of  what  he  does.  Unaccountable  therefore  and 
inexcusable  is  the  sleepiness,  even  upon  the  most  of  good  men  throughout 
the  world,  which  indisposes  them  to  observe  and  much  more  to  preserve  the 
remarkable  dispensations  of  Divine  Providence  towards  themselves  or  oth- 
ers. Nevertheless,  there  have  been  raised  up,  now  and  then,  those  persons 
who  have  rendered  themselves  worthy  of  everlasting  remembrance,  by  their 
wakeful  zeal  to  have  the  memorable  providences  of  God  remembred  through 
all  generations.  Among  those  worthy  men,  a  most  "embalmed  memory  "  is 
particularly  due  unto  the  Reverend  Matthew  Pool,  who,  about  the  year 
1658,  set  a-foot  a  glorious  design  ,\.iiong  some  divines  of  no  little  figure 
throughout  England  and  Ireland,  for  the  faithful  registring  of  remarkable 
providences.  But,  alasl  it  came  to  nothing  Luat  was  remarkable.  The  like 
holy  design  was,  by  the  Reverend  Increase  Mather,  proposed  among  the 
divines  of  New-England,  in  the  year  1681,  at  a  general  meeting  of  them; 
who  thereupon  desired  him  to  begin,  and  publish  an  essay;  which  he  did 
in  a  little  while;  but  therewithal  declared,  "that  he  did  it  only  as  a  specimen 
of  a  larger  volume,  in  hopes  that  this  work,  being  so  set  on  foot,  posterity 
would  go  on  with  it." 

§  2.  But  as  the  national  synods  in  France  could  not,  by  their  frequent 
admonitions  unto  the  churches  to  procure  a  good  register  of  remarkable 
providences,  effectually  rouze  their  good  men  out  of  their  stupidity,  so  the 
pastors  in  the  churches  of  New-England  have  mostly  been  too  much  under 
the  power  of  a  like  indisposition,  to  "regard  the  works  of  the  Lord  and 
the  operation  of  his  hands."  That  this  indisposition  might,  if  it  were 
possible,  be  shaken  off,  there  were  proposals  again  made  and  sent  thro'  the 
country;  whereof  I  will  iiere  annex  the  copy;  and  yet  I  must  complain  of 
Jt,  that  unto  this  hour  there  have  not  half  ten  considerable  histories  been 
tiaiiijiiiittcd  unto  uti  in  answer  uuto  these  proposals. 


842 


MAGNALIA   OUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


CERTAIN    PROPOSALS, 

Made  by  the  Pretident  and  Fellows  of  Harvard  Colltfe,  to  the  Beeerend  Minitteri  of  tki 
Gotpel  in  the  Hveral  Churehee  of  New-England. 

"  I.  To  observe  and  record  the  more  illustrious  discoveries  of  Divine  Providence  in  the  govern- 
ment of  the  world,  is  a  design  so  holy,  so  useful,  so  justly  approved,  that  the  too  general  neglect 
of  it  in  the  churches  of  God  is  as  justly  to  be  lamented. 

"  II.  For  the  redress  of  that  neglect,  although  all  Christians  have  a  duty  incumbent  on  thrm,  yet 
it  is  in  a  peculiar  manner  to  be  recommended  unto  the  ministers  of  the  gospel,  to  improve  the  spe- 
cial advantages  which  are  in  their  hands,  to  obtain  and  preserve  the  knowledge  of  such  notable 
occurrents  as  are  sought  out  by  all  that  have  pleasure  in  the  great  works  of  the  Lord. 

"  III.  The  things  to  be  esteemed  memorable,  are  especially  oil  unutual  accidentt,  in  the  heaven, 
or  earth,  or  water:  all  wonderful  deliverancea  of  the  distressed:  mercies  to  the  godly  ;  judgmenti 
on  the  wicked  ;  and  more  glorious  fulfilment  of  either  the  promieee  or  the  threatningt  in  the  Scrip- 
tures of  truth ;  with  apparitiona,  poaeeefiont,  inchantmenta,  and  all  extraordinary  things  wherein 
the  existence  and  agency  of  the  inviaible  world  is  more  sensibly  demonstrated. 

"  IV.  It  is  therefore  proposed  that  the  ministers  throughout  this  land  would  manifest  their  pious 
regards  '  unto  the  works  of  the  Lord  and  the  operation  of  his  hands,'  by  reviving  their  cares  to  take 
written  accounts  of  such  remarkablea;  but  still  well  attested  with  credible  and  sufficient  witnesses. 
"V.  It  is  desired  that  the  accounts  thus  token  of  these  remarkables,  may  be  sent  in  unto  the 
President  or  the  Fellows  of  the  college  ;  by  whom  they  shall  be  corefully  reserved  for  such  an 
use  to  be  made  of  them  as  may,  by  some  (it  assembly  of  ministers,  be  judged  most  conducive  to  the 
glory  of  God  and  the  service  of  his  people. 

"  VI.  Tho'  we  doubt  not  thot '  love  to  the  name  of  God,*  will  be  motive  enough  unto  oil  good 
men  to  contribute  whot  assistance  they  can  unto  this  undertaking,  yet,  for  further  encouragement, 
some  singular  marks  of  reject  shall  be  studied  for  such  good  men  as  will  actually  assist  it  by  taking 
pains  to  communicate  any  important  passages  proper  to  be  inserted  in  this  collection. 

Increase  Mather,  President. 
James  Ar.i.EN, 
Charles  Morton, 
Samuel  Willard, 
Cotton  Mather,  ^  Fellows. 

John  Leveret, 
William  Brattle, 
Nehem.  Walter, 
«  Cambridge,  Marcb  5, 1693-4." 

§  3.  Tho'  we  have  been  too  slack  in  doing  what  hath  been  desired  and 
directed  in  these  proposals,  yet  our  church  history  is  become  able  to  enter- 
tain the  world  with  a  collection  of  remarkable  providences  that  have  occurr'd 
among  the  inhabitants  of  New-England.  Besides  a  considerable  number 
of  memoruhles,  which  lie  seatter'd  here  and  there  in  every  part  of  cvir 
church-history,  there  is  a  number  of  thcin,  enough  to  make  an  intire  book 
by  themselves ;  whereof  having  received  sufficient  attestations,  I  shall  now 
invite  the  reader  to  consider  them. 

A  certain  critick  so  admired  those  verses  of  the  poet  Claudian, 

Strpe  mihi  dubinm  traxit  sententia  mentem, 
Curarent  superi  terms,  an  ulhia  inesset 
Rector,  un  incrrto  fluerent  mortalia  curau,* 


*  To  doubts  like  tbeee  my  thruRhts  arc  oft  bolraj'ud— 
b  Qod  e'er  mindful  of  the  world  lie  madsT 


I)»H>«  Trovldnnce  control  our  mortal  ststeT 
Or  Cliuiicv  direct  uur  dark  ond  wavering  riitef 


OB,    THE    niSTOEY    OF    NEW-ENGL ANI>. 


843 


that  lie  said,  whoever  would  be  a  poet,  must  perfectly  settle  them  in  his 
memory.  This  critick  might  perhaps  be  something  of  a  deist.  But, 
reader,  if  any  doubts  like  these  of  Claudian's,  about  the  existence  and 
providence  of  God  begin  to  poison  thy  soul,  there  are  six  or  seven  chapters 
of  history  now  before  thee  that  may  be  thy  antidote. 

It  is  observ'd  that  the  name  tu^i  (or  Fortune)  is  not  once  used  in  all  the 
works  of  Homer.  We  will  now  write  a  book  of  rare  occurrences,  wherein 
a  blind  fortune  shall  not  be  once  acknowledged.  Austin  in  his  rotracta* 
tions  complains  of  himself  that  he  had  used  the  word  fortune  too  much; 
but  the  use  of  it  shall  be  confuted,  as  well  as  avoided,  in  the  book  now 
before  us,  wherein  all  the  rare  occurrences  will  be  evident  operations  of  the 
Almighty  God,  "whose  kingdom  ruleth  over  all." 


CHBISTUS    SUPE  R   AftU  AS;* 

RELATING   WONDERFUL  SEA-DELIVERANCES. 
Vela  damns,  vaatumque  cava  trabe  currimua  aguor.  t 

They  "that  go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,  these  do  see  the  works  of  the 
Lord,  and  his  wonders  in  the  deep."  And  what  if  our  collection  of 
remarkable  providences  do  begin  with  a  relation  of  the  wonderful  works 
which  have  been  done  for  them  that  "go  down  to  the  sea  in  ships,"  by 
that  great  Lord  "whose  is  the  sea,  for  he  made  it?"  I  will  carry  my 
reader  upon  the  huge  Atlantick,  and,  without  so  much  as  the  danger  of 
being  made  sea-sick,  he  shall  see  "  wonders  in  the  deep." 

L  A  Pious  Anchorite. — Let  Mandelstoe  tell  of  his  poor  Fleming, 
who  lived  an  Insulary  Anchorite  upon  a  desolate  island  many  months 
together;  I  have  a  story  that  shall  in  most  things  equal  it,  and  in  some 
exceed  it. 

On  August  25,  1676,  Mr.  Ephraim  Howe,  with  his  two  sons,  did  set 
pail  from  New-Haven  for  Boston,  in  a  small  ketch  of  about  seventeen 
tun;  and  returning  from  Boston  for  New-Haven,  September  10,  contrary 
winds  detained  him  for  some  time,  and  then  illness  and  sickness  till  a 
month  expired.  He  then  renewed  his  voyage  as  far  as  Cape-Cod;  but 
suddenly  the  weather  became  so  tempestuous,  that  it  forced  them  off  to 
sea,  where  the  outragious  winds  and  seas  did  often  almost  overwliclm 
them;  and  here  in  about  eleven  days  his  older  son  died,  and  in  .i  few 
days  more  his  younger.     It  is  noted  in  1  Chroii.  vii.  22,  that  when  the 

*  Chrltt  on  the  soa,  f  We  fel  our  snilii,  Riid  iiloiiafli  Ihv  lulglity  <liiup. 


i.ihr 


844 


MAGl^ALIA   CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


sons  of  Ephraim  were  dead,  Ephraim  theiir  father  mourned  many  davs, 
and  his  brethren  came  to  comfort  him."  This  our  mourning  Ephraim 
could  not  have  any  comfort  from  his  friends  on  shoar,  when  his  two  sons 
were  thus  dead ;  but  they  died  after  so  holy  and  hopeRil  a  manner,  that 
their  father  was  not  without  his  consolations.  However,  their  straits  and 
fears  were  now  increased,  as  their  hands  diminished ;  and  another  of  ♦he 
company  soon  after  died  like  the  former.  Half  the  comj>any  was  now 
gone ;  and  Mr.  Howe,  though  in  a  very  weak  state  of  health,  now  stands 
at  the  helm  twenty  four  hours  and  thirty  six  hours  at  a  time,  with  the 
rude  waves  flying  over  the  vessel  at  such  a  rate,  that  if  ho  had  not  been 
lashed  fast,  he  must  have  been  washed  over-board.  In  this  extremity  he 
was  at  a  loss  whether  he  should  persist  in  striving  fur  the  New-Engjaiul 
shore,  or  bear  away  for  the  southern  islands;  and  projiosing  the  matter  to 
one  Mr.  Augur,  (who,  with  a  boy,  was  all  that  wore  loft  for  his  help,)  they 
first  sought  unto  God  by  earnest  prayer  in  this  dilKcult  ease,  and  theu 
determined  the  difficulty  by  casting  a  lot.  The  lot  fell  for  New-England, 
and  'ere  a  month  was  expired,  they  lost  the  rudder  of  thoir  vessel,  with 
which  they  lost  all  hope  of  being  saved.  In  this  deplonxble  oonditiou 
they  continued  a  fortnight;  and  thus,  for  si.x  weeks  togi'lher,  Mr.  llowo, 
though  laboring  under  much  infirmity,  was  hardly  ever  dry:  nor  hud 
they  in  all  this  while  the  benefit  of  warm  food  more  thati  thrict\  or  there- 
abouts. When  the  seventh  week  dawned  upon  thotn,  the  vessel  was 
driven  on  the  tailings  of  u  ledge  of  rocks,  where  the  sea  bi\)ke  witii  no 
little  violence;  and,  looking  out,  they  spied  a  disuuil,  doleful  rocky  island 
unto  the  lee-ward;  upon  which,  if  the  providence  of  Gv>d  hud  not  by  the 
breakers  given  'em  timely  notice,  they  had  been  dashed  in  pieces.  This 
extremity  was  Heaven's  opportunity  I  They  immediately  lot  gv>  an  aiich^r, 
and  got  out  the  boat,  and  God  made  that  utorm  a  atlm ;  ^v  that  the  uavfs 
were  still.  Being  under  the  astonishments  of  the  eireutnstauoes  now  upon 
them,  they  took  little  out  of  the  vessel;  but  when  they  came  a  shoar, 
they  found  themselves  upon  a  desolate  island  (near  Capo  Sable?!)  wiiich 
had  not  either  man  or  beast  upon  it;  and  a  protspoot  of  being  therefore 
starved  quickly  to  death  now  stared  upon  them.  While  they  were  under 
this  deadly  prospect,  a  storm  arose  that  staved  their  vessel  to  piocojs,  from 
whence  a  cask  of  powder  was  brought  a  shoar,  a  barrel  of  wine,  and  half 
a  barrel  of  moUossa's,  together  with  several  other  things,  which  assisted 
them  in  making  a  sort  of  a  tent  for  their  preservation  fix)m  the  ternl)lo 
cold.  However,  new  and  sore  distresses  now  attended  them:  for  tho'  they 
had  powder,  with  other  necessaries  for  foiclih(/,  there  weiv  soldou)  imyfowk 
to  be  seen  upon  this  forlorn  island,  except  a  few  gulls,  crows  and  ravens; 
and  these  were  so  few,  that  there  could  be  rarely  more  than  otie  shot  at  a 
time.  Oftentimes  half  a  one  of  these  fowls,  with  the  liquor,  nuide  a  meal 
for  three:  once  they  lived  five  days  without  any  susteiu\j\ee  at  all:  during 
all  which  space,  they  did  not  feel  themselves  pinched  with  lumgor  as  at 


CE,    THE    HI8T0EY    OF    NEW-ENQLAXD. 


8i5 


other  time3,  which  they  esteemed  a  special  favour  of  Heaven  unto  them. 
When  they  had  been  twelve  weeks  in  this  lonesome  condition,  Mr,  Howe's 
dear  friend  Mr.  Augur  died;  and  the  lad  also  died  in  the  April  following: 
so  that  his  hnesomeness  was  now  become  as  much  as  any  hermit  could  have 
wished  for.  For  a  long  and  a  sad  quarter  of  a  year  together  now,  he  saw 
fishing  vessels  ever  now  and  then  sailing  by ;  but  tho'  he  used  all  possible 
means  to  acquaint  them  with  his  distresses,  either  they  saw  him  not,  or 
they  feared  lest  some  of  the  Indians  then  in  hostility  against  the  English 
might  be  quartered  there. 

The  good  man,  while  thus  deserted,  kept  many  days  in  prayer,  with 
fasting,  wherein  he  confessed  and  bewailed  the  many  sins  which  had 
rendered  him  worthy  of  these  calamities,  and  cried  unto  God  for  his 
deliverance.  But  at  last  it  came  into  his  mind  that  he  ought  very  solemnly 
to  give  thanks  unto  God  for  the  marvellous  preservatio;s  which  he  had 
hitherto  experienced;  and  accordingly  he  set  apart  a  day  for  solemn 
thanksgiving  unto  God,  his  gracious  preserver,  for  the  divine  favours  which 
had  been  intermixed  with  all  his  troubles.  Immediately  after  this  a 
vessel  belonging  to  Salem  did  pass  by  that  island;  and  steing  tLio  poor 
servant  of  God  there,  they  took  him  in.  So  he  arrived  at  Salem,  July  8, 
1677,  and  returned  unto  his  family  at  Newhaven. 

IT.  A  Man  Strangely  Preserved  on  the  Keel  of  a  Boat  ai  SiSA. — 
A  ship's  long-boat,  having  five  men  in  her,  was  by  a  violent  gusi  of  wind 
over-set.  The  men  all  got  upon  the  keel,  upon  which,  being  driven  to 
sea,  they  were  four  days  floating  there.  In  this  time  three  of  them  droped 
off,  and  perished  in  the  deep;  on  the  fifth  day,  the  fourth  man,  being  sorely 
pained  with  hunger,  and  sadly  bruised  with  the  boistcoua  and  furious 
waves,  willfully  fell  off  into  the  sea,  and  was  drowned  after  the  rest  of 
his  companions.  Quickly  after  this,  the  wind  coming  up  at  south  east, 
carried  the  boat  with  the  fifth  man  into  Long-Island,  where,  being  scarce 
able  to  creep  a  shoar,  the  Indians  found  him,  cherished  him,  and  preserved 
him.  With  fasting,  and  ivatching  and  cold,  he  must,  according  to  reason, 
in  this  time  have  perished;  but  he  constantly  atfirnu.  1.  that  he  saw  certain 
persons  come  and  jntt  meal  into  his  mouth  lohen  he  aui  ready  to  perish  for 
want  of  sustenance. 

III.  The  Wonderful  Story  of  Major  Giubons, — Among  remarka- 
ble sea-deliverances,  no  less  than  three  Si-;veral  writers  have  published 
that  wherein  Major  Edward  Gibbons  of  Boston  in  New-England  was  con- 
cerned. A  vessel  bouud  from  Boston  to  some  other  parts  of  America 
was,  through  the  continuance  of  contrary  winds,  kept  so  long  at  sea,  that 
tho  people  aboard  were  in  extream  straits  for  want  of  provisions;  ond 
seeing  that  nothing  here  below  could  afford  them  any  relief,  they  look'd 
upwards  unto  Heaven  in  humble  and  fervent  supplications.  The  winds 
continuing  still  as  they  were,  one  of  the  company  made  a  sorrowful  motion 


'  I' 


I 

1 


; 


'iM 


iVC'l  i 


mm" 


aiLii.- 


846 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


that  they  should  by  a  lot  single  out  one  to  die,  and  by  death  to  satisfie  the 
ravenous  hunger  of  the  rest.  After  many  a.  doleful  and  fearful  debate 
upon  this  motion,  they  come  to  a  result,  that  it  must  be  done!  The  lot  is 
cast;  one  of  the  company  is  taken;  but  where  is  the  executioner  that 
shall  do  the  terrible  office  upon  a  poor  innocent?  It  is  a  death  now  to 
think  who  shall  act  this  bloody  part  in  the  tragedy ;  but  before  they  fall 
upon  this  involuntary  and  unnatural  execution,  they  once  more  went 
unto  their  zealous  prayers;  and,  behold!  while  they  were  calling  upon 
God,  he  answer'd  them :  for  there  leaped  a  mighty  fish  into  their  boat, 
which,  to  their  double  joy,  not  only  quieted  their  outrageous  hunger,  but 
also  gave  them  some  token  of  a  further  deliverance.  However,  the  fish 
is  quickly  eaten;  the  horrible  famine  returns,  the  horrible  distress  is 
rencw'd;  a  black  despair  again  seizes  their  spirits;  for  another  morsel 
they  come  to  a  second  lot,  which  fell  upon  another  person ;  but  still  they 
cannot  find  an  executioner:  they  once  again  fall  to  their  importunate 
prayers:  and  behold,  a  second  answer  from  above!  A  great  bird  lights 
and  fixes  itself  upon  the  mast:  one  of  the  men  spies  it;  and  there  it  stands 
until  he  took  it  by  the  wing  with  his  hand.  This  was  a  second  life  from 
the  dead.  This  fowl,  with  the  omen  of  a  further  deliverance  in  it,  was  a 
sweet  feast  unto  them.  Still  their  disappointments  follow  them ;  they  can 
see  no  land,  they  know  not  where  they  are;  irresistible  hunger  once  more 
pinches  them;  they  have  no  hope  to  be  saved,  but  by  a  third  miracle: 
they  return  to  another  lot;  but  before  they  go  to  the  heart-breaking  task 
of  slaying  the  person  under  designation^  they  repeat  their  addresses  unto 
the  God  of  heaven,  their  former  "friend  in  adversity."  And  now  they 
look,  and  look  again,  but  there  is  nothing:  their  devotions  are  concluded, 
and  nothing  appears:  yet  they  hoped,  yet  they  stayed,  yet  they  lingered. 
At  last  one  of  'em  spies  a  ship,  which  put  a  new  hope  and  life  into  'em 
all.  They  bear  up  with  their  ship,  they  man  their  long-boat,  they  beg  to 
board  their  vessel,  and  are  admitted.  It  proves  a  French  pirate.  Major 
Gibbons  petitions  for  a  little  bread,  and  offers  all  for  it;  but  the  com- 
mander was  one  who  had  formerly  received  consider.able  kindnesses  of 
Major  Gibbons  at  Boston,  and  now  replied  chcarfully,  "  Major  Gibbons, 
not  a  hair  of  you  or  your  company  sliall  perish,  if  it  lies  in  my  power  to 
preserve  you."  Accordingly  he  supplied  their  necessities,  and  they  made 
a  comfortable  end  of  their  voyage. 


IV.  Twelve  Men  living  five  weeks  fok  five  iiunduet)  leaouks 
IN  A  Little  Boat. — A  small  vessel,  whose  master's  name  was  Philip 
Hungare,  coming  upon  the  coast  of  Now-lOngland,  suddenly  sprang  a  leak 
and  founder'd.  Eighteen  persons  were  in  the  vessel,  whereof  twelve  got 
into  the  long-boat,  into  which  they  threw  some  little  matter  of  provision; 
but  of  that  necessary  thing  fire,  tliey  were  wholly  unprovided.  These 
twelve  men  went  five  hundred  leagues  in  this  poor  long-boat,  and  were 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


847 


therein  miraculously  preserved  five  weeks  together;  for  the  God  of  heaven 
sent  them  a  strange  relief,  by  causing  some  flying  fish  to  fly  and  fall 
among  them,  which  being  eaten  raw,  were  a  pleasant  food  unto  them; 
and  once,  when  they  must  otherwise  have  perish'd  for  thirst,  they  caught 
n  shark,  whose  blood  being  suck'd  by  them,  was  as  "cool  waters  to  their 
thirsty  souls ;"  but  that  which  was  more  so  was  their  safe  arrival  then  at 
the  West  Indies. 


V.  Some  Shipwrack'd  Folks  happily  rescued. — Mr.  John  Grafton 
being  bound  from  New-England  for  the  West-Indies  in  a  ketch  call'd  the 
Providence,  the  v(;.ss?el  suddenly  struck  upon  a  rock,  in  a  dark,  rainy, 
stormy  night;  and  the  force  of  the  wind  and  the  sea  broke  the  vessel  im- 
mediately to  pieces.  Six  of  the  ten  men,  whereof  the  company  did  consist, 
were  drown'd;  but  the  master  and  the  mate  were  left  upon  the  rock,  where 
the  sea  came  up  unto  their  waste,  and  there  they  embrac'd  each  other, 
looking  for  death  every  moment;  which,  if  the  sea  had  risen  higher,  must 
have  been  unavoidable.  By  the  rock  was  one  of  the  seamen  grievously 
wounded,  an  J  groaning:  But  in  the  morning  they  saw  an  island  about 
half  a  mile  from  them.  The  rocks  were  so  cragged,  that  these  persons, 
who  were  bare-footed,  were  not  able  to  tread  thereupon ;  but  they  found 
a  piece  of  tarpoling,  which  they  wrapp'd  and  fastned  about  their  feet  with 
rope-yarns;  and  so  getting  each  of  them  a  stick,  they  sometimes  ivaWd, 
and  sometimes  they  crept,  until  at  last  they  came  unto  the  island,  where 
they  found  another  of  their  crew,  carried  ashore  by  a  piece  of  the  vessel. 
Eight  days  they  continu'd  on  the  island,  and  four  of  them  without  any 
fire.  Salt-fish  was  their  food,  and  ijiin-water  found  in  the  holes  of  the 
rocks  their  drink.  They  then  found  a  pie.e  of  touchwood  which  had 
been  in  the  mate's  chest;  and  a  flint,  with  a  knife,  being  in  like  manner 
brought  'em,  they  struck  fire ;  and  a  barrel  of  their  flower  being  also  cast 
ashore,  they  made  cakes  thereof  But  there  must  be  no  long  stay  made 
upon  this  desolate  island.  AVherefore,  finding  a  piece  of  the  main-sail,  aad 
some  hoops  of  a  cask,  and  a  fragment  of  a  board,  with  some  nails,  and  a 
box  wherein  was  a  bolt-rope  needle  and  a  tarr-barrel,  with  which  they 
tarr'd  their  canvas,  out  of  these  wretched  materials  they  patch'd  up  a 
pitiful,  unlikely,  dangerous  tool,  which  they  call'd  a  hoat;  and  meeting 
with  some  thin  boards  which  came  out  of  the  cabin,  of  these  they  made 
their  paddles.  In  this  odd  vehicle  they  made  a  voyage  of  ten  leagties, 
even  until  they  namr'  tc  -Vnguilia,  where  the  people  entertained  them  with 
coiirksie  and  wonderment. 


'1J 
ill  'I 


w\ 


im'hyim 


I  , 


.1    t 
I 


VI.  SoiiE  Calamites  at  Sea  survived. — A  small  vessel  set  sail  from 
Bristol  to  Ncw-Kngland,  September  22,  1681,  with  the  master,  whose 
name  was  William  Dutten;  there  were  seven  men  aboard,  having  pro- 
visions for  three  months;  but  by  contrary  winds  they  were  twenty  weeks 


'     u 


i 


848 


MAGNALIA    CHEI8TI    AMERICANA; 


before  they  could  make  any  land;  and  by  other  disasters  and  distresses 
it  was  rendred  very  unlikely  that  ever  they  should  make  any  land  at  all. 
The  fierce  winds  upon  the  coasts  of  New-England  made  them  conclude 
on  December  12,  that  they  would  bear  away  for  Barbadoes;  but  before 
this  they  lost  one  barrel  of  their  beer,  by  the  head  being  broken  out;  and 
having  but  seven  barrels  of  water,  three  of  them  leak'd  away.  When  their 
victuals  fail'd  them,  the  "merciful  God  whose  is  the  sea,  for  he  made  it." 
sent  them  a  supply,  by  causing  dolphins  every  now  and  then  to  come  so 
near  their  vessel  as  to  be  catch'd;  yet  it  was  observable  that  they  covld 
never  catch  any  but  in  an  extream  necessity ;  nor  any  more  than  would 
serve  their  present  necessity.  But  their  misery,  thro'  the  want  of  water 
was  very  sore  upon  them:  For  tho'  they  tried  much  to  take  the  rain  water, 
when  any  fell,  the  winds  were  usually  so  furious,  that  they  could  save 
little,  if  any  of  it.  However,  when  they  came  near  the  latitude  of  Ber- 
mudaz,  they  did,  unto  their  great  joy,  save  two  barrels  of  rain  water;  but 
then,  the  rats  unexpectedly  eating  holes  in  the  barrels,  all  that  water  was 
lost  again.  Once,  when  a  shower  of  rain  fell,  they  sav'd  a  pint;  which, 
tho'  it  were  made  very  bitter  by  the  tar,  yet  it  was  a  "sweet  water  unto 
their  thirsty  souls;"  and  they  divided  it  among  seven,  drinking  a  thimble- 
full  at  a  time,  which  went  five  times  about.  On  January  27,  a  good 
shower  of  rain  fell;  and,  that  they  might  preserve  it,  they  laid  their  li li- 
nens open  to  the  rain ;  and  wringing  them  dry,  they  obtain'd  seven  gallons 
.of  water,  which,  being  bottl'd  up,  was  a  great  and  a  long  refreshment  unto 
them.  New  straits  then  came  upon  them.  They  catch'd,  with  much  ado, 
three  or  four  of  the  rats,  that  had  cheated  them  of  their  drink,  and  made 
of  'em  a  meat,  which  to  their  famished  souls  did  seem  very  delicate.  But 
the  torment  of  their  drought  grew  insupportable;  for  sometimes  they  had 
not  a  drop  of  any  fresh  water  for  a  whole  week  together.  When  they 
killed  a  dolphin,  they  would  suck  his  blood  for  the  relief  of  their  thirst; 
yea,  their  thirst  caused  them  to  drink  large  quantities  of  salt  water,  which 
yet  they  found  allayed  it  not.  They  would  go  over  board  with  a  roj)o 
fastned  about  them,  that  by  drenching  themselves  a  while  in  the  sea,  tiiey 
might  ease  the  inte/nal  heat  which  parched  them;  and  when  they  stood 
any  of  them  to  steer  the  vessel,  they  would  have  their  feet  in  a  pail  of  sea 
water  to  refrigerate  'em.  In  this  calamity  some  of  the  seamen  penitently 
confessed,  "how  jn  t  it  was  with  God  thus  to  punish  them,  who  hud  in- 
temperately  abused  themselves  with  drink,  so  often  in  their  former  con- 
versation." But  at  length,  on  February  7,  they  met  with  a  Guinea-man, 
who  supplied  'em  with  necessaries,  and  so  they  got  safe  in  unto  Barki' 
does,  from  whence  they  afterwards  made  their  voyage  to  New-England. 


VIII.    DiSTRI 


VII.  Seasonable  Succours. — A  ship  of  Dublin,  whereof  Andrew 
Bennet  was  master,  being  bound  from  thence  unto  Virginia,  and  got  as  far 
OS  the  latitude  of  thirty-nine,  about  an  hundred  and  fifty  leagues  from 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


349 


Cape  Cod  in  New-England  (on  April  18,  1681,)  in  a  very  stormy  time, 
suddenly  there  sprang  a  plank  in  the  fore-part  of  the  ship.  Whereupon 
the  sea  broke  in  so  fast,  that  they  could  not  by  all  their  endeavours  keep 
tlie  ship  from  sinking  above  half  an  hour.  "Wherefore,  when  the  ship  was 
just  sinking,  some  of  the  company  resQlved  that  they  would  launch  out 
tlie  boat,  which  was  a  very  small  one;  and  in  this  action  the  master,  the 
mate,  the  boatswain,  the  cook,  two  fore-mast  men,  and  a  boy,  kept  such 
hold  of  it,  when  a  cast  of  the  sea  suddenly  help'd  them  off'  with  it,  that 
they  got  into  it  The  heaving  of  the  sea  now  suddenly  thrust  them  trom 
the  ship,  in  which  there  were  left  nineteen  persons,  namely,  sixteen  men 
and  three  women,  who  all  perish'd  in  the  deep,  while  they  were  trying  to 
make  rafters,  by  cutting  down  the  masts  for  the  preservation  of  their  lives 
as  long  as  they  could.  The  seven  in  the  boat  apprehended  themselves  to 
be  in  a  condition  little  better  than  that  of  them  in  the  ship ;  for  they  had 
neither  sails,  nor  oars,  nor  bread,  nor  water,  nor  any  sort  of  instrument, 
except  a  knife  and  a  piece  of  a  deal-board,  with  which  they  made  sticks, 
and  set  them  up  in  the  sides  of  the  boat,  covering  them  with  some  of  their 
own  garments  to  keep  off  the  spray  of  the  sea.  In  this  condition  they 
drove  with  an  hard  wind  and  an  high  sea  all  this  day,  with  the  night 
following;  but  the  next  morning  their  dismal  distress  met  with  an  happy 
relief;  when  they  saw  a  ketch  (whereof  Edmund  Ilenfield,  of  Salem  in 
New-England,  was  master)  under  sail;  which  ketch  coming  right  with 
them,  took  'em  up,  and  brought  'em  safe  to  New-England.  Now,  none 
of  the  least  remarkable  circumstances  in  this  matter  was,  that  when  the 
ship  founder'd,  the  ketch  was  many  leagues  to  the  westward  of  her;  but  a 
contrary  wind  caused  her  to  stand  back  again  unto  the  eastward,  where 
these  poor  men  were  met  and  saved. 

VIII.  Distressed  People  at  Sea,  happily  meeting  and  helping 
ONE  another. — A  ship,  whereof  William  Laiton  was  master,  bound  from 
Piscataqua  in  New-England  to  Barbadoes,  being  two  hundred  and  fifty 
leagues  off  the  coast,  sprang  a  leak;  which,  notwithstanding  their  constant 
plying  of  the  pump  for  fourteen  hours  together,  so  fill'd  the  vessel  with 
water,  that  all  the  eight  persons  aboard  betook  themselves  to  their  boat, 
with  a  good  supply  of  bread  for  them  there  to  live  upon.  The  master  v/ould 
utter  a  strange  perswasion,  that  they  should  meet  with  a  ship  at  sea, 
whereby  they  should  be  rclicv'd:  But  before  they  did  so,  they  had  so  far 
spent  their  small  supply  of  water,  that  they  were  como  to  the  allowance 
of  each  man  a  spoonful  a  day.  In  this  boat  they  continu'd  upon  the 
Atlantick  Ocean  for  nineteen  days  together ;  after  twelve  of  which  they  met 
with  a  storm,  which  did  much  endanger  their  lives;  but  God  preserv'd 
them.  At  the  end  of  eighteen  days  a  flying  fish  fell  into  their  boat ;  and 
having  with  them  an  hook  and  lino,  they  made  use  of  that  fish  for  bait, 
whereby  they  caught  a  couple  of  dolphins.    A  ship  then  at  sea,  whereof 


ii^. 


"W 


850 


MAQNALIA    CHKISTI    AMERICANA; 


Mr.  Samuel  Scarlet  was  commander,  apprehending  a  storm  to  be  near 
they  suffered  their  vessel  to  drive  before  the  wind,  while  they  were  fittiinr 
of  the  rigging  to  entertain  that  approaching  storm;  and  by  this  means 
they  met  with  a  boat  full  of  their  distress'd  brethren.  Captain  Scarlet's 
vessel  was  then  destitute  of  provisions;  only  they  had  water  enough,  and 
to  spare:  For  which  cause  the  mariners  desir'd  him  that  he  would  not  go 
to  take  the  men  in,  lest  they  should  all  die  by  famine.  But  the  Captain 
was  a  man  of  too  generous  charity  to  follow  the  selfish  proposals  thus  made 
unto  him.  He  reply'd,  "It  *ray  be,  these  distress'd  creatures  are  our  own 
country  men:  Or,  how  'ei  .hey  are  distress'd  creatures.  I  am  resolved 
I  will  take  them  in;  and  I'll  trust  in  God,  who  is  able  to  deliver  us  all." 
Nor  was  ha  a  looser  by  this  charitable  resolution ;  for  Captain  Scarlet  hud 
the  water  which  Iiaiton  wanted,  and  Mr.  Laiton  had  the  bread  and  fish  that 
Scarlet  wanted:  So  they  refresh'd  one  another,  and  in  a  few  days  arriv'J 
safe  to  New-England.  But  it  was  remark'd,  that  the  chief  of  the  mariners 
who  urg'd  Captain  Scarlet  against  his  talcing  in  these  distress'd  people,  did 
afterwards,  in  his  distress  at  sea,  perish  without  any  to  take  him  in.  In 
another  voyage  he  perish'd  at  sea,  and  was  never  heard  of. 


IX.  Wonderful  Distresses,  ^t>  more  Wonderful  Deliver- 
ances.— A  number  of  mariners,  in  a  small  pink,  belonging  to  Boston, 
(call'd  the  Blessing)  were  taken  by  an  half-galley  of  cruel  Spaniards,  on 
April  1,  1683,  who  put  them  all  immediately  into  their  hold,  except  the 
master  and  mate,  the  latter  of  which  they  tormented  by  twisting  a  piece 
of  sea-net  about  his  head,  until  his  eyes  were  ready  to  start  out,  and  then 
hanging  him  up  by  the  two  thumbs  to  make  him  confess  what  money 
they  had  aboard;  but  when  they  saw  he  would  confe«s  nothing,  they  mr.do 
fast  a  rope  about  his  neck,  and  ask'd  their  commander  whether  they  should 
hoise  him  up  or  not:  they  consulted  also  whether  they  should  not  hang  all 
the  men;  but  not  agreeing  on  that  point,  they  concluded  on  somewhat  no 
less  truculent  and  barbarous.  They  kept  one  of  the  men  on  board,  on 
whom  they  afV'irwards  exercis'd  bloody  cruelties;  and  the  other  si^: 
belonging  to  the  vessel,  they  thus  disposed  of:  They  carry'd  the  poor  men 
among  the  mangrove  trees,  that  grow  upon  an  adjacent  island,  and,  strip- 
ping them  stark  naked,  they  caus'd  each  of  'i^m  to  turn  their  backs  unto 
the  branch  of  a  tree,  and  spread  their  arms  abroad :  in  which  posture  ihoy 
bound  the  arms  of  each  man  to  the  branches,  two  by  two,  about  a  quarter 
of  a  miles  distance  between  the  several  couples,  thus  leaving  them  to  per- 
ish without  any  pity.  They  stood  up  to  the  mid-leg  in  water,  their  feet 
contiguous,  and  their  faces  turn'd  so  that  they  might  behold  each  others' 
miseries.  But  about  three  hours  after,  one  of  these  men  espy'd  a  siiek 
with  a  crook  at  one  end,  not  far  from  him ;  whereupon  he  said  unto  his 
companion,  "If  it  please  God  that  we  might  get  that  stick  into  oui  hands, 
it  might  be  a  means  to  work  our  deliverance;''  and  thereupon  trying  to 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


351 


bring  the  stick  towards  them  with  their  feet,  in  a  little  time  they  happily 
effected  it,  and  so  bore  it  up  with  their  feet,  that  at  last  the  man  got  hold 
of  it  with  his  hand;  and  herewith  by  degrees  they  loos'd  the  knot  that 
was  upon  the  bowing  of  their  arms;  and  shifting  it  into  their  fingers,  did 
by  little  and  little  get  so  far  in  loosing  it,  that  they  quite  undid  it,  setting 
themselves  at  liberty.  Now,  returning  their  thanks  to  the  God  of  heaven 
for  helping  them  thus  far,  they  hastened  unto  the  help  of  their  despairing 
friends.  But  their  next  care  was  how  to  keep  themselves  out  of  the  sight 
of  those  barbarous  wretches,  from  whom  they  had  receiv'd  this  usage :  Yet 
they  had  not  gone  above  a  mile,  before  they  spy'd  some  of  'em  got  upon 
an  high  tree  to  discover  ships  that  pass'd  that  way.  Upon  this  they  were 
60  affrighted,  that  they  ran  among  the  thickets  and  lost  one  another,  and 
met  not  again  till  the  third  night  after;  in  all  which  time  they  found  no 
water,  but  lickV^  ihe  dew  from  the  leaves  of  the  plants  thereabout:  At 
which  business,  while  they  were  imploy'd,  an  alligator  suddenly  got  the 
arm  of  the  maater  into  his  mouth ;  but  he,  with  the  rest,  crying  out,  the 
alligator  let  go  his  hold,  therewithal  tearing  away  a  great  piece  of  tlie 
flesh.  Afler  this,  they  got  upon  an  high  tree,  and  sate  there  till  it  was 
day;  but  within  a  day  or  two  they  kill'd  a  wild  coney,  which  they  flay'd 
with  the  help  of  a  sharp  stone;  and  applying  the  inside  of  it  unto  the 
master's  arm,  they  eat  the  flesh  raw  with  no  little  satisfaction.  The  night 
following  they  got  upon  an  high  rock,  thinking  there  to  be  secure  from 
the  alligators;  yet  even  there,  one  of  those  terrible  creatures  came  upon 
'em,  and  hall'd  one  of  the  men  off  the  rock;  at  which  they  all  crying  out, 
the  monster  let  go  his  hold,  and  the  man  was  recover'd.  However,  this 
made  'em  retire  into  the  trees  for  safety.  Their  drink  all  this  while  was 
the  rain  water,  found  in  holes  among  the  rocks.  At  length  also  they 
rais'd  a  little  wall,  two  yards  high  to  keep  off  the  numerous  alligators: 
and  whilks  and  crabs  were  their  best  food,  whilst  they  had  much  ado  to 
preserve  themselves  from  being  food  to  those  devourers.  But  anon  they 
found  a  well  with  a  barrel  in  it,  where  they  resolv'd  they  would  wait  for 
help  or  death.  On  April  13,  the  mate  (namely,  Charles  Cretchet)  with 
two  more  (namely,  Robert  Pierce  and  Peter  Clement)  of  these  diatress'd 
people,  made  a  raft  with  such  wood  as  they  found  on  the  island,  and  put 
to  sea.  The  master  (whose  name  was  David  East)  with  two  more  (whose 
names  were  John  Bath  and  Peter  liowland)  being  left  behind,  were 
extrenmly  hungry  and  feeble,  und  had  not  the  least  garment  to  cover  them 
from  the  sun,  while  they  weve  at  the  same  time  so  grievously  infested  with 
moschctos,  tiiat  they  could  riot  go  to  the  rocks  for  whilks,  but  must  content 
themselves  with  gnawinp^  such  dry  bones  of  turtles  as  had  been  half  a  year 
lying  there.  In  this  e\tremity  Heaven  sent  them  some  supply;  for  they 
found  a  dead  eel,  which  they  suppcis'd  had  been  dropt  bv  an  hern :  This 
they  took,  they  skin'd,  they  divided,  and  it  seem'd  an  -ncomparablc  feast 
unto  them.    On  April  19,  the  master  and  the  two  hll  with  him  foUow'd 


I 


fe;'**  •'  if 


Itli 


i  i 


1t!i( 


1 !   .  '-  * 
"        ft 


■r.ii 


352 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


tiio  example  of  the  mate  anu  his  two,  in  making  a  raft  for  a  voyage  to  soa: 
but  as  they  were  going  to  put  off,  tbey  espy'd  a  couple  of  sails :  upon  whicli 
they  betook  themselves  unto  the  water,  that  they  might  get  unto  these 
vessels,  which  at  length  took  them  up.  These  two  vessels  were  a  coiijile 
of  canoes,  having  luree  men  apiece,  who  kept  'em  thirty-two  f^nyc,  inij 
then  carry'd  'em  into  Havana;  where  the  governour,  notwithstanding  tiicv 
fairly  related  unto  him  their  circumstances,  kept  'em  in  prison  cighueii 
days,  without  allowing  'em  rmy  food.  So  that,  if  they  liad  iiot  receivM 
some  sustenance  from  a  few  poor  English  prisonors  who  hi'd  br«  u  t'  ro 
before  'em,  they  had  been  perfectly  starved.  At  List  they  underslciod  tli:it 
their  ship  was  in  thfit  harbour,  and  the  peri-ons.  who  took  h(.  t :  Whereupon 
they  petition'd  the  governour  tliat  they  night  have  their  ship  figaiii; 
inasmuch  as  they  could  make  no  legal  prize  of  her;  for  she  liad  no  Spanish 
goods  aboard.  Their  petition  was  granted;  and  their  ship  (tho'  empty '.[ 
of  every  thing  but  her  ballast)  was  -estor'd  unto  'cm:  Nor  could  tliey  i»y 
a  uew  petition  obtain  any  thing  but  her  sails,  and  sorno  small  part  1/  iior 
J.'iding  that  ha<l  not  been  dispos'd  of. 

On  June  iO,  the  hunters  huving  taken  up  Eobert  Pierce  and  Peter 
Clement,  rind  orc^ught  'om  into  Havana,  the  governour  examin'd  'em  wliat 
was  become  of  thoj-  ; nates;  and  they  told  him  that  they  were  five  days  at 
sea  upon  th;'  raft,  aiid  had  only  two  crabs  all  this  while  to  subsist  upon; 
and  theii  by  the  wind  they  were  driven  upon  the  sami.  island  which  tlicy 
had  left,  where  they  wander'd  up  and  down  for  a  montii  together;  and  in 
their  travels  lost  their  mate,  who  was  thro'  weakness  nnable  to  travel. 
Hereupon  the  governour  sent  'em  aboard  also ;  and  the  night  before  thoy 
sail'd  the  himters  informed  the  governour  that  they  had  likewise  taken  up 
the  mate  alive.  But  the  governour  hurry'd  'em  away  in  such  haste,  that 
they  could  not  know  the  certainty  thereof;  and  so  they  prosecuted  their 
voyage  for  Boston,  whither  they  came,  well  nigh  starv'd  with  cold,  not 
having  any  more  clothes  than  a  canvass  frock  for  each  man,  which  the 
iurtlers  had  bestowed  upon  them. 

X.  A  Notable  r)TORY  of  one  sav'd  from  the  hands  of  the  Turks. 
— A  decad  of  remar  kable  sea  deliverances  may  be  sufficient  for  the  present 
entertainment.  One  of  my  honest  neighbours,  whose  name  is  Christopiier 
Monk,  brought  me  this  account  of  what  had  befallen  himself: 

"In  a  ship  of  Bermudns,  cnll'd  the  John's  Adventure,  whereof  I  was  mnster,  Juiy  29,  IfiSl,  we 
departed  from  Torbay  in  the  west  of  England.  Eight  days  after  this  wc  saw  a  ship  about  8  h. 
A.  M.  that  gave  us  chase;  and  tho'  we  made  what  sail  we  could  to  run  from  it,  by  3  h.  P.  M.  it 
came  up  with  us.  It  prov'd  to  be  the  '  Half  Moun'  of  Algier,  who  sent  their  launch  on  board  of 
us,  and  cnrry'd  us  ail  on  board  (he  Turk's  ship,  except  one,  whom  they  left  to  help  'em  in  sailing  of 
ours.  The  captain  having  examin'd  us  of  divers  things,  and  robb'd  us  of  what  !<ilver  or  gold  v,» 
had  about  us, sent  us  forward  among  the  other  Christians  that  were  there  beforL'  us,  who  eniertuind 
U8  with  sorrowful  lamentations, 

<*  I  have  since  reflected  on  it,  that  tho'  formerly  I  used  morning  and  evening  prayers  with  my 


eompany;  yetinthet 
IJiii  our  application  of 
••  However  now,  bei 
formerly  of  niy  family, 
niy  enemies,  without  r 
yi\Kn  I  heard  'em  rejo 
•'  One  of  the  Moora 
pf  my  neglecting  to  re 
Bible,  which  the  Turk 
mid  my  greatest  conso 
Godly  Mnn'a  Ark;  th 
btni'ficial  to  me.     Fr< 
Hiito  the  will  of  God 
uiiilergo,  and  had  8W« 
from  those  considerati 
wherefore  doth  a  livir 
my  sins  had  deserv'd 
that  if  I  ntet  with  a  « 
a  bad  master,  the  tim 
could  but  secure  my  « 
slavery  as  well  as  the 
ingof  the  Bible,  first 
pertinent  unto  my  pr« 
me.    Once,  coming  i 
asleep,  I  thought  thai 
many,  without  makii 
aboard,  how  easily  w 
prescrib'd  a  way ;  bi^ 
among  us,  he  affirme 
I  spoke  no  more  of  i( 
scripture  which  then 
any  wise  to  do  evil,  I 
earth;  for  yet  a  littU 
evil  intent ;  and  resc 
in  Lam.  iii.  26 :  'It 
Lord.'     And  that  in 
"  One  morning,  ai 
where  was  a  little  w 
were  with  me  had  y< 
•em  cry ;  that  there 
towards  us,  at  the  c 
us,  I  with  several  o 
ones  were  set  at  lib 
of  the  needy,  now  • 
at  him.'    I  thought 
the  upper  deck ;  in 
the  deck ;  but  seeii 
and  adding,  •  that  \ 
"  I  continu'd  thu 
me  any  abuse,  tho' 
a  Christian  at  the 
been  in  our  compf 
the  preceding  evei 
Senface,    The  St 
and  so  did  the  Ji 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    MEW-ENGLAND. 


858 


eninpany ;  yet  in  the  .time  of  our  chase,  my  fearB  and  cares  made  me  have  no  heart  for  the  duty. 
JUiii  uur  application  of  our  selves  unto  outward  reliefs  and  second  causes,  prov'd  all  in  vain. 

'•  However  now,  being  in  Turkish  and  cruel  hands,  I  thought  it  fit  to  pray  with  them  that  were 
fiirinerly  of  niy  family,  that  is  to  say,  my  company  ;  and  I  was  enabl'd  to  do  it  in  the  presence  of 
my  fiiemies,  without  receiving  disturbance  from  'em.  I  incourog'd  my  self  in  the  Lord  my  God, 
wlicn  I  heard  'em  rejoicing  with  shouts  at  the  prey  taken  by  them. 

"One  of  the  Moors  took  away  my  Bible,  wViicb  I  thought  was  a  sore  judgment  on  me,  because 
pf  iny  neglecting  to  read  it  while  I  had  it.  But,  thro'  the  mercy  of  God,  I  had  soon  after  an  old 
Bible,  which  the  Turks  reckon'd  of  littk  value,  given  to  me.  This  was  my  sweetest  componion 
nnd  my  greatest  consolation  in  my  distress.  I  also  met  with  two  other  books,  one  cntitul'd  *  The 
Godly  Man' 8  Ark,'  the  other, '  The  History  of  the  Sufferingt  of  Jesue  Chritt;'  which  were  very 
beneficial  to  me.  From  the  sufferings  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  I  was  incourag'd  to  submit  my  will 
unto  the  will  of  God  in  all  things;  knowing  that  Jesus  Christ  had  suffer'd  more  than  I  was  able  to 
undergo,  and  had  sweein'd  all  those  who  are  His.  I  was  likewise  made  willing  to  undergo  slavery 
from  those  considerations  in  Lam.  iii.  22.  39:  'It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  are  not  consum'd : 
wherefore  doth  a  living  man  complain, a  man  for  the  punishment  of  his  sin?' — being  ^onvinc'd  that 
my  sins  had  deserv'd  far  more  than  could  be  inflicted  upon  me  in  this  life.  I  thought  with  my  self 
that  if  I  met  with  a  good  master,  my  life  would  be  the  more  comfortable;  but  thai,  if  I  met  with 
a  bad  master,  the  time  which  1  had  here  to  live,  was  but  short,  compar'd  with  eternity :  and  if  1 
could  but  secure  my  eternal  happiness,  it  would  make  amends  for  all ;  and  why  could  not  I  endure 
slavery  as  well  as  the  negroes  in  my  own  nation?  I  usually  read  those  places  which,  at  my  open- 
ing of  the  Bible,  first  ofTer'd  themselves  unto  me;  and  often  they  would  hoppcn  to  be  exceedingly 
pertinent  unto  my  present  condition ;  especially  many  passages  in  the  37th  Psalm  very  much  affected 
me.  Once,  coming  upon  the  deck  in  the  morning,  and  finding  most  of  all  the  Turks  and  Moors 
asleep,  I  thought  that,  if  I  had  been  owner  of  a  sharp  knife,  I  could  have  cut  the  throats  of  a  great 
mnny,  without  making  any  noise,  and  withal  communicated  the  notion  to  some  of  the  English 
aboard,  how  easily  we  might  conquer  our  adversaries,  and  master  the  ship.  Some  consented,  and 
prewrib'd  a  way ;  but  one,  more  fearful  than  the  rest,  bid  me  hove  a  care  whnt  I  said ;  for  some 
among  us,  he  affirmed,  would  willingly  betray  our  design,  unto  the  loss  of  our  own  lives.  Hereupon 
I  fpoke  no  more  of  it,  but  went  dov/n  between  decks  to  advise  with  my  Bible ;  and  this  was  the 
scripture  which  then  ocurr'd  unto  me:  'Cease  from  anger,  and  forsake  wrath;  fret  not  thy  self  in 
any  wise  to  do  evil,  for  evil-doers  shall  be  cut  off;  but  they  that  wait  on  'he  Lord,  shall  inherit  the 
earth;  for  yet  a  little  while,  and  the  wicked  shall  not  be.'  Upon  this,  I  wl  My  desisted  from  my 
evil  intent ;  and  resolving  to  take  the  advice  of  the  Psalm,  I  also  apply'd  unto  my  self  that  scripture 
in  Lam.  iii.  26:  'It  is  good  that  a  man  should  both  hope  and  quietly  wait  for  the  solvation  of  the 
Lord.'     And  that  in  Isa.  xlix  24,  25,  and  that  in  Isa.  liii.  3,  4. 

"  One  morning,  as  I  slept  upon  some  old  sails  between  decks,  I  dream'd  that  I  was  upon  an  hill, 
where  was  a  little  sort  of  a  log-house,  like  some  houses  that  I  have  seen  in  Virginia ;  that  some  who 
were  with  me  had  young  eagles  in  their  hands,  bruising  and  squeezing  'em  in  their  hands  till  they  made 
'em  cry ;  that  there  appear'd  at  length  two  great  white  eagles  upon  the  top  of  another  hill  coming 
towards  us,  at  the  cry  of  the  young  ones,  to  release  'em :  that  for  fear,  lest  the  old  eagles  might  kill 
us,  I  with  several  others  were  put  into  the  little  house  to  secure  us:  and  that  hereupon  the  young 
ones  were  set  at  liberty;  and  somebody  said  unto  me,  'For  the  crying  of  the  poor,  for  the  sighing 
of  the  needy,  now  will  I  arise,  saith  the  Lord;  and  I  will  set  him  at  liberty  from  him  that  pufTeth 
at  him,'  I  thought  also  that  I  heard  somebody  cry  out '  A  sail,  a  sail !'  and  I  thought  my  self  upon 
the  upper  deck ;  imagining  that  there  I  saw  a  ship  or  two.  With  this,  I  awoke,  ond  went  upon 
the  deck;  but  seeing  no  other  ship,  I  considered  a  little  upon  my  dream,  telling  it  unto  my  mate, 
and  adding, '  that  I  expected  a  speedy  redemption.' 

"I  continu'd  thus  with  the  Turks,  until  the  9th  of  September;  all  which  lime  they  never  ofTer'd 
me  any  abuse,  tho'  they  did  beat  other  Christians  very  much.  On  that  day,  about  8  in  the  morning, 
a  Christian  at  the  fore  top-mnst  head  saw  three  ships;  one  of  which  was  a  Frenchman,  which  had 
been  in  our  company  the  night  before ;  and  now  told  the  other  two  ships  that  they  had  seen  a  Turk 
the  preceding  evening.  The  two  ships  were  two  small  English  frigates,  the  Jaines-Golley,  and  the 
Si'nfoce.  The  Senface  having  a  man  at  the  top-mast  head,  espy'd  us,  and  made  sail  towards  us, 
and  so  did  the  James-Galley.     We  lay  still  until  I  saw  their  saila  above  the  water,  like  my  two 

Vol.  II.— 23 


854 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


white  eagles,  aa  white  as  snow,  thro'  the  sun  shining  on  them.  The  Turks  made  sail  to  run  from 
'em ;  yet  at  night  the  James-Galley  came  up  with  us;  whereupon  I,  with  the  rest  of  the  Christiana 
was  chain'd  down  in  the  hold.  After  a  little  discourse  they  fired  on  our  Turks  a  volley  of  sniall 
shot,  and  a  broad-side.  The  Seaface  seeing  that,  boarded  us:  but  in  less  than  an  hour's  time  she 
lost  her  fore-mast,  and  boltsprit,  and  head,  and  about  five  and  twenty  men,  and  fell  a-stern.  Yet 
the  other,  which  was  less  than  she,  shot  all  her  masts  away  by  2  in  the  morning ;  and  when  it  was 
day,  the  Turks  yielded  their  ship.  Then  they  that  were  leading  us  captive,  were  themselves  cnrry'd 
into  captivity,  September  10, 1681.  "  CHRisfornEB  Monk." 

UA9rTIS8i.« 

Over  and  above  the  number  of  sea-deliverances  intended  for  this  chapter, 
we  will  add  one  more,  which  is  a  late  and  a  fresh  instance,  and  attested 
beyond  all  contradiction. 

On  the  16th  of  October,  in  this  present  year  1697,  there  arriv'd  at  New- 
Haven  a  sloop  of  about  50  tuns,  whereof  Mr.  "William  Trowbridge  was 
master:  the  vessel  belong'd  unto  New-Haven,  the  persons  on  board  were 
seven;  and  seventeen  long  weeks  had  they  now  spent  since  they  came 
from  their  port,  which  was  Fayal.  By  so  unusually  tedious  a  pa.ssage,  a 
terrible  famine  unavoidably  came  upon  them ;  and  for  the  five  last  weeks 
of  their  voyage  they  were  so  destitute  of  all  food,  that  thro'  faintness  they 
would  have  chosen  death  rather  than  life.  But  they  were  a  praying  and 
a  pious  company ;  and  when  "  these  poor  men  cry'd  unto  the  Lord,  he 
heard  and  sav'd  them."  God  sent  his  dolphins  to  attend  'em;  and  of  these 
they  caught  still  one  every  day,  which  was  enough  to  serve  'em :  only  on 
Saturdays  they  still  catch'd  a  couple;  and  on  the  Lord's  Days  they  could 
catch  none  at  all.  With  all  possible  skill  and  care  they  could  not  supply 
themselves  with  the  fish  in  any  other  number  or  order;  and  indeed  with 
an  holy  blush  at  last  they  left  off  trying  to  do  any  thing  on  the  Lord^s  Days, 
when  they  were  so  well  supply'd  on  the  Saturdays.  Thus  the  Lord  kept 
feeding  a  company  that  put  their  trust  in  him,  as  he  did  his  Israel  with 
his  manna:  and  this  they  continu'd  until  the  dolphins  came  to  that  change 
of  water,  where  they  us'd  to  leave  the  vessels.  Then  they  so  strangely 
surrendred  themselves,  that  the  company  took  twenty -seven  of  'em;  Avhich 
not  only  suffic'd  them  until  they  came  ashore,  but  also  some  of  'em  were 
brought  ashore  dry'd,  as  a  monument  of  the  divine  benignity. 

*  Over  mearare. 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


855 


L  n  A  F  T  E  E    i  X .  ■  "'^t 

nOSiEA;*  RELATING  REMARKABLE  SALTATIONS, 

EXPERIENCED  BY  OTHERS  BESIDES  THE   8EA-7ARIN0. 

Part  mihi  aemptr  erit,  tenari  wile,  talutit 
Maxima 1 


The  good  people  of  New-England  may  tune  their  praises  to  a  consort 
with  those  of  the  good  Psalnriist:  "He  that  is  our  God,  is  the  God  of 
salvation,  and  unto  God  the  Lord  belong  the  issues  from  death."  How 
many  extraordinary  salvations  have  been  granted  unto  particular  persons, 
among  that  good  people,  a  small  volume  could  not  enumerate. 

Remarkable  answers  of  prayer  have  been  receiv'd  by  the  most  of  those 
who  have  experimentally  known  the  meaning  of  wrestlings  in  prayer 
among  us.  How  many  thousands  have  upon  very  notable  experiments 
been  able  to  say,  "This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  and  sav'd 
himl"  One  very  surimzing  instance  hath  been  seen  several  times  in  this 
land,  when  infinite  swarms  of  caterpillars  have  devour'd  our  fields,  and 
carry'd  whole  fields  before  them :  some  very  pious  and  praying  husband- 
men in  the  extream  exigency,  when  the  devourers  have  just  been  entering 
on  their  fields,  have  poured  out  their  fervent  prayers  unto  the  God  of 
heaven  for  their  deliverance;  immediately  hereupon  ^c^s  of  birds  have 
arriv'd  that  have  devoured  the  devourers,  and  preserv'd  those  particular 
fields,  when  others  have  been  horribly  wasted.  Moreover,  when  any 
neighbours  have  labor'd  under  desperate  maladies;  or  been  tempted,  or 
distracted,  or  possess'd,  it  hath  teen  a  common  thing  for  a  knot  of  godly 
people  to  meet,  and  fast,  and  pray,  and  see  the  afflicted  gloriously  deliver'd. 
Furthermore,  when  any  droKghts  or  Jloods  have  threatned  the  ruin  of  our 
harvests,  these  and  those  congregations  mostly  concern'd,  have  pray'd  with 
fasting  on  those  occasions;  and  God  hath  wondrously  deliver'd  them, 
with  a  distinction  from  others  that  have  not  so  call'd  upon  him.  The 
very  Pagans  in  this  wilderness  have  been  sometimes  amazed  at  what  they 
have  seen  of  this  nature  among  us,  and  cried  out,  that  "  the  Englishman's 
God  was  a  great  and  a  good  God  1 "  It  may  be  added,  some  of  our  churches 
have  once  in  a  considerable  while  kept  a  day  of  prayer  for  the  success  of 
the  word  of  Christ  upon  the  souls  of  their  children  in  rising  generations 
among  them :  and  the  success  hath  been  such,  that  all  the  churches  in  the 
land  have  took  notice  of  it. 

Again,  remarkable  rescues  from  death  have  been  receiv'd  by  so  many 
thousands  among  us,  that  there  hath  been  scarce  one  devout  family  which 
hath  not  been  able  to  bring  in  something  unto  the  heap  of  these  experiences. 
Fallen  persons  that  have  had  carts  and  ploughs  just  running  over  them, 

*  To  wlih  Ibr  loTuty  Ib  the  groateit  purl  j   Of  being  Bav«Hl. 


tei.  W,\ 


856 


MAONALIA    OHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


the  beasts  which  drew  them  have  suddenly  stop'd,  unto  the  surprize  of 
the  spectators.  Persons  on  the  very  point  of  mortal  bruising  or  drowninj^ 
have  been  snatch'd  out  of  the  jaws  of  destruction  in  ways  that  are  not 
accountable:  even  ejaculatory  prayers  have  had  astonishing  answers.  For 
instance : 

An  honest  carpenter  being  at  work  upon  an  house,  where  eight  children 
were  sitting  in  a  ring  at  some  childish  play  on  the  floor  below,  he  let  titll 
accidentally,  from  an  upper  story,  a  bulky  piece  of  timber  just  over  these 
little  children.  The  good  man,  with  inexpressible  agony,  cry'd  out,  "  0 
Lord,  direct  it  I"  and  the  Lord  did  so  direct  it,  that  it  fell  on  end  in  the 
midst  of  the  little  children,  and  then  canted  along  on  the  floor  between 
two  of  the  children,  without  ever  touching  one  of  them  all.  But  the 
instances  of  such  things  would  be  numberless.  And  if  I  should  with  a 
most  religious  veracity,  relate  what  wounds  many  persons  have  surviv'd, 
I  should  puzzle  Philosophy,  and  make  her  have  some  recourse  unto  Divinitij. 

One  Abigail  Eliot  had  an  iron  struck  into  her  head,  which  drew  out 
part  of  her  brains  with  it:  a  silver  plate  she  afterwards  wore  on  her  skull 
where  the  orifice  remain'd  as  big  as  an  half  crown.  The  brains  left  in  the 
child's  head  would  swell  and  swage,  according  to  the  tides;  her  intellect- 
uals were  not  hurt  by  this  disaster ;  and  she  1  v'd  to  be  a  mother  of  several 
children. 

One  John  Symonds,  about  the  age  of  ten  years,  had  some  affrighted 
oxen  with  a  plough  running  over  him ;  the  share  took  hold  of  his  ribs, 
a  little  below  the  left  pap,  and  rent  an  hole  in  his  breast,  so  large  that  a 
man  might  have  put  in  his  four  fingers:  his  very  heart  became  visible; 
his  lungs  would  fly  out  sundry  inches,  as  often  as  the  place  was  drest.  In 
seven  or  eight  weeks  he  recover'd,  and  b'6came  an  healthy  man.  But  an 
history  of  rare  cures  in  this  couTitrey  would  fill  more  pages  than  may  here 
be  allow'd.  Yet  let  me  take  the  leave  to  inquire,  what  shall  be  thought 
of  the  case  of  one  Sarah  Wilkinson,  who  dy'd  of  a  dropsie?  For  a  long 
while  before  her  death  she  had  no  evacuation,  except  only  by  a  frequent 
and  forc'd  vomit  of  water  in  huge  quantities,  with  which  her  dissoyd 
howels  came  up  in  successive  potions  of  them.  When  she  was  open'd, 
there  were  no  bowels  to  bo  found  in  her,  except  her  heart,  which  was 
exceeding  small,  and  as  it  were  perboil'd;  and  her  milt  or  spleen,  one  end 
whereof  stuck  to  her  back,  and  the  other  to  her  ribs;  as  also  a  small  part 
of  her  liver  or  lungs,  corrupted  so  much,  that  they  knew  not  which  of  the 
two  it  was,  and  this  no  bigger  than  the  palm  of  ones  hand.  Other 
bowels,  none  could  be  found :  yet  in  this  condition  she  liv'd  a  long  while, 
and  retained  her  senses  to  the  last. 

But  we  will  content  ourselves  with  annexing  to  these  things  a  narrative 
of  a  woman  celebrating  the  wonderful  dispensations  of  Ueaven: 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


357 


A    WARRATirE    OF    Ua.JVAH    SWASTOIT, 

Containing  Wonderful  Pastaget,  nlating  to  her  Captivitif  and  her  Detiver«nei. 

I  was  taken  by  the  Indians  when  Casco  fort  was  taken  (May,  1690 ;)  my  husband  being  slain, 
and  four  children  taken  with  me.  The  eldest  of  my  sons  they  kill'd  about  two  months  after  I  was 
taken,  and  the  rest  scatter'd  from  me.  I  was  now  left  a  widow,  and  as  bereay'd  of  my  children ; 
though  I  had  them  alive,  yet  it  was  very  seldom  that  I  could  see  'em,  and  I  had  not  liberty  to  dis- 
course with  'em  without  danger  either  of  my  own  life  or  theirs;  for  our  condoling  each  other's 
condition,  and  shewing  natural  affection,  was  so  displeasing  to  our  Indian  rulers,  unto  whose  share 
we  fell,  that  they  would  threaten  to  kill  us,  if  we  cry'd  each  to  other,  or  discoursed  much  together. 
So  that  my  condition  was  like  what  the  Lord  threatned  the  Jews  in  Ezek.  xziv.  23,  Q3.  We  durst 
Dot  mourn  or  weep  in  the  sight  of  our  enemies,  lest  we  lost  our  own  lives.  For  the  first  times, 
while  the  enemy  feasted  on  our  English  provisions,  I  might  have  had  some  with  them ;  but  then  I 
was  60  fill'd  with  sorrow  and  tears,  that  I  had  little  stomach  to  eat;  and  when  my  stomach  was 
come,  our  English  food  was  spent ;  the  Indians  wanted  themselves,  and  we  more ;  ao  that  then  I 
was  pin'd  with  want.  We  had  no  corn  or  bread ;  but  sometimes  groundnutts,  acorns,  purslain, 
hogweed,  weeds,  roots,  and  sometimes  dog's  flesh,  but  not  sufficient  to  satisfie  hunger  with  these; 
having  but  little  at  o  time.  We  had  no  success  at  hunting;  save  that  one  bear  was  killed,  which  I 
had  part  of;  and  a  very  small  part  of  a  turtle  I  had  another  time,  and  once  an  Indian  gave  me  a 
piece  of  a  moose's  liver,  which  was  a  sweet  morsel  to  me ;  and  fish,  if  we  could  catch  it.  Thus  I 
continued  with  them,  hurry'd  up  and  down  the  wilderness,  from  May  20  till  the  middle  of  February ; 
carrying  continually  a  great  burden  in  our  travels ;  and  I  must  go  their  pace,  or  eise  be  killed 
presently ;  and  yet  was  pinch'd  with  cold  for  want  of  cloathing,  being  put  by  them  into  an  Indian 
dress,  with  a  sleight  blanket,  no  stockins,  and  but  one  pair  of  Indian  shoes,  and  of  iheir  leather 
stockins  for  the  winter:  my  feet  were  pricked  with  sharp  stones  and  prickly  bushes  sometimes,  and 
other  times  pinch'd  with  snow,  cold,  and  ice,  that  I  travell'd  upon,  ready  to  be  frozen,  and  faint  for 
want  of  food;  so  thai  many  times  I  thought  I  could  go  no  further,  but  must  lie  down,  and  if  they 
would  kill  me,  let  'em  (:ill  me.  Yet  then  the  Lord  did  so  renew  my  strength,  that  I  went  on  still 
further  as  my  master  would  have  me,  ond  held  out  with  them.  Though  many  English  were  taken, 
and  I  was  brought  to  some  of  'em  at  times,  while  we  were  about  Casco  bay  and  Kennebeck  river, 
yet  at  Norridgawock  we  were  separated,  and  no  English  were  in  our  company,  but  one  John  York 
and  myself,  who  were  both  almost  starv'd  for  want ;  and  yet  told  that  if  we  could  not  hold  up  to 
travel  with  them,  they  would  kill  us.  And  accordingly  John  York,  growing  weak  by  his  wants, 
they  killed  him,  and  threatned  me  with  the  like.  One  time  my  Indian  mistress  and  I  were  left 
alone,  while  the  rest  went  to  look  for  eels ;  and  they  left  us  no  food  from  Sabbath-day  morning  till 
the  next  Saturday ;  save  that  we  had  a  bladder  (of  Moose,  I  think)  which  was  well  fill'd  with 
maggots,  and  we  boil'd  it,  and  drank  the  broth  ;  but  the  bladder  was  so  tough  we  could  not  eat  it. 
On  the  Saturday  I  was  sent  by  my  mistress  to  that  part  of  the  island  most  likely  to  see  some  canoo, 
and  there  to  make  fire  and  smoke,  to  invite  some  Indians,  if  I  could  spie  any,  to  come  to  relieve 
us;  and  I  espy'd  a  canoo,  and  by  signs  invited  them  to  come  to  bhore.  It  proved  to  be  squaws; 
who,  understanding  our  wants,  one  of  'em  gave  me  a  roasted  eel;  which  I  ent,  and  it  seem'd  unto 
me  the  most  savoury  food  I  ever  tasted  before.  Sometimes  we  liv'd  on  wonie  berries,  sometimes 
on  a  kind  of  wild  cherry,  which  grew  on  bushes,  which  I  was  sent  to  gather  once  in  so  bitter  a  cold 
season,  that  I  was  not  able  to  bring  my  fingers  together  to  hold  them  fast ;  yet  under  all  these  hard> 
ships  the  Lord  kept  me  from  any  sickness,  or  such  weakness  as  to  disenable  me  from  travelling 
when  they  put  us  upon  it. 

My  Indian  mistress  wos  one  that  had  been  bred  by  the  English  at  BInekpoint,  and  now  married 
to  a  Canada  Indian,  and  turned  Papist;  and  she  would  say,  "  that  had  the  Englith  been  as  careful 
to  instruct  her  in  our  religion  as  the  French  were  to  instruct  her  in  theirs,  she  might  have  been  of 
our  religion ;"  and  she  would  say,  that "  God  delivered  us  into  their  hands  to  punish  us  for  our  sins ;" 
and  this  I  knew  was  true  as  to  my  self.  And  as  I  desired  to  consider  of  all  my  sins,  for  which  the 
Lord  did  punish  mc,  so  this  lay  very  heavy  upon  my  spirit  many  a  time,  that  I  had  left  the  publick 
worship  and  ordinances  of  God,  where  I  formerly  lived,  (viz:  at  Beverley,)  to  remove  to  the  north 
part  of  Casco  bay,  where  there  was  no  church  or  minister  of  the  gospel;  and  xhu  we  did  for  large 


\ 


858 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


accommodations  in  ihe  world,  thereby  exposing  our  children  to  be  bred  ignorantljr !:'  <•  ^iwiiar-  f;^^ 
ourselves  to  forget  what  we  had  been  formerly  instructed  in;  and  ao  wc  turned  %,■■)  iik'-'u  upon 
God's  ordinances  to  get  this  world's  goods.  But  now  Gud  hath  stdpt  mo  of  (hose  ihing;*  alito;  n> 
that  I  must  justifie  the  Lord  in  all  that  has  befallt  n  nie,  and  arknowled^  titat  he  hnih  punish  il 
me  less  than  my  iniquities  deserved.  I  was  now  bereav'd  of  husband,  children,  friend:),  nrighbouni, 
house,  estate,  bread,  cloaihs,  or  lodging  suitable  ;  and  my  very  life  did  hang  daily  in  doubt,  beini; 
continually  in  danger  of  being  kill'd  by  the  Indians,  or  pined  to  death  with  (amine,  or  tired  to  doaili 
with  hard  travelling,  or  pinch'd  with  cold  till  I  died,  in  the  winter  seaMin,  I  was  »o  amascd  with 
many  troubles,  and  hurry'd  in  my  spirit  from  one  exercise  to  another,  huw  to  prt>«ervc  my  !>elf  from 
danger,  and  supply  my  self  in  the  want  that  was  present,  that  I  had  not  time  or  leisure  h>  cont- 
poaedly  to  consider  of  the  great  concernmenta  of  my  soul  as  I  sliould  hav«  done ;  nriihcr  had  I  any 
Bible  or  ;ood  iooil  to  look  into,  or  Christian  friend  to  be  my  counsellor  in  these  distresses:  but  I 
may  say,  the  word*  of  God,  which  I  had  formerly  heard  or  read,  ntany  of  them  came  oft  into  my 
mind,  and  kept  me  from  "  perishing  in  my  afflictions."  As  when  they  threatened  to  kilt  nie  inNiiy 
times,  I  often  thought  of  the  words  of  our  Saviour  to  Pilate,  Joh.  xix.  II:"  Thou  coulde»t  hnve 
no  power  at  all  against  me,  except  it  were  given  thee  from  above,"  I  knew  they  had  no  poirtr  lo 
kill  me  but  what  the  Lord  gave  them ;  and  I  had  many  times  hope  that  the  Lord  would  not  suiTer 
them  to  slay  me,  but  deliver  me  out  of  their  hands;  and  in  his  time,  I  ho^H'd,  r<-tum  me  to  my 
countrey  again.  When  they  told  me  that  my  eldest  son  was  kill'd  hy  the  Indians,  I  thought  in  thnt 
of  Jer.  xxxiii.  8, "  I  will  cit  unse  them  from  all  their  iniquities  wher«by  they  have  sinned  against 
me,  and  I  will  pardon  all  their  iniquities."  I  hoped,  tho'  the  cnenty  had  lMirbaruu»ly  killed  his  bo<ly, 
yet  that  the  Lord  had  pardoned  his  sins,  and  that  his  soul  waa  sale.  When  I  thought  upon  my 
many  troubles,  I  thought  of  Job's  complaint,  chap.  xiv.  16,  17:  "  Thou  nunil>ere9t  my  i<te(ui,  and 
watchest  over  my  sin ;  my  transgression  is  sealed  up  in  a  bag;  and  thou  soxvest  up  mine  iniquity." 
This  was  for  my  humiliation,  and  put  me  upon  prayer  to  God,  for  hij>  (tardoning  mercy  in  Christ; 
and  I  thought  upon  David's  complaint.  Psalm,  xiii.  1,  3,  and  used  it  in  my  prayers  to  the  Lord: 
"How  long  wilt  thou  forget  me,  O  Lord,  for  ever!  How  long  wilt  thou  hide  thy  face  from  mcl 
How  long  shall  I  take  counsel  in  my  soul,  having  sorrow  in  my  heart!  Ilow  long  shall  my  enetny 
be  exalted  over  mcV  I  sometimes  bemoaned  my  self,  ns  Job.  chap.  si.x.  *J,  10:  "  He  haih  ^^trippril 
Bie  of  my  glory,  and  hath  taken  my  crown  from  my  head;  he  hath  destroyed  me  on  every  side, 
and  I  am  gone,  and  my  hope  hath  he  removed  like  a  tree."  Yet  sometintes  enrourag'd  from  Job 
zxii.  27:  "  Thou  shah  make  thy  prayer  to  him,  and  he  shall  hear  theo,  and  thou  »hali  pny  thy  \cws" 
I  made  my  vows  to  the  Lord  that  I  would  give  my  self  up  to  him,  if  he  would  accept  n)r  in  Jesus 
Christ,  and  pardon  my  sins;  and  I  desired  and  endeavour'd  to  pay  itiy  vows  unto  the  Lord.  I 
prayed  to  him,  "Remember  not  against  me  the  sins  of  my  youth;"  and  I  besought  him,  "judge 
me,  O  God,  and  plead  my  cause  against  an  ungodly  nation ;  deliver  me  frttm  the  deceitful  and  unjust 
man.  Why  go  I  mourning  because  of  the  oppression  of  the  enemy  l"  And  by  many  other  scrip- 
tures that  were  brought  to  my  remembrance,  was  I  instructed,  directed  and  coitiforted. 

I  travcll'd  over  steep  and  hideous  mountains  one  while,  and  another  while  over  swamps  and 
thickets  t>f  fallen  trees,  lying  one,  two,  three  foot  from  the  ground,  which  I  have  stepp'd  on  from 
one  to  another,  nigh  a  thousand  in  a  day,  corryiug  o  great  burden  on  my  Itaek.  Yet  I  divadod 
going  to  Canada,  for  fear  lest  I  should  be  overcome  by  them  to  yield  to  their  n'ligion  ;  which  I  had 
vowed  unto  God,  that  1  teoiild  not  do.  Out  the  extremity  of  my  sutVering^  were  such,  that  at  length 
I  was  willing  to  go  to  preserve  my  life.  And  after  many  weary  journies  thro'  fro»t  and  snow,  we 
came  to  Canada  about  the  middle  of  Fcbruniy,  1690,  ond  travelling  over  the  river,  my  mnster 
pitched  his  wigwam  in  sight  of  some  French  houses  westward  of  us,  and  then  sent  ine  to  those 
houses  to  beg  victuals  for  them  ;  which  I  did,  and  found  the  French  very  kind  to  me,  giving  me 
beef,  and  pork,  and  bread,  which  I  had  been  without  near  nine  months  lH-fort< ;  so  that  I  found  n 
great  change  as  to  diet.  But  the  snow  being  knee-deep,  and  my  le^  and  hnins  very  sore,  I  foumi 
it  very  tedious  to  travel ;  and  my  sores  bled  ;  so  that  as  I  travell'd,  I  i\\\^\\\  be  trnek'd  by  my  blond 
that  I  left  behind  me  on  the  snow.  I  asked  leave  to  stay  all  niithl  with  the  Freiieh  when  I  went 
to  beg  again,  which  my  master  consented  unto,  and  sent  me  eastward,  to  hou.<es  whieh  were  toward 
Quebec  (though  then  I  knew  it  not:)  so,  having  begg'd  provi.-'ioit.-t  nt  a  French  holl^<e,  and  it  boinj 
near  night,  after  I  was  refresh'd  myself,  and  had  food  lo  carry  to  the  Indians,  I  si);i)iriod,  as  well  as 
I  could,  to  make  the  French  womon  understutid  that  1  dosir'd  to  stay  by  her  lire  that  night. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


859 


Whereupon  she  laid  a  good  bed  on  the  floor,  and  good  corerings  for  me,  and  there  I  lodg'J  com- 
fortably ;  and  the  next  morning,  wiien  I  had  breakfasted  with  the  family,  and  the  men-kind  wen* 
gone  abroad,  as  I  was  about  to  go  to  my  Indian  master,  the  French  woman  stept  out,  and  left  me 
■lone  in  her  house  ;  and  I  then  staid  her  return,  to  give  her  thanks  for  her  kindness ;  and  while  I 
waited,  came  in  two  men,  and  one  of 'em  spoke  to  me  in  English,"  I  am  glad  to  see  you,  countrey 
woman  1"  This  was  exceedingly  reviving  to  hear  the  voice  of  an  Englishman,  and  upon  inquiry  I 
found  that  he  was  taken  at  the  North-west  Passage  ;  and  the  other  was  a  French  ordinary-keeper. 
After  some  discourse,  he  ask'd  me  to  go  with  him  to  Quebcck,  which  he  told  me  wos  about  four 
miles  oiT:  I  answered,  my  Indian  master  might  kill  me  for  it  when  I  went  back.  Then,  after  some 
discourse  in  French  with  his  fellow-traveller,  he  said,  this  French  man  engag'd  that,  if  I  would  go 
with  them,  he  would  keep  mc  from  returning  to  the  Indians,  and  I  should  be  ransom'd:  and  my 
French  hostess,  being  now  retum'd  in  a-doors,  perswaded  me  to  go  with  'em  to  Quebeck  ;  which  I 
did,  and  was  convey'd  unto  the  house  of  the  lord-intendant,  Monsieur  le  Tonant,  who  was  chief 
judge,  and  the  second  to  the  governour ;  and  I  was  kindly  entertain'd  by  the  lady  ;  and  had  French 
cloaths  given  me,  with  good  diet  and  lodging,  and  wos  carry'd  thence  unto  the  hospital,  where  I  was 
pbysick'd  and  blooded,  and  very  courteously  provided  for.  And  some  time  after  my  Indian  master 
and  mistress  coming  for  me,  the  lady  intendant  paid  a  ransom  for  me,  and  I  became  her  servant. 
And,  I  must  speak  it  to  the  honour  of  the  French,  they  were  exceeding  kind  to  me  at  iirst ;  even  as 
kind  as  I  could  expect  to  find  the  English ;  so  that  I  wanted  nothing  for  my  bodily  comfort  which 
they  could  help  me  unto. 

Here  was  a  great  and  comfortable  change  as  to  my  outxcard  man,  in  my  freedom  from  my  former 
hardships  and  hard-hearted  oppressors.  But  here  began  a  greater  snare  and  trouble  to  my  soul,  and 
danger  to  my  inward  man.  For  the  lady  my  mistress,  the  nuns,  the  priests,  the  friars,  and  the  rest, 
set  upon  me  with  all  the  strength  of  argument  they  could  from  Scripture,  as  they  interpreted  it,  to 
perswade  me  to  turn  Papist ;  which  they  press'd  with  very  much  zeal,  love,  intreaties  and  promises, 
if  I  could  turn  to  'em  ;  and  with  many  threatcnings,  and  some  times  hard  usages,  because  I  did  not 
turn  to  their  religion.  Yea,  sometimes  the  Papists,  because  I  would  not  turn  to  them,  threatened 
to  send  me  to  France,  and  there  I  should  be  burn'd,  because  I  would  not  turn  to  them.  Then  was 
I  comforted  from  that  in  2  Cor.  i.  8,  9,  10:  "  We  were  prest  out  of  measure  above  strength,  inso- 
much that  we  despair'd  even  of  life  ;  but  we  had  the  sentence  of  death  in  ourselves,  that  we  should 
not  trust  in  ourselves,  but  in  God,  who  raises  the  dead,  who  deliver'd  us  from  so  gret^t  a  death,  and 
doth  deliver ;  in  whom  we  trust  that  he  will  yet  deliver  us."  I  knew  God  was  able  to  deliver  me, 
as  he  did  Paul,  and  as  he  did  the  three  children  out  of  the  fiery  furnace  ;  and  I  believ'd  he  would 
either  deliver  me  from  them,  or  fit  me  for  what  he  coU'd  me  to  suffer,  for  his  soke  and  name.  For 
their  praying  to  angels,  they  brought  the  history  of  the  angel  that  was  sent  to  the  virgin  Mary,  in 
the  first  of  Luke.  I  answered  them  from  Rev.  xix.  10,  and  xxii.  9.  The;  brought  Exod.  xvii.  11, 
of  Israel's  prevailing  while  Moses  held  up  his  hands.  I  told  them  we  mu..^  come  to  God  only  by 
Christ,  Job.  vi.  37.  44.  For  purgatory,  they  brought  Mat.  v.  25.  I  told  them,  to  agree  with  God 
while  here  on  earth  was,  to  "  agree  with  our  adversary  in  the  way  ;"  and  if  we  did  not,  we  should 
be  cast  into  hell,  and  should  not  come  out  until  we  "paid  the  utmost  farthing ;"  which  could  never 
be  paid.  But  it's  bootless  for  me,  a  poor  woman,  to  acquaint  the  world  with  what  arguments  I 
used,  if  I  could  now  remember  them  ;  and  many  of  them  are  slipt  out  of  my  memory. 

I  shall  proceed  to  relate  what  trials  I  met  with  in  these  things.  I  was  put  upon  it  either  to  stand 
to  the  religion  I  was  brought  up  in,  and  believ'd  in  my  conscience  to  be  true,  or  to  turn  to  another, 
which  I  believ'd  wos  not  right.  And  I  was  kept  from  turning,  by  that  scripture,  Mat.  x.  32,  33 : 
"  Whosoever  shall  confess  me  before  men,  him  will  I  confess  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven  ; 
and  whosoever  denies  me  before  men,  him  also  will  I  deny  before  my  Father  which  is  in  heaven." 
I  thought  that  if  I  should  deny  the  truth,  and  own  their  religion,  I  should  deny  Christ.  Yet,  upon 
their  perswasions,  I  went  to  see  and  be  present  at  their  worship  sometimes  ;  but  never  to  receive 
their  sacrament.  And  once  when  I  was  at  their  worship,  that  scripture  2  Cor.  vi.  14,  to  the  end, 
came  into  my  mind :  "  Whot  communion  hath  light  with  darkness !  what  concord  hath  Christ  with 
Belial !  what  part  hath  he  that  believeth  with  an  infidel !  and  what  ogreement  hath  the  temple  of 
God  with  idols?  Wherefore,  come  out  from  among  them,  and  be  ye  separate,  and  touch  not  the 
unclean  thing,  and  I  will  receive  you,  and  I  will  be  a  father  unto  you,  and  ye  shall  be  my  sons  and 
daughters,  saith  the  Lord  almighty."    This  acripture  was  so  strong  upon  my  spirit,  that  I  thought 


360 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


I  was  out  of  my  way  to  be  present  at  the  idolatrous  worship,  and  I  resolv'd  never  to  come  unto  it 
agoin.  But  when  the  time  drew  nigh  that  I  was  to  go  again,  I  was  so  restless  that  night,  that  I 
could  not  sleep ;  thinking  what  I  should  say  to  'em  when  they  urg'd  me  to  go  again,  and  what  I 
should  do.  And  so  it  was  in  the  morning  that  a  French  woman  of  my  acquaintance  told  me,  if  I 
would  not  be  of  their  religion,  I  did  but  mock  at  it,  to  go  to  their  worship,  and  bid  nie  that,  it'  I 
would  not  be  of  their  religion,  T  should  go  no  more.  I  answer'd  her,  that  "  I  would  not  be  of  ih>  ir 
religion,  and  I  would  go  no  more  to  their  worship :"  And  accordingly  I  never  went  more,  and  tluy 
did  not  force  me  to  it. 

I  have  had  many  conflicts  in  my  own  spirit,  fearing  that  I  was  not  truly  converted  unto  God  in 
Christ,  and  that  I  had  no  saving  interest  in  Christ.  I  could  not  be  of  a  false  religion,  to  please  nirn  ; 
for  it  was  against  my  conscience  ;  and  I  was  not  fit  to  suffer  for  the  true  religion  and  for  Chi  iat ; 
for  I  then  feared  I  had  no  interest  in  him.  I  was  neither  fit  to  live  nor  fit  to  die ;  and  brou<,'lit 
once  to  the  very  pit  of  despair  about  what  would  become  of  my  soul.  In  this  time  I  hod  gotten  nn 
English  Bible,  and  other  good  books,  by  the  help  of  my  follow  captives.  I  looked  over  the  Scrip- 
ture, and  settled  on  the  prayer  of  Jonah,  and  those  words,"  I  said  I  am  cast  out  of  thy  sight,  yet  wjU 
I  look  again  towards  thy  holy  temple."  I  resolved  I  would  do  as  Jonah  did :  and  in  the  nieditatiun 
upon  this  scripture,  the  Lord  was  pleased  by  his  spirit  to  come  into  my  soul,  and  to  fill  me  wiih 
ravishing  comfort  that  I  cannot  express  it.  Then  came  to  mind  the  history  of  the  transfiguring  of 
Christ,  and  Peter's  saying,  Matth.  xvii.  4 :  "  Lord,  it  is  good  for  us  to  be  here  !"  I  thought  it  was 
good  for  me  to  be  here  ;  and  I  was  so  full  of  comfort  and  joy,  I  even  wish'd  I  could  be  so  olwoys, 
and  never  sleep  ;  or  else  die  in  that  rapture  of  joy,  and  never  live  to  sin  any  more  against  the  Lord. 
Now  I  thought  God  was  my  God,  and  my  sins  were  pardoned  in  Christ ;  and  now  I  could  s\i&t 
for  Christ ;  yea,  die  for  Christ,  or  do  any  thing  for  him.  My  sins  had  been  a  burden  to  me :  I 
desired  to  see  all  my  sins,  and  to  repent  of  them  all  with  oil  my  heart,  and  of  that  sin  which  had 
been  especially  a  burden  to  me,  namely,  that  /  left  the  public  worship  and  ordinances  of  GnJ,  to 
go  to  live  in  a  remote  place,  without  the  publick  ministry;  depriving  our  selves  and  our  childnn 
of  so  great  a  benefit  for  our  souls;  ar.d  all  this  for  worldly  advantages.  I  found  an  heart  to  reptnt 
of  them  all ;  and  to  lay  hold  of  the  blood  of  Christ,  to  cleanse  nie  from  them  all. 

I  found  much  comfort,  while  I  was  among  the  French,  by  the  opportunities  I  had  sometimes  to 
read  the  Scriptures  and  other  good  books,  and  pray  to  the  Lord  in  secret ;  and  the  conference  that 
■ome  of  us  captives  had  together  about  things  of  God  and  prayer  together  sometimes ;  es^pecinlly 
with  one  that  was  in  the  same  house  with  me,  Margaret  Stilson.  Then  was  the  word  of  God 
precious  to  us,  and  they  "  that  feared  the  Lord,  spake  one  to  another  of  it,"  as  we  hod  opportunity. 
And  Col.  Tyng  and  Mr.  Alden,  as  they  were  permitted,  did  speak  to  us  to  conform  and  strengthen 
na  in  the  ways  of  the  Lord.  At  length  the  French  debarr'd  our  coming  together  for  religioua  con* 
feience  or  other  duties:  And  word  was  sent  us  by  Mr.  Alden,  that "  this  was  one  kind  of  periiecuiion 
that  we  must  suffer  for  Christ." 

These  are  some  of  the  scriptures  which  have  been  my  support  and  comfort  in  the  oflllRtjon  of  my 
captivity  among  the  Papists.  That  in  Ezek.  xvi.  6 — 8, 1  apply'd  unto  myself,  and  I  desired  to 
"enter  into  covenant  with  God,"  and  to  be  his  ;  and  I  prayed  to  the  Lord,  and  hoped  the  Lord  would 
return  me  to  my  countrey  again,  that  I  might  "enter  into  covenant"  with  him,  among  his  people, 
and  enjoy  communion  with  him  in  his  churches  end  public  ordinances.  Which  prayers  the  Lord 
bath  now  heard,  and  graciously  answer'd  ;  praised  be  his  name !  The  Lord  enable  me  to  live 
suitobly  to  his  mercy,  and  to  those  public  and  precious  privileges  which  I  now  enjoy  !  So  that 
in  Ezek.  xi.  16, 17,  was  a  great  comfort  unto  me  in  my  captivity:  "  Although  I  have  cast  il:em  far 

off  among  the  heathen,  yet  will  I  be  a  little  sanctuary  to  them: 1  will  gather  ynii  from  the 

people, where  you  have  been  scattered."     I  found  that  God  was  a  little  sanctuary  to  mc  there, 

and  hoped  that  the  Lord  would  bring  me  unto  the  countrey  from  whence  I  had  been  scnitervd. 
And  the  Lord  hath  heard  the  prayer  of  the  destitute,  and  not  despis'd  my  prayer,  but  granted  me 
the  desire  of  my  soul,  in  bringing  me  to  his  house,  and  my  relations  again.  I  often  thought  on  the 
history  of  the  man  born  blind ;  of  whom  Christ,  when  his  disciples  oskrd,  "whether  i\m  nmn  had 
sinned,  or  his  parents)"  answered,  "neither  this  man  nor  his  parents;  but  this  wns,  tlint  the  works 
of  Sod  might  be  manifest  in  him,"  So,  tho'  I  had  desired  all  this,  yet  I  knew  not  but  one  reaeon 
of  God's  bringing  all  these  afflictions  and  miseries  upon  me,  and  then  enabling  me  to  bear  theni, 
was, "  that  the  works  of  God  might  be  made  manifest."    And  in  my  great  distress:  I  was  revived  by 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


861 


that  in  Psal.  cxviii.  17, 18:  "I  ehall  not  die,  but  live,  and  declare  the  works  of  the  Lord:  The 
Lord  hath  chastened  me  sore,  but  he  hath  not  given  me  over  to  death."  I  had  very  often  a  secret 
perswasion,  that  I  should  "  live  to  declare  the  works  of  the  Lord."  And  2  Chron.  vi.  36, 37, 38, 39, 
was  a  precious  scripture  to  me  in  the  day  of  evil.  We  have  read  over,  and  prayed  over  this 
scripture  together,  and  talk'd  together  of  this  scripture,  Margaret  and  I ;  how  the  Lord  had  promis'd, 
though  they  were  scattered  for  their  sins,  yet  there  should  be  a  return,  if  they  did  bethink  them- 
Klves,  and  turn,  and  pray.  So  we  did  bethink  our  selves  in  the  land  where  we  were  carried 
captive,  did  return,  did  pray,  and  endeavour  to  "  return  to  God  with  all  our  hearts."  And  as  they 
were  to  "  pray  towards  the  temple,"  I  took  it  that  I  should  pray  towards  Christ ;  and  accordingly 
did  so,  and  hoped  the  Lord  would  hear,  and  he  hath  heard  from  heaven,  his  dwelling  place,  my 
prayer  and  supplication,  and  maintained  my  cause,  and  not  rejected  me,  but  returned  me.  And 
Oh !  how  affectionate  was  my  reading  of  the  84ih  P^alm  in  this  condition. 

The  means  of  my  deliverance  were  by  reason  of  letters  that  had  passed  between  the  govern- 
ments of  New-England  and  of  Canada.  Mr.  Cary  was  sent  with  a  vessel  to  fetch  captives  from 
Quebec,  and  when  he  came,  I,  among  others,  with  my  youngest  son,  had  our  liberty  to  come  away ; 
and  by  God's  blessing  upon  us  we  arrived  in  safety  at  Boston,  in  November,  1695,  our  desired  haven. 
And  I  desire  to  praise  the  "  Lord  for  his  goodness,  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  me."  Yet  Jtill  I 
have  left  behind  two  children ;  a  daughter  of  twenty  years  old,  at  Mont  Royal,  whom  I  had  not 
seen  in  two  years  before  I  came  away ;  and  a  son  of  nineteen  years  old,  whom  I  never  sow  since 
we  parted,  the  next  morning  after  we  were  taken.  I  earnestly  request  the  prayers  of  my  Christian 
friends  that  the  Lord  will  deliver  them. 

"  What  thall  I  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  hit  betujita?" 


\J    JuJb    wUi    J7      uL      Jj     iLb        Of     JLi     iL  • 


^i 


;|||M 


CERAUNIUS;*  RELATING  REMARKABLES  DONE  BT  THUNDER. 

The  remarkable  eflfects  of  thunder  have  been  memorable  subjects,  upon 
which  the  pens  of  historians  in  all  ages  have  been  employed.  And 
indeed,  though  the  natural  causes  of  the  thunder  arc  known  unto  us,  yet 
there  are  those  notable  voices  of  the  almighty  God,  often  sensible  in  the 
directing  thereof,  which  it  becomes  good  men  to  observe  with  devout 
resentments. 

'Tis  very  likely,  that  the  evil  angels  may  have  a  particular  energy  and 
employment,  oftentimes  in  the  mischiefs  done  by  the  thunder.  When  we 
read  concerning  the  "fire  of  God"  falling  on  some  of  Job's  possessions, 
our  Caryl  says  upon  it,  "The  'lire  of  God'  here  is  conceived  to  have  been 
some  terrihk  flash  of  lightning;  and  it  is  the  more  probable,  because  it  is 
said  to  fall  from  heaven;  that  is,  out  of  the  air.  There  Satan  can  do 
mighty  things,  command  much  of  the  magazine  of  heaven,  where  that 
dreadful  artillery,  which  makes  men  tremble,  those  fiery  meteors,  thunder 
and  lightning,  are  stor'd  and  lodg'd.  Satan,  let  loose  by  God,  can  do 
wonders  in  the  air :  he  can  raise  storms,  he  can  discharge  the  great  ordnance 
of  heaven,  thunder  and  lightning;  and  by  his  art  can  make  them  more 
terrible  and  dreadful,  than  they  are  in  their  own  nature."    'Tis  no  heresie  or 

*  Tbe  thiuderer. 


862 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMEEICANA; 


blasphemy  to  think  that  "the  prince  of  the  power  of  the  air"  hath  as  gond 
skill  in  chymistry  as  goes  to  the  making  of  ^«rwm  Fulminam*  But  tliis 
concession  does  the  more  powerfully  bespeak  our  acknowledgment  of  tin; 
great  God,  the  high  thunderer,  who  limits  those  destroyers  from  all  mis- 
applications of  his  thunder-bolts,  and  who  hath  good  angels,  as  well  as  evii 
ones,  to  be  the  executioners  of  hiij  judgments  in  his  thunders,  and  who 
■will  have  none  but  his  own  designs  accomplished  by  the  tl.unders,  wherein 
the  clouds  do  proclaim  his  immortal  strength. 

New-England  hath  been  a  countrey  signalized  with  mischiefs  done  by 
thunders,  as  much  as  perhaps  most  in  the  world.  If  things  that  are  smit- 
ten by  lightning  were  to  be  esteemed  sacred,  this  were  a  sacred  country. 
Earely  a  summer  passes,  without  some  strokes  from  the  thunders,  on  the 
persons,  or  houses,  or  cattel  of  our  people. 

To  enumerate  the  instances  of  damages  done  by  thunders  in  this  land — 
houses  fired,  cattel  slain,  trees  pull'd  a-pieces,  rocks  pulverized,  bricks  vitri- 
fy'd,  and  ships  mortify'd — would  be  to  fill  a  volume. 

Several  persons  have  been  killed  by  the  thunders;  the  lightnings  have 
strangely  licked  up  their  animal  spirits,  and  left  them  dead  upon  the  spot. 
The  punithment  of  hurning,  used  sometimes  among  the  Jews  of  old,  some 
think  was  inflicted  by  pouring  hot  lead  into  the  mouths  of  the  criminals. 
This  punishment  was  called  Oombustio  Ammie,j-  and  used  in  imitation  of 
God's  destroying  men  with  lightning,  whereby  the  inicard  parts  are  burnt, 
while  the  oidicard  are  not  hurt.  A  Cumbustio  Aiiimce  by  the  lightning 
hath  killed  many  of  our  people.  Some  of  these  have  had  the  just  repu- 
tation of  godhj  ^je?'so/?s,  who  yet  have  died  the  same  way  that  the  ]e;irned 
Zunger  supposes  the  Sodomites  and  Corah's  conspirators  to  have  peri.slied, 
as  well  as  Nadab  and  Abihu,  and  the  semi-ccnturlons  that  aftVonlcd  the 
prophet  .Elias. 

In  confutation  of  an  opinion  mentioned  by  Plutarch,  that  men  asleep  nre 
never  stricken  with  lightning,  sonie  among  us  have  been  killed  by  the 
thunder  when  fust  asleep,  and  had  that  epitaph, 

Triste  jaces  lucis  Evilmxhimquc  Jlidciilal.\ 

All  that  I  shall  add,  is  this:  It  hath  been  seen  that  "thunders  oftcncr 
fall  upon  houses  of  God,  than  upon  any  otlier  houses;"  New-Kuglaiid  can 
say  so.  Our  mcellng-liouses,  and  our  ministers^  houses  have  had  a  singular 
share  in  the  strokes  of  thunders. 

Now,  because  there  was  in  it  somewhat  remarkable  and  entertaining,  I 
shall  supersede  all  further  accounts  of  our  thunders,  by  annexing  some 
notes  of  a  sermon  preached  by  one  among  us,  at  the  very  instant  when 
the  thunders  were  falling  upon  his  own  house,  with  some  singular  cir- 
cumstances. 

•  riilmlimllng  (jold.  t  Burning  out  of  Uie  lite. 

X  TliDU  lioit  In  llie  grove,  A  blMted  thing.— rer«,  Sat.  \l.  S7. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


363 


BROMOLOGIA    SACRA:* 

THE  VOICE  OF  THE  GLORIOUS  GOD  IN  THE  THUNDER  i 

EXFT.AINED   AND  APPLIED,   IN   A    SERMON,   UTTERED   BY   A   MINISTER  OF  THE   aOSPEI.,  IN   A   LECTURE, 

UNTO   AN   ASSEMBLY   OF   CHRISTIANS   ABROAD,   AT   THE   VERY   SAME    TIME   WHEN  THE  THUNDEH 

WAS,  BY   THE   PERMISSION   AND   PROVIDENCE  OF   GOD,   FALLING   UPON    HIS   OWN   HOUSE.       A 

DISCOURSE    USEFUL    FOR    ALL    MEN    AT   ALL   TIMES,  BUT    ESPECIALLY   INTENDED    FOR 

AN   ENTERTAINMENT   IN   THE   HOURS  OF  THUNDER. 


Cui  non  Conrepunt  membra  pavore 


Fulminis  Horribili  cum  plagd  tonida  tellus  ' 

Contremit,  tt  magnum  percurrunt  murmura  Caelum  .'t 

LUCRET.    1.  V. 
ADVERTISEMENT. 

The  author  of  the  ensuing  meditations,  is  willing  to  have  nothing  further  known  either 
of  him  or  of  thein,  save  this,  tlint  being  at  prayer  before  a  sermon  in  an  assembly  of  Chris- 
tians, the  sudden  rise  of  a  thunder-storm  was  the  occasion  of  his  feeling  a  strong  impression 
upon  his  mind  unto  this  purpose:  "Lay  aside  what  you  had  prepared  for  this  auditory; 
Bpeak  to  them  in  tlie  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder;  you  shall  not  want  assist- 
ances." He  could  not  withstand  this  impression,  but  ventured  upon  an  extemporaneous  con- 
lemplalion  of  the  thunder.  Now,  tiie  thing  which  made  this  digression  remarkable  was,  that 
at  tlie  very  same  instant  when  he  was  thus  driven  to  this  theme,  the  thunder  was  directed 
by  the  God  of  heaven  to  fall  with  very  tearing,  tho'  no  killing  effects  upon  his  own  house. 
The  hearers,  I  scippose,  found  a  sensible  edge  given  to  these  meditations,  by  the  wondrous 
liming  of  them;  and  although,  no  doubt,  the  author  would  liavo  digest'id  tiiem  with  more 
c.\actne.s8,  had  they  not  been  altogether  like  tho  accidents  that  produced  them,  sudden;  yet 
these  notes  taken  of  them,  are  perhaps  not  so  utterly  undigested  us  to  be  wholly  useless 
unto  a  well-disposM  reader. 

Tho  tliunder  i)citig  a  thing  that  often  entertai7is  us,  it  was  thought  that  it  would  be  no  dis- 
service  unto  the  cliun  h  of  God,  if  a  few  such  reflections  were  oft'er'd  unto  the  publick  for  tho 
entertainment  of  the  serious,  when 

Ipse  pater  media  Nimhorum  in  nocte,  coriisca. 
Fulmiiiu  molitur  drxtra,  quo  maxima  motu 
Terra  tremit,  fu^cre  fera,  et  mortalin  corda 
Per  gentes  bumilis  siravit  jiaror.] 

MEDITATIONS  UrON^TIIUNDKR.-UTTEUia)  SEPTEMBER  12,  im. 

Observing  that,  by  the  thuiulcr-storm  just  aow  begun,  you  are  many  of 
you  thrown  into  a  consternation,  wliicli  perhaps  may  indispose  you  to  mind 
any  thing  but  the  thunder,  I  shall  altogether  lay  aside  the  meditations 
wherewith  I  came  hither  purposing  to  entertiiin  you;  and  I  shall,  with  tho 
leave  and  help  of  our  God,  who  is  now  speaking,  treat  you  with  some 
sudden  meditations  upon  tho  thunder  it  self. 

Christiana,  you  shall  now  go  along  with  me  unto  tho  20th  Psalm,  in  the 


*  Tho  Siicrpi!  I.oMmiH  of  llio  Tluindnr. 

t  Whcro  will  ydii  fliid  tho  iiiiiii  who  dncw  nol  fi'cl 
A  chill  of  li'rror  o'lir  lil»  inciiilii'ra  hIimiI, 
When  llic  rciiIIiciI  tMUlli  h  innilc  li>  iitI  nnil  inck, 
AikJ  hi'uvea  lit  alialtvu  with  tliu  IhiiiKlvr'u  shuck  V 


X  Fi<im  Uiii  (link  ^Idir-lmiifo  oi  dm  mIdiilKhl  cloud 
llo  hurls  Hlii  i^liiiiiiiliiu  hulls  mill  thiiiidi  in  IdihI  ; 
Kni'lliiihiiki'siiiiil  uniMiis  ;  llinHliirtlud  hi'i\sls  liuviMli'd; 
And  couiiMi'.'<-'  liniiiiiii  hi'intn  litMit  wild  wllb  (linid, 

Vjiioii,,  Geor/ficx,  1.  w.  S'JB. 


I  !  ■ 


864 


UAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


01 


third  verse  wbereof  you  shall  find  these  words:  "The  voice  of  the  Lord 
is  upon  the  waters;  the  God  of  Glory  thundereth." 

And  now,  let  not  your  attention  to  the  thunder  at  this  instant  abroad, 
interrupt  your  further  attention  to  the  greater  and  louder  thunder  here- 
within. 

The  "voice  of  God"  in  this  book,  is  far  beyond  that  voice  which  is  now 
making  its  rapid  peals  in  the  skie.  This  voice  is  more  articulate  than  that ; 
yea,  by  this  voice  that  bpcomes  articulate,  give  unto  both  your  earnest  heed. 

I  remember  that  when  Elihu  was,  as  I  now  am,  speaking  at  a  meetiix^ 
of  some  godly  men,  at  that  very  time,  as  at  this,  'tis  by  some  interpreters 
conceived,  it  thundered;  and  at  the  same  time  that  "man  of  God"  [Al 
into  a  discourse  upon  the  voice  of  God  in  the  thunder.  Then  'twas  that 
he  said,  in  Job  xxxvii.  beg.:  "At  this  my  heart  trembleth,  and  is  mov'd 
out  of  its  place.  Hear  attentively  the  noise  of  his  voice,  and  the  sound 
that  goeth  out  of  his  mouth.  He  directeth  it  under  the  whole  heaven, 
and  his  lightning  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  after  it  a  voice  roareth ;  he 
thundereth  with  the  voice  of  his  excellency;  and  he  will  not  stay  them 
when  his  voice  is  heard;  God  thundereth  marvellously  with  his  voice; 
great  things  doth  he  which  we  cannot  comprehend." 

You  then  will  not  count  it  improper,  and  I  hope  our  common  Lord  will 
make  it  not  unuseful,  if  I  so  far  imitate  the  examples,  as  to  offer  you,  in  this 
juncture,  an  essay  at  explaining  the  voice  of  God  in  that  very  thunder, 
which  is  just  now  beginning  to  alarm  our  thoughts;  and  this  the  rather, 
because  the  text  which  we  have  now  read,  seems  to  be  fetch'd  from  those 
very  words  of  Elihu. 

We  have  before  us  a  Psalm  composed  by  a  great  servant  and  singer  of 
the  Lord,  probably  at  a  time  tempestuous  by  thunders,  and  composed  that 
it  might  be  imployed  among  the  people  of  God  at  such  a  time.  You  see 
how  conveniently  it  may  at  this  time  give  a  text  unto  us. 

I  call  to  mind,  that  when  the  priest  went  into  the  sanctuary,  his  habit 
was,  among  other  circumstances,  to  be  attended  with  (Exod.  xxviii.  34,) 
"golden  bells  and  pomegranates;"  and  Josephus  thinks  the  clatter  of 
thunder  and  colour  of  lightning  was  designed  therein  to  be  represented. 
It  seems  thunder  and  lightning  is  a  thing,  whereof  God  would  have  notice 
to  be  taken  in  the  sanctuary.  In  the  oracles  of  the  sanctuary,  He  doth 
himself  take  notice  of  it. 

The  sons  of  such  emirent  patriarchs  as  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob, 
are  here  call'd  upon  to  give  glory  unto  the  God  of  heaven ;  and  this  both 
for  his  work  of  nature  in  the  world,  and  for  his  works  of  grace  in  the 
church;  and  among  his  works  of  nature,  some  done  in  the  lower  heaven— 
namely,  the  thunders — are  singled  out  as  the  special  occasions  for  oiu- 
praising  him.  But  if  angels  may  bo  meant  by  the  "sons  of  the  miglity," 
thus  addressed,  their  own  frequent  concernment  and  improvement  in  tlio 
producing  of  thunders,  gives  yet  a  further  empiiusiii  unto  this  invitation. 


About  the  thu 

First,  We  ha> 

rainy  clouds. 

the  sea,  into  the 

the  creation.    1 

parts  in  the  crej 

oned  among  inf 

the  existence  of  1 

this  thing  is  wel 

creation;  tho'  it 

ative  of  that  ag 

L  amber  of  peop 

church-state;  h\ 

were  no  more  tl 

place  of  thunder 

Next  we  havt 

the  Lord,  who  v, 

It  is  the  duty 

the  word  of  Go( 

lar  energy,  for  t 

'Twill  be  but 

certain  words  of 

happening  may 

Sirs,  Be  not  i 

"In  the  thundei 

[The  author  1 

rupted  him,  wit 

own  house;  and 

much  torn,  and 

had  been  desire 

Brethren,  I  a 

the  thunder  has 

thunder-bolts  u 

judge,  that  I  ft 

inclining  and  i 

"  voice  of  the  g' 

The  Psalmist 

his  temple  doth 

in  Aben  Ezra  t! 

it:  "The  Levil 

thunder."    Wl 

hereby  diverte 

jtractically  teac 

life,  we  should  n 


OB,    THE    HI8T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


865 


About  the  thunder,  we  have  two  remarks  in  the  words  now  read  unto  us : 

First,  We  have  the  place  of  iV  It  is  among  the  waters:  that  is,  in  the 
rainy  clouds.  The  aqueous  particles,  daily  fetch'd  up  from  the  earth  and 
the  sea,  into  the  regions  of  the  air,  are  a  vast  advantage  to  our  quarters  of 
the  creation.  The  emptying,  the  refreshing,  the  proportioning  of  many 
parts  in  the  creation,  by  their  perpetual  disiUlation,  is  justly  to  be  reck- 
oned among  infallible  demonstrations,  to  prove  as  well  the  providence  as 
the  existence  of  the  great  God,  "w'io  ibrmed  all  things."  For  this  cause, 
this  thing  is  well  worthy  of  the  figure  which  it  makes  in  the  history  of  the 
creation ;  tho'  it  had  not  been  thare  introduced,  as  probably  it  is,  as  figur- 
ative of  that  age  wherein  God  separated  from  the  rest  of  the  world  a 
L amber  of  people  in  the  patriarchal  families,  whom  he  called  up  into  a 
church-state;  but  so  small  a  ni.mL^r,  that,  in  comparison  to  the  rest,  they 
were  no  more  than  the  cloud?  are  unto  the  seas.  This  now  is  the  "secret 
place  of  thunder." 

Next  we  have  the  cause  of  it.  This  is  "the  Lord,  the  God  of  glory;"  or 
the  Lord,  who  is  the  glorious  God. 

It  is  the  duty  of  a  minister  to  watch  for  seasons,  wherein  and  whereby 
the  word  of  God,  which  he  is  to  preach,  may  be  advantag'd  with  a  singu- 
lar energy,  for  the  "saving  of  himself  and  them  that  hear  him." 

'Twill  be  but  a  piece  of  "ministerial  watchfulness,"  for  me  to  bring  you 
certain  words  of  God  this  afternoon,  unto  which  the  terrible  thunder  now 
happening  may  be  subservient  with  a  more  than  ordinary  penetrancy. 

Sirs,  Be  not  now  deaf  to  thunder,  but  with  me  make  this  observation: 
"In  the  thunder  there  is  the  voice  of  the  glorious  God."    There  is 

[The  author  being  arriv'd  hereabouts  in  his  discourse,  a  messenger  inter- 
rupted him,  with  tidings  that  a  thunder-clap  had  just  now  fallen  upon  his 
own  house;  and  that  tho'  no  person  had  been  hurt,  yet  the  house  had  been 
much  torn,  and  filled  with  the  lightnings.  But.  without  breaking  off,  as 
had  been  desired,  he  thus  proceeded:] 

Brethren,  I  am  just  now  inform'd,  that  the  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in 
the  thunder  has  been  very  immediately  directed  unto  my  self  by  a  fall  of 
thunder-bolts  upon  my  own  house,  a*  that  very  instant,  as  far  as  I  can 
judge,  that  I  felt  the  powerful  impressions  of  heaven  upon  my  own  soul; 
inclining  and  engaging  of  me  to  frame  a  peculiar  meditation  upon  the 
"voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder"  among  you. 

The  Psalmist  here  mentioning  the  great  effects  of  the  thunder,  adds,  "In 
his  temple  doth  every  one  speak  of  his  glory."  As  I  remember,  there  is 
in  Aben  Ezra  this  observable  passage  of  R.  Moseh,  quoted  for  a  gloss  upon 
it:  "The  Levites  there  praise  God  for  keeping  them  from  hurt  by  the 
thunder."  What  an  occasion  have  I  to  do  so  this  day?  Instead  of  being 
hereby  diverted  from  the  work  which  I  have  now  undertaken,  I  would 
practically  teach  you,  that  with  a  mind  unconcerned  about  the  things  of  this 
life,  we  should  never  he  unfurnished  with  devout  and  j^roper  thoughts  on  the 


m 


'!r'^ 


iiii 


MAGNALIA    CHSISTI    AMERICANA. 


mirt^  of  God  in  all  our  trials;  and  I  would  hope  that  this  unhappy  acci- 
dent will  be  made  happy,  at  least  by  procuring  more  of  edge  to  that 
attention  which  the  voice  of  God  is  to  have  with  you:  "to-day,  if  ye  will 
hear  his  voice." 

There  is  in  this  enquiry  which  I  did  but  now  design  to  make,  and  which 
I  am  now  concerned  more  than  I  was  before  to  make,  on  this  occasion 
"What  is  the  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder?" 

First,  It  is  to  be  premised,  as  herein  implied  and  confessed,  that  the 
thunder  is  the  work  of  the  glorious  God.  It  is  true,  that  the  thunder  is  a 
natural  production,  and  by  the  common  laws  of  matter  and  motion  it  in 
produced ;  there  is  in  it  a  concourse  of  divers  weighty  clouds,  clashing  and 
breaking  one  against  another,  from  whence  arises  a  mighty  sound,  which 
prows  yet  more  mighty  by  its  resonancies.  The  subtil  and  sulphureous 
'  apours  among  these  clouds  take  fire  in  this  combustion,  and  lightniiifrs 
are  thence  darted  forth ;  which,  when  they  are  somewhat  grosser,  are  ful- 
minated with  an  irresistible  violence  upon  our  territories. 

This  is  the  Cartesian  account;  tho'  that  which  I  rather  choose  is,  that 
which  the  vegetable  matter  protruded  by  the  subterraneous  fire,  and  exhaled 
also  by  the  force  of  the  sun,  in  the  vapour  that  makes  our  shower  a  mina-al 
matter  of  niter  and  sulphur,  does  also  ascend  into  the  atmosphere,  and 
there  it  goes  off  with  fierce  explosions. 

But,  still,  who  is  the  author  of  those  laws,  according  whereunto  things 
are  thus  moved  into  thunder?  yea,  who  is  i\iQ  first  moi;er  of  them?  Chris- 
tians, 'tis  our  glorious  God.  There  is  an  intimation  somewhere,  ('tis  in 
Psal.  civ.  7,)  that  there  was  a  most  early  and  wondrous  use  of  the  thunder 
in  the  first  creation  of  the  world:  but  still  the  thunder  itself,  and  tho 
tcnitruous  disposition  and  gen  ition  with  which  the  air  is  impregnated, 
was  a  part  of  that  creation.  Well,  a  id  whose  workmanship  is  it  all?  "Ah! 
Lord,  thou  hast  created  all  these  things;  and  for  thy  pleasure  they  are  and 
were  created^  It  is  also  true,  that  angels  may  be  reckoned  among  the 
causes  of  thunders:  and  for  this  cause,  in  the  sentence  of  the  Psalms,  where 
they  are  called  "flames  of  fire,"  one  would  have  been  at  a  loss  whether 
angels  or  lightnings  were  intended,  if  the  apostoiical  accommodation  had 
not  cleared  it.  But  what  though  angels  may  have  their  peculiar  influence 
upon  thunders?  Is  it  but  th  ^  influence  of  an  instrument;  they  are  but 
instruments  directed,  Oi  Jered,  limited  bv  him  who  is  the  "God  of  thun- 
ders" and  the  "Lord  of  angels."  lionet  ne  thunder  is  ascribed  unto  our 
God  all  the  Bible  over:  in  the  Scriplure  of  truth,  'tis  called  the  "thunder 
of  God,"  oftenerthan  I  can  presently  quote  unto  you.  And  hence  ".vo  fuid 
the  thunder,  even  now  and  then,  executing  the  purpose  of  God.  Whoso 
can  it  be  but  the  "thunder  of  God,"  when  the  pleasure  of  God  has  been 
continually  thereby  accomplished  ? 

But,  I  pray,  why  then  should  we  be  slavishly  afraid  of  the  thunder? 
We  are  in  covenant  with  that  God  who  makes  the  thunder,  and  it  is  a 


OE,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


367 


"covenant  of  grace,"  wherein  he  is  "our  God."  Well,  and  shall  we  not 
now  make  that  joyful  conclusion,  "  he  is  our  o'lVn  God,  and  he  will  bless 
us?"  Whence  then  our  amazing  terrors,  when  we  hear  him  thundering 
terribly  in  the  heavens  over  us  ?  As  long  as  the  Almighty  thunderer  is 
our  own  God,  we  need  not  fear  that  he  will  do  us  any  hurt  by  any  of  his 
works:  no,  he  will  make  "all  things  work  together  for  our  good."  A  saint 
may  say,  "My  God  will  never  hurt  me!"  Suppose  we  should  be  slain  by 
thunder,  we  shall  but  in  that  thunder  of  heaven,  have  a  great  vcif^e  from 
heaven  saying  to  us,  "Come  up  hither  1"  and  setting  aside  the  unm  ualness 
of  the  stroke,  which  makes  it  seem  horrid  and  uncouth,  it  were  the  easiest 
way  of  going  up  that  ever  was  gone.  I  say,  then,  be  not  afraid:  Ejus  est 
Umere  qui  nolit  ad  Christum  ire.* 

Mr.  Ambrose,  in  his  treatise  of  angels,  as  I  remember,  does  relate  thi.. 
passage: 

"A  profane  persecutor  discovered  much  afrightment  at  the  thunder  which  happened  while 
he  was  on  a  journey;  his  pious  and  holy  wife,  then  with  him,  asked  him  the  reason  of  his 
being  so  affrighted.  *  Why,'  said  he,  'are  not  you  afraid?  She  replied, '  No,  not  at  all ;  for 
I  know  'tis  the  voice  of  my  heavenly  Father;  and  shall  a  child  be  afraid  of  a  kind  father's 
voice?  The  man,  hereby  surpriz'd,  made  this  conclusion:  'Sure  these  Puritans  have  a 
divine  principle  in  tiiem,  which  the  world  seeth  not ;  else  they  could  not  have  such  a  serenity 
in  their  souls,  when  the  rest  of  the  world  are  fill'd  with  dismal  horrors!'  Hereupon  he 
went  to  Mr.  Bolton,  bewailing  the  opposition  which  he  had  given  unto  the  minislry  of  that 
reverent  man,  and  became  a  godly  man  ever  after." 

You  know  what  use  to  make  of  the  story,  and  so  I  may  proceed. 

Secondly^  It  is  now  to  be  more  distinctly  asserted,  that  thunder  is  the 
voice  of  the  glorious  God.  There  is  a  voice  of  his  in  this  work  of  his. 
If  the  thunder  were  (pwvri  Aio? — "  the  voice  of  Jiqnter''^ — in  the  account  of  the 
poor  Pagans,  I  am  sure  it  should  be  accounted  "the  voice  of  Jehovah" 
by  us  Christians.  One  of  the  ways  whereby  God  revealed  himself  to  his 
ancient  people,  *was  a  Beth  Kol^  as  they  called  it:  there  was  a  voice  of 
thunder  in  it.  Sirs,  we  have  what  is  equivalent  unto  a  Beth  Kol  this  after- 
noon, in  the  significancy  which  we  shall  now  hear  the  Scripture  give 
unto  the  thunder. 

I.  One  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "that  he  is  a 
glorious  God,  who  makes  the  thunder."  There  is  the  marvellous  glory 
of  God  seen  in  it,  when  he  "thunders  marvellously."  Thus  do  these 
inferiour  and  meteorous  "heavens  declare  the  glory  of  God." 

The  power  of  God  is  the  glory  of  God.  Now,  his  thunder  does  proclaim 
his  power.  It  is  said,  "the  thunder  of  his  power,  who  can  understand?" — 
that  is,  his  powerful  thunder;  the  thunder  gives  us  to  understand  that  our 
God  is  a  most  powerful  one.  There  is  nothing  able  to  stand  before  those 
lightnings,  which  are  stiled,  "the  arrows  of  God:"  Castles  full,  niotals 
melt;  all  flies,  when  "hot  thunder-bolts"  are  scattered  upon  them.  The 
very  mountains  are  torn  to  pieces,  when 

•  Four  U  lor  him  who  will  not  comu  tu  Christ, 


: 


'  ■'   ' 


"i-^^M 


-•^t  » 


S68 


llAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANAj 


-Feriunt  tummo0 


Fulmina  montet."- 


Yea,  to  speak  in  the  language  of  the  prophets,  fulfilled  in  the  thunder 
storm  that  routed  the  Assyrian  armies,  "the  mountains  quake,  the  hills 
melt,  the  earth  is  burnt.  Who  can  stand  before  his  indignation?  and 
who  can  abide  in  the  fiercenes  j  of  his  anger?  His  fury  is  poured  out  like 
fire,  and  the  rocks  are  throv  n  down  by  him."  Suetonius,  I  think  'tis, 
who  tells  us  that  the  haughty  and  profane  Emperour  Caligula  would  yet 
shrink,  and  shake,  and  cover  his  head  at  the  least  thunder,  and  run  to 
hide  himself  under  a  bed.  This  truly  is  the  voice  of  the  thunder :  "  Let  the 
proudest  sinners  tremble  to  rebel  any  more  against  a  God  who  can  thus 
discomfit  them  with  shooting  out  his  lightnings  upon  them:  sinners,  where 
can  you  shew  your  heads,  if  the  Highest  give  forth  his  voice  with  hail 
stones  and  coals  of  fire."  Methinks  there  is  that  song  of  Hannah  in  the 
thunder,  (1  Sam  ii.  3,  10,)  "Talk  no  more  so  exceeding  proudly;  let  not 
arrogancy  come  out  of  your  mouth.  For  the  adversaries  of  the  Lord 
shall  be  broken  to  pieces;  out  of  heaven  shall  he  thunder  upon  them." 
The  omnipotent  God  in  the  thunder  speaks  to  those  hardy  Typhons,  that 
are  found  fighting  against  him;  and  says,  "Oh,  do  not  harden  yourselves 
against  such  a  God ;  you  are  not  stronger  than  he  I"  Yea,  the  great  God 
IS  proposed  as  un  object  for  our  faith,  as  well  as  for  our  fear  in  his  thunder. 

If  nothing  be  too  hard  for  the  thunder,  we  may  think  surely  nothing  is 
too  hard  for  the  Lordl  The  arm  that  can  wield  thunder-bolts,  is  a  very 
mighty  arm. 

From  hence  pass  on,  and  admire  the  other  "glorious  attributes"  of 
God,  which  he  doth  in  his  thunder  display  most  gloriously:  when  it 
thunders,  let  us  adore  the  wisdom  of  that  God,  who  thereby  many  ways 
does  consult  the  welfare  of  the  universe:  Let  us  adore  the  justice  of  that 
God,  who  thereby  many  times  has  cut  off  his  adversaries ;  and  let  us  adore 
the  goodness  of  that  God,  who  therein  preserves  us  from  imminent  and 
impending  desolations,  and  is  not  so  severe  as  he  would  be. 

Si  quotiea  peccant  homines  sua  fulmina  mittat.i 

IL  A  second  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "  Remember 
the  law  of  the  glorious  God  that  was  given  in  thunder."  The  people  of 
God  were  once  gathered  about  a  mountain,  on  which,  from  his  right  ha.id, 
issued  a  fiery  law  for  them ;  or  a  law  given  with  lightning.  At  the  pro- 
mulgation of  the  ten  commandments,  we  are  told  in  Ex.  xx.  18,  "All 
people  saw  tlie  thunderings,  and  the  lightnings,  and  the  mountain 
smoaking."  Yea,  they  were  such,  that  the  apostle  tells  us,  tho'  Moses 
himself  says  nothing  of  it,  they  made  Moses  himself  "exceedingly  to  fear 
and  quake."     Well,  when  it  thunders,  let  us  call  to  mind  tho  command- 

*  The  lightnings  scathe  their  loniest  pealis.— I.'orack,  Od««,  U.  10,  v,  11. 
t  ir  tiultn  ol°  wriilh  Bhuuld  tall  I'ur  every  sin. 


ments,  which  wt 
that,  with  a  vo 
love  the  Lord 
strength;  and  t 
thunder  causes 
be  a  self-examii 

Let  us  now  € 
not  omitted  it? 
it?  and  what  p: 
unto  us  in  his  \ 
that  shall  thunt 
a  repenting  sou 

in.  A  third 
the  future  comi 
When  the  day 
come,  and  shal 
shall  be  very  t€ 
Lord  will  be,  a! 
in  flaming  fire 
digious  thundei 

The  redempt 
unto,  will  then 
in  the  thick  clc 
thick  clouds  w 
thunder  in  the 

I  say,  then,  t 
great  and  notal 
dering  day !  I 
be  ready  for  iti 
condition  of  soi 
were  you  sure 
make  his  desce 
the  judge  of  tl: 
thunders,  and  i 
them,  and  reigr 
say,  "Lo,  this  i 
say,  let  the  tlui 

IV.  A  fourtl 
peace  with  Goi 
away  in  his  wi 
sternation  at  th 
tionol  weaknes 
frightful  tempt 
most  usually  tl 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


869 


ments,  whioh  were  once  thus  thundered  unto  the  world;  and  bear  in  mind 
that,  with  a  voice  of  thunder,  the  Lord  still  says  unto  us,  "Thou'shalt 
love  the  Lord  thy  God  with  all  thy  heart,  and  all  thy  soul,  and  all  thy 
strength ;  and  thou  shalt  love  thy  neighbour  as  thyself."  But  when  the 
thunder  causes  ns  to  reflect  upon  the  commandments  of  our  God,  let  there 
be  a  self-examination  in  that  reflection.  •  ' 

Let  us  now  examine  our  selves,  what  is  requir'd,  and  whether  we  have 
not  omitted  it?  what  is  forbidden,  and  whether  we  had  not  committed 
it?  and  what  provocation  we  have  given  unto  the  God  of  glory  to  speak 
unto  us  in  his  wrath  and  vex  us  in  his  displeasure.  Blessed  the  thunder 
that  shall  thunder-strike  us  into  the  acknowledgments  of  a  convinced  and 
a  repenting  soul ! 

IIL  A  third  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "Think  on 
the  future  coming  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  and  in  great  glory." 
When  the  day  of  judgment  shall  arrive  unto  us,  then  "our  God  shall 
come,  and  shall  not  keep  silence ;  a  fire  shall  devour  before  him,  and  it 
shall  be  very  tempestuous  round  about  him."  The  second  coming  of  our 
Lord  will  be,  as  we  ore  advised  in  2  Thes.  i.  7,  8,  "with  his  mighty  angels 
in  flaming  fire;"  the  clouds  will  be  his  charriot,  but  there  will  be  pro- 
digious thunders  breaking  forth  from  those  clouds. 

The  redemption  of  the  church,  for  which  the  Lord  hath  long  been  cried 
unto,  will  then  be  accomplish.ed;  but  at  what  rate?  The  Lord  will  come 
in  the  thick  clouds  of  the  skies:  at  the  brightness  that  shall  be  before  him 
thick  clouds  will  pass,  hail-stones  and  coals  of  fire;  the  Lord  also  will 
thunder  in  the  heavens. 

I  say,  then,  does  it  thunder? — Let  us  now  realize  unto  ourselves  that 
great  and  notable  day  of  the  Lord,  which  will  be  indeed  a  great  and  thun- 
dering day!  But  how  far  should  we  now  realize  it? — realize  it  so,  as  to 
be  ready  for  it?  Oh,  count  your  selves  not  safe  till  you  get  into  such  a 
condition  of  soul,  that  your  hearts  would  even  leap  and  spring  within  you, 
were  you  sure  that  in  the  very  next  thunders  our  precious  Lord  would 
make  his  descent  unto  us,  "What  if  the  hour  were  now  turned,  wherein 
the  judge  of  the  whole  world  were  going  to  break  in  upon  us  with  fierce 
thunders,  and  make  the  mountains  to  smoak  by  his  coming  down  upon 
them,  and  reign  before  his  ancient  people  gloriously?  Could  you  gladly 
say,  "Lo,  this  is  the  God  of  my  salvation,  and  I  have  waited  for  biml"  I 
say,  let  the  thunders  drive  you  on  to  this  attainment. 

IV.  A  fourth  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is  "Make  your 
peace  with  God  immediately,  lost  by  the  stroke  of  his  thunder  he  take  you 
away  in  his  wrath."  Why  is  it  that  persons  are  usually  in  such  a  con- 
sternation at  the  thunder?  Indeed,  there  is  a  complectional  and  constitu- 
tional weakness  in  many  this  way ;  they  have  such  a  disadvantage  in  a 
frightful  temper,  that  no 'Considerations  can  wholly  overcome  it.  But 
most  usually  the  frigh'ts  of  people  at  the  thunder  arise  from  the  terms 
Vol.  II.--24 


1  ,r  I ) 


.  -'Of 

*  J  I  it  1, 

±  ■ 


iiWuiii'"' 


tiv"4 


370 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


wherein  they  may  suspect  their  own  souls  to  stand  before  an  angry  God. 
Their  consciences  tell  'em  that  their  sins  are  yet  unpardoned,  that  their 
hearts  are  yet  unrenewed,  that  their  title  to  blessedness  is  yet  unsettlod, 
and  that  if  the  next  thunder-clap  should  strike  them  dead,  it  had  been 
good  for  them  that  they  had  never  been  born. 

Hi  sunt  qui  trepidant,  et  ad  omnia  fulgura  patient , 
Cumtonttt.extnimetprimoquoquemurinurecali." 

Here  then  is  the  voice  of  God  in  the  thunder:  "Art  thou  ready?  tSunl, 
art  thou  ready?  Make  ready  presently,  lest  I  call  for  thee  before  thou  art 
aware."  There  is  in  thunder  a  vehement  call  unto  thai  regeneration,  nnto 
that  repenting  of  sin,  that  believing  on  Chrisl,  and  that  consenting  unto 
the  demands  of  the  new  covenant,  without  which  no  man  in  his  wits  ciui 
comfortably  hold  up  his  face  before  the  thunder.  I  have  now  in  ray  house 
a  mariner's  compass,  whereupon  a  thuuder-clap  had  this  odd  efiect,  that 
the  north  point  was  thereby  turned  clear  about  unto  the  south;  and  so  it 
will  veer  and  stand  ever  since  unto  this  day,  tho'  the  thing  happened 
above  thirteen  years  ago. 

I  would  to  God  that  the  next  thunder  laps  would  give  as  effectual  a 
turn  unto  all  the  unconverted  souls  among  us!  May  the  thunder  awaken 
you  to  turn  from  every  vanity  to  God  in  Christ  without  any  delay,  lest  by 
the  thunder  it  self  it  come  quickly  to  be  too  late.  It  is  a  vulgar  ermr, 
that  the  thunder  never  kills  any  who  are  asleep:  Man,  what  if  the  thun- 
der should  kill  thee  in  the  dead  sleep  of  thy  unregeneracy  ? 

V.  A  fifth  vcioe  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "Let  this  thun- 
der coivvict  you  n  what  you  may  justly  reckon  your  own  iniquity." 
Every  man  has  hia  own  peculiar  sin,  a  sin  whereby  the  soul  of  the  man  is 
more  expos'd  and  cndanger'd  than  by  any  other  sin;  his  darling-sin,  his 
master-sin,  or  that  which  bids  fairest  so  to  be.  David,  being  deliver'd 
from  damage  by  the  thunder,  ascribes  it  unto  the  favour  of  God,  (2  Sam. 
xxii.  24,)  rewarding  him  for  keeping  "himself  from  his  own  iniquity." 
This  I  say,  the  thunder  may  do  us  tho  favour  of  informing  us  what  is  our 
own  iniquity,  and  that  would  bo  a  favour  indeed  1  There  are  some  sort  of 
writings  which  you  can't  read  until  you  hold  them  against  the  fire:  Would 
you  read  the  worst  guiltiness  and  wickedness  of  your  own  hearts?  Then, 
say  I,  "hold  them  up  against  the  lightning."  My  meaning  is  this:  wiien 
it  thunders,  do  you  observe  about  what  miscarriage  your  hearts  do  lirst 
and  most  of  all  then  misgive  you;  observe  which  of  all  your  faults  then 
does  first  of  all  and  most  of  all  stare  you  in  tho  face  with  formidable 
criminations.  You  may  now  take  it  for  granted,  this  is  "your  own 
iniquity."  And  the  voice  of  the  thunder  is,  "Do  you  keep  a  special 
watch  against  that  iniquity,  and  against  all  the  beginnings,  all  the  occa- 
sions, all  the  incentives  of  that  iniquity." 

VI.  A  sixth  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "Take  heed 

*  They  tremble  and  grow  pule  «t  every  ciiub,  |   Crated  with  the  muttering  Blunn  and  blinding  tluah. 


The  desecrated  gt 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m 


now,  take  heed  ever,  of  those  grosser  sins  which  have  sometimes  been 
revenged  by  thunder."  There  liave  been  the  ireful  and  the  direful  tliuu* 
ders  of  God,  sometimes  used  for  the  executions  of  his  vengeance  upon 
such  and  such  enormities.  The  perpetual  admonitions  of  the  thunders 
are,  "Take  heed  of  such  thunder-struck  abominations!"  As  now,  the 
cities  now  buried  (tho'  they  say  of  late  by  the  sinking  of  the  water  grow- 
ing visible  again)  in  the  Lake  of  Sodom.  Tacitus  the  Boman  Historian, 
truly  tells  us,  they  perish'd  fulminum  jactu — by  thunder-bolts;  God  sent 
an  extraordinary  thunder-storm  upon  them  for  the  lusts  of  unclcanness, 
wherein  they  burned. — What  says  the  poet? 


Tupariim  caatis  inimisa  tnif  t 
Fulmina  Luc^ 


"Put  out  the  un« 
''e  by  my  dreadful 


Wherefore,  when  it  thunders,  the  voice  of  G 
clean  fires  of  lust  in  your  souls,  lest  I  set 
thunders."  Again,  there  was  Nadab  and  AbiLu,  who  uffcred  strange  fire 
to  God,  and  God  punished  them  with  a  killing  fire  from  heaven,  in  a 
hideous  thunder-storm ;  so,  then,  when  it  thunders,  the  voice  of  God  in  it 
is,  "Look  well  to  all  your  sacrifices,  lest  my  fire  make  you  a  sacrifice: 
See  that  you  duly  attend  my  worship,  lest  my  thunder  fall  upon  you!" 
Once  more,  there  was  Uzziah,  who  fell  into  an  error  in  his  management 
about  the  ark  of  God;  and  it  seems  as  if  a  thunder-storm,  suddenly  com- 
ing up,  kill'd  him  for  it:  Hence,  then,  when  it  thunders,  tho  voice  of  God 
in  it  is,  "Look  to  it  that  my  ark  and  my  word  find  no  contempt  with  you, 
lest  my  thunder  chastise  you  for  your  contempt."  What  shall  I  say  more? 
Corah  was  destroyed  by  thunder  for  his  rebellion  against  God  and  Moses. 
Wherefore  the  voice  of  the  thunder  is,  "Take  heed  of  all  rebellion  against 
God  and  .Tesus."  The  Egyptians,  the  Philistines,  the  Assyrians,  were  con- 
founded with  desolating  thunders,  because  they  invaded  and  injured  the 
people  of  Gt)d.  It  is  then  the  voice  of  the  thunder,  "  See  that  you  do  no 
wrong  unto  an  holy  people,  that  have  this  artillery  of  heaven  to  defend 
them."  They  that  are  such  witnesses  for  God  and  reformation  as  Elijah 
was,  have,  as  he  had,  the  fires  of  lightnings  to  devour  those  that  hurt  them. 
VII.  A  seventh  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  the  thunder,  is,  "llear  the 
voice  of  my  word,  lest  I  make  you  fear  the  voice  of  my  thunder."  When 
the  inhabitants  of  Egypt  persisted  in  their  disobedience  to  the  word  of 
God,  it  came  to  that  at  last,  in  Ex.  ix.  23,  "The  Lord  sent  thunder,  and 
the  fire  ran  along  upon  the  ground."  Thus  the  eternal  God  coniuiands 
men  to  let  go  their  sins,  and  go  themselves  to  serve  him ;  if  they  are  dis- 
obedient, they  lay  themselves  open  to  fiery  thunders.  This,  you  may  be 
sure,  is  the  voice  of  God  in  the  thunder,  "Hear  my  still  voice  in  my 
ordinances,  lest  you  put  me  upon  speaking  to  you  with  more  angry 
thunder-bolts."    I  have  known  it  sometimes  remark'd  that  very  notorious 

*  The  desecrated  grove,  of  rites  uncbiuto,   |   Thy  voDgenU  bolts  sball  bloat.— Horacc,  Oilt$,  1, 19,  v.  90. 


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872 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBIGANA; 


and  resolved  sleepers  at  sermons  oflen  have  some  remarkable  suddenness 
in  the  circumstances  of  their  death.  Truly,  if  you  are  scandalously  given 
to  sleep  under  the  word  of  God;  and  much  more,  if  to  sin  under  it;  and 
most  of  all,  if  to  scoff  under  it;  it  may  be,  your  deaths  will  be  rendred 
sudden  by  the  other  thunders  of  heaven  lighting  on  you.  When  it  thun- 
ders, God  saith  to  all  the  hearers  of  his  word  ordinarily  preached,  "Con- 
sider this,  and  forget  not  God,  les£  he  tear  you  in  pieces,  and  there  be 
none  to  deliver  you." 

Finally,  And  is  there  not  this  voice  of  the  glorious  God  in  thunder 
after  all?  "0  be  thankful  to  the  gracious  God,  that  the  thunder  does  no 
more  mischief  to  you  all." 

Whatever  the  witch-advocates  may  make  of  it,  it  is  a  scriptural  and  a 
rational  assertion,  that  in  the  thunder  there  is  oflen  times,  by  the  permis 
sion  of  God,  the  agency  of  the  devil.  The  devil  is  the  prince  of  the 
aiTf  and  when  God  gives  him  leave,  he  has  a  vast  power  in  the  av  ^nd 
armies  that  can  make  thunders  in  the  air.  We  are  certain  that  Satan  had 
his  efficiency  in  it,  when  the  fire  of  God  or  the  lightning  fell  upon  part 
of  Job's  estate.  How  glad  would  he  have  been  if  the  good  man  himself 
had  been  in  the  way,  to  have  been  torn  in  pieces  1  And  perhaps  it  was 
the  hellish  policy  of  the  wicked  one,  thus  to  make  the  good  man  suspi- 
cious that  God  was  become  his  enemy.  Popes  that  have  been  conjurors 
have  made  fire  thus  come  from  heaven,  by  their  confederacies  with  evil 
spirits ;  and  we  have  in  our  own  land  known  evil  spirits,  plainly  discovering 
their  concurrence  in  disasters  thus  occasioned.  A  great  man  has  theieforo 
noted  it,  that  thunders  break  oflener  on  churches  than  any  other  houses, 
because  the  dcemons  have  a  peculiar  spite  at  houses  that  are  set  a-part  for 
the  peculiar  service  of  God. 

I  say,  then,  live  we  thus  in  the  rridst  of  thunders  and  devils  too;  and 
yet  live  we?  Ohl  let  us  be  thankful  to  God  for  our  lives.  Are  we  not 
smitten  by  the  great  ordnance  of  heaven,  discharging  every  now  and  then 
on  every  side  of  us?  Let  us  be  thankful  to  the  great  Lord  of  heaven, 
who  makes  even  the  wrath  of  hell  to  praise  him,  and  the  remainder  of 
that  wrath  does  he  restrain. 

Such  a  serious  thankfulness,  manifested  in  an  answerable  fruitfulness, 
will  be  still  continually  a  better  shelter  to  us  from  the  mischiefs  of  the 
thunder,  than  the  crowns  of  laurels,  or  the  tents  of  seaMeather,  whereby 
some  old  Emperours  counted  themselves  protected ;  or  than  all  the  amu- 
lets of  superstition. 

To  tli»  custody  of  Israel's  Great  Keeper  I  now  commend  you  all 


Suit  perdita  nunqt 


The  lutl  ihm>p  v 


OB,   THE   HISTORY   OF   NEW-ENGLAND. 


.•.V5' 

873 


'  L  H  A  F  T  E  A    XV.  ,         / 

THE   BET  URNIIfO  PRODIGAL; 

RELAnNO  REMARKABLE  C0NTER8I0NS.  ; 

Suit  perdita  nunqttam  merteretur,  niri  pit  paatoria  miierieordiam  eomequeretur. — Ana.* 

The  substance  of  the  churchy  that  mystical  body  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  was  from  all  eternity  under  the  eye  of  God,  as  proposed  in  the 
decree  of  election.  The  members  of  that  body  were  from  all  eternity  writ- 
ten in  the  book  of  life:  And,  in  pursuance  of  the  divine  decree  concern- 
ing it,  the  Holy  Spirit  in  the  continuance  of  time,  thro'  several  genera- 
tions does  fashion  it  into  the  shape  designed  for  it.  But  how?  We  are 
told  in  Psal.  cxxxix.  14,  "'Tis  fearfully  and  wondrously  made;  marvel- 
lous are  the  works  of  God  about  it."  The  marvellous  works  of  God  in 
converting  and  uniting  of  elect  sinners  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  will 
make  an  history  for  heaven.  But  something  of  that  history  has  thou- 
sands of  times  been  given  to  particular  flocks  of  the  faithful  throughout 
New-England,  in  the  relations  which  devout  people  have  made  unto  them, 
at  their  first  admission  into  their  communion. 

These  marvellous  works  of  God  were  very  proper  materials  for  a  church- 
history:  But  ours  has  not  a  room  for  them;  nor  will  I  recite  in  this  place 
more  than  two  or  three  remarkables. 

I.  It  was  a  problem  among  the  ancient  philosophers,  "Whether  a  child 
may  not  confer  more  benefits  on  his  father  than  he  has  received  from 
him?"  This  hath  been  sometimes  bravely  determined  in  the  affirmative 
among  us,  when  fathers  have  by  the  means  of  their  own  children  been 
born  again. 

One  of  my  neighbours  had  a  son  which  died  when  he  was  about  five  or 
six  years  old.  The  man's  religion  extended  no  further  than  to  prayer 
with  his  family  on  the  Lord's  Days.  All  the  rest  of  the  week  hi  3  worldly 
heart  was  by  the  cares  of  this  world  indisposed  for  devotions.  The  mother 
of  the  child  therefore  pray'd  with  her  children  every  day ;  and  she  saw 
the  good  effects  of  it  upon  them.  This  child  lay  sick  for  divers  weeks; 
in  which  time  he  often  called  on  his  mother  to  pray  for  him — never  on 
his  father.  And  when  the  Lord's-Day  arrived,  the  child  would,  with 
observable  joy,  utter  that  expression,  "This  is  the  day  on  which  my  father 
uses  to  go  to  prayer."  The  words  of  the  dying  son  so  stuck  in  the  mind 
of  his  father,  that  with  many  tears  ho  not  only  bewailed  and  reformed 
this  his  neglect  of  his  family-prayer,  but  also  became,  as  far  as  could  be 
judged,  a  sincerely  Godly  man,  dying  afterwards  in  the  fear  of  God. 

II.  Some  have  observ'd  that,  for  the  generality  of  them  who  are  effect- 

*  The  lotl  ihfN'p  would  never  return  to  the  fuld,  unlvH  ilio  rccetvvd  the  pity  of  ber  tender  ibepherd. 


'  V 


I    I 


874 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


ually  brought  home  unto  God  under  the  constant  preaching  of  tue  gospel 
between  fijken  and  thirty  is  the  age  wherein  most  of  the  ehct  become  calVd. 
Nevertheless,  New-England  hath  afforded  many  examples  of  children 
which  have  in  their  early  infancy  been  marvellously  filled  with  the  spirit 
of  Christ;  and  some  of  these  examples  have  been  afterwards  published 
unto  the  world.  Moreover,  that  the  grace  of  God  may  be  display'd,  as 
truly  sovereign,  some  among  us  that  have  liv'd  unto  old  age — poor, 
graceless,  godless,  wretohless — have  then  passed  under  changing  opera- 
tions and  renovations,  from  the  "  word  of  the  grace  of  God "  upon  their 
souls.  In  the  primitive  times,  there  was  one  Victorious,  a  very  old  man, 
turned  into  Christianity;  the  church  would  not  for  some  while  receive 
him:  for,  thought  they,  "old  sinners  do  not  use  thus  to  turn  and  live;" 
but  he  evinced  the  reality  of  his  turn  at  such  a  rate,  that  they  sang  hymns 
about  it  in  the  christian  assemblies;  and  it  was  much  proclaim'd,  "Victo- 
rious is  become  a  Christian  1  Victorious  is  become  a  Christian  1" 

Among  other  instances  of  such  a  matter,  in  the  churches  of  New-Eng- 
land, one  was  a  man  of  Lancaster,  who  arrived  in  age  to  so  many  years 
above  an  hundred,  that  he  had  lived  in  wedlock  with  his  wife  sixty-three 
years,  and  yet  she  was  thirty-five  years  younger  than  himself;  and  he  was 
able  to  follow  his  toils  at  husbandry  very  livelily  about  a  month  before 
his  death.  This  man  had  been  all  his  days  a  poor,  ignorant,  ungodly 
man,  and  after  he  had  heard  so  many  thousands  of  sermons,  unacquainted 
with  the  very  principles  of  his  catechism.  Nevertheless,  when  he  was 
about  an  hundred  years  old,  God  blessefd  the  ministry  of  his  word  unto  this 
man's  awakening ;  the  man  became  a  diligent  enquirer  after  the  things  of 
the  life  to  come,  and  a  serious  attender  on  all  that  was  religious.  He 
arrived  unto  such  measures  of  a  well  informed  piety,  that  the  church, 
which  was  very  strict  in  the  terms  of  their  communion,  yet  received  him 
into  their  communion  some  years  before  he  died,  wherein  he  continu'd 
under  a  good  character  so  long  as  he  continu'd  in  the  world. 

m.  When  a  great  sinner  cried  out,  "My  sin  is  ^ater  than  can  be  for- 
given," it  was  by  Austin  well  replied,  "Cain,  the  :^stl"  A  malefactor 
once  going  to  his  execution,  in  a  transporting  sense  of  great  mercy  to  a 
great  sinner,  kept  crying  out,  "God  is  a  great  forgiverl  God  is  a  great  for- 
giverl"  So  thought  one  who  died  at  our  Salem  village  in  December,  1688. 
This  man  (whose  name  was  Wilkins)  had  signalized  himself  by  a  bad  life, 
until  he  had  spent  fifty  years  on  the  lewd  and  rude  courses  of  notorious 
ungodliness.  Tho'  he  had  enjoyed  the  benefits  of  a  pious  education,  yet 
he  shook  off  all  the  yokes  which  that  education  had  laid  upon  him.  He 
became  a  foul  mouth 'd  scoffer  at  all  good  men  and  good  things,  and  a  base 
mocker  of  church-members  in  particular.  The  vices  of  drunkenness,  and 
lying,  and  swearing,  made  the  characters  of  his  conversation.  Sabbath- 
breaking  made  him  infamous  among  sober,  and  promise-breaking  among 
honest  people;  and  his  disobedience  to  his  parents  was  not  unequal  to  tho 


OB,    THE   HI8T0BT    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


875 


rest  of  ills  disorders.  Original  sin,  in  the  furthest  efforts  of  it,  filled  his 
whole  walk  for  half  an  hundred  years;  at  which  age  he  left  the  world; 
aud  had  sate  under,  and  sinn'd  against  the  "means  of  grace"  all  this  while. 

But  yet,  reader,  prepare  thy  admirations  1  This  enormous  liver  was 
wondeifully  regenerated  before  he  died.  The  great  God  so  blessed  and 
owned  the  "ministry  of  his  word,"  that  the  efficacy  thereof  upon  him  did 
become  conspicuous  to  astonishment  He  became  an  heart-broken  peni- 
tent, and  so  devout,  so  pensive,  so  humble,  that  every  one  saw  a  new 
creature  in  him.  He  mourned  for  all  his  former  faults,  and  his  mournful 
complaints  reached  unto  the  "plague  of  his  heart,"  as  the  root  of  all.  He 
reformed  what  was  amiss  in  him,  and  applied  himself  with  an  exceeding 
vigour  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  our  only  Saviour,  for  his  great  salvation. 
While  the  Lofd  was  thus  beginning  his  heavenly  impressions  upon  him, 
he  fell  mortally  sick;  and  it  was  not  long  before  he  passed  out  of  this 
world  with  a  wonderful  assurance  of  his  interest  in  a  better. 

It  were  endless  to  reckon  up  the  extraordinary  passages  which  occurred 
in  the  sick  and  last  weeks  of  his  life ;  but  some  of  them  were  such  as  these : 

"Ohl  what  a  'wonder  of  mercy'  is  it  [said  he]  unto  my  soul  that  God 
hath  not  oast  me  immediately  into  hell,  and  given  me  no  time  to  repent; 
or  to  beg  for  an  heart  to  repent !    But  great  mercy  hath  spared  a  great  sinner." 

" The  stoutest  man  [said  he]  that  ever  lived,  should  he  but  seriously 

think  on  eternity,  and  have  no  Christ  to  fly  unto,  it  would  so  sink  the 
heart  of  him,  that  he  could  never  bear  it;  but  the  Lord  will  shew  mercy 
to  my  distressed  soul." 

He  gave  himself  wholly  to  prayer,  and  would  excuse  watchers  from  sit- 
ting with  him,  that  he  might  be  at  leisure  for  communion  with  God  above. 
Sometimes  he  would  give  a  start  as  he  lay,  and  being  asked  the  reason  of 
it,  he  said,  "Ohl  I  have  a  great  work  to  do,  and  but  a  little  time  to  do  it." 

The  conflicts  which  he  endured  in  his  mind,  were  intolerable;  under 
which,  he  day  and  night  kept  "wrestl  ng  with  God"  for  his  mercy. 

One  morning,  his  brother  enquiring  of  him  how  he  did,  he  replied, 
"Ohl  I  have  had  us  doleful  a  night  as  ever  man  had.  I  have  had  three 
great  enemies  this  night  encountering  with  me,  the  flesh,  the  world,  and 
the  devil.  I  have  been  this  night  both  in  hell  and  in  heaven;  and  I  can 
truly  say,  with  David,  all  this  night  long  *!  have  watered  my  couch  with 
my  tears.'  But,  as  the  day  broke,  my  Saviour  came  and  vanquished  the 
devil,  and  told  him  'that  he  had  no  right  in  me,  for  he  had  redeem'd  me 
with  his  own  blood.'" 

Unto  his  aged  father  he  said,  "Sir,  I  have  felt  a  great  work  on  my  dis- 
tressed soul:  'This,  your  son,  was  lost,  and  is  found;  was  dead,  and  is 
alive.'  Doleful  nights  have  I  seen:  The  thoughts  of  my  sins  did  sorely 
oppress  me:  When  I  would  be  crying  to  my  dear  Saviour  for  his  mercy, 
he  would  seem  not  to  pity  me,  but  say:  'Thou  hast  been  a  servant  of  the 
devil,  and  of  thy  lust,  and  dost  thou  uow  come  to  me?    I  have  been  calling 


.Jut' 


876 


MAGNALIA   OHBISTI    AMEBIOANA; 


to  thee,  and  thou  hast  been  hardening  thy  heart  at  my  calls,  and  dost  thou 
expect  mercy  after  all?'  And  then  the  Devil  would  put  in,  saying,  *Thou 
hast  been  my  vassal  so  long,  thy  cries  for  mercy  are  now  all  too  late.'  I 
have  also  seen  the  face  of  an  angry  God,  and  that  was  the  terriblest  thinw 
that  was  ever  seen.  I  then  found  no  stay  for  my  distressed  soul;  hntjree 
mercy/  free  mercy/  The  Lord  now  put  under  me  his  everlasting  arms, 
and  gave  me  an  heart  still  to  pray,  and  say,  'Lord  Jesus,  mercy  for  thy 
name's  sake,  mercy  for  thy  name's  sake !'  My  Eedeemer  would  say,  *Thou 
art  a  great  sinner,  and  an  old  sinner!'  The  answer  of  my  soul  was,  'Truth, 
Lord;  but  even  such  sinners  have  already  found  mercy  at  thy  hands.  I 
come  to  thee,  for  with  thee  the  fatherless  find  mercy.' " 

He  would  speak  forth  into  very  high  expressions.  His  great  comfort 
he  fetched  from  Matt.  xi.  28:  "Come  to  me,  and  I  will  gfVe  you  rest." 
He  would  now  cry  out,  "0  the  riches  of  free  grace  I  There  are  thousands 
of  thousands,  and  ten  thousand  times  ten  thousand  in  the  third  heaven, 
rejoicing  over  a  great  and  an  old  sinner,  coming  to  glory !  0  glorifie  free 
grace  for  ever  1" 

He  would  say,  "0  blessed  sickness,  blessed  sickness!  "What  a  friend 
hast  thou  been  to  me;  and  now,  welcome  death,  or  welcome  life;  what 
my  Eedeemer  please.  O,  that  I  could  declare  unto  my  relations  and  neigh- 
bours— ^yea,  that  I  could  declare  unto  kings  and  worlds — what  the  Lord 
hath  done  for  my  soul !" 

He  would  reflect  on  the  humiliation  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  an 
amazed  and  transported  soul :  he  would  break  forth  into  a  great  adorati(m 
of  it,  and  say,  "Oh!  this  wonderful  mercy  to  undone  sinners!"  He  would 
also  make  that  one  of  his  admirations,  "0  the  glorious  work  of  faith, 
which  rolls  itself  on  Christ  alone!" 

He  talked  in  strains  that  were  surprisingly  prophetical,  concerning  the 
changes  which  quickly  after  came  on  our  government;  and  of  the  success 
which  God  would  give  unto  the  (then)  prince  of  Orange,  in  the  descent 
which  we  then  had  newly  heaid  that  he  was  intending  upon  England. 

His  counsel  to  every  one  was,  to  make  their  calling  and  election  sure. 
And  he  would  often  say,  "Oh!  I  am  an  old  sinner,  and  but  a  young  con- 
vert! I  am  fifty  years  old,  and  have  lived  but  seven  weeks  all  this  while." 

To  his  brethren  he  said,  "You  are  careful  about  a  garment  for  me, 
under  my  weakness  this  winter:  but,  brothers,  I  have  a  better  garment 
than  you  can  provide  for  me;  the  long  white  robe  of  the  righteousness  of 
Jesus  Christ  will  cover  me  all  over." 

He  kept  praying,  and  praising,  and  singing  of  psalms  till  his  end  came; 
and  then  being  taken  speecKless  and  senseless,  his  friends  apprehended 
him  just  in  a  manner  to  his  last  gasp.  Thus  he  lay  for  divers  hours 
drawing  on;  but  at  length  he  strangely  revived  so  far,  that  he  sprang  up 
in  his  bed,  spreading  his  arms  abroad,  as  tho'  going  to  leap  into  the  arms 
of  a  Redeemer,  and  shouting,  "0,  my  friends,  Heaven  rings  all  over  at  this! 


HISTORIAN 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


377 


a  great  and  an  old  sinner  coming  to  Heaven!  Behold,  in  my  Father's 
house  are  many  mansions:  if  it  had  not  been  so,  my  Saviour  would  not 
have  said  it.  But  he  is  gone  to  prepare  a  place  for  me.  0,  the  riches  of 
grace!  0  glorifie  free-grace  for  evermore."  And  so  he  lay  down,  he 
expir'd,  he  went  away,  to  the  rest  of  God. 

IV.  Reader,  pass  thy  judgments  on  a  thing  that  is  newly  hapned.  The 
story  is  published  among  us,  and  no  body  doth,  or  can  doubt  the  truth  of 
it.  In  Barwick,  of  our  New-England,  there  dwelt  one  Ephraim  Joy,  as 
infamous  a  drunkard  as  perhaps  any  in  the  world.  By  his  drunkenness 
he  not  only  wasted  his  estate,  but  ruined  his  body  too.  At  last,  being 
both  poor  and  sick,  and  therewithal  hurried  by  sore  temptations,  a  gentle- 
man of  Portsmouth,  out  of  pure  charity  and  compassion,  took  him  into  his 
house.  While  he  lay  ill  there,  the  approaches  of  death  and  hell,  under  his 
convictions  of  his  debauch 'd  life,  exceedingly  terrified  him.  Amidst  these 
terrours,  he  dreamt  that  he  made  his  appearance  before  the  tribunal  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  judge  of  the  world,  by  whom  he  was  condemned; 
whereupon  he  had  a  sight  of  the  horrors  in  the  state  of  damnation,  which 
was  now  arresting  of  him.  He  cried  with  an  anguish  of  importunity  unto 
the  judge  for  a  pardon ;  but  his  eternal  Judge  answered  him,  that  he  would 
not  yet  give  him  an  absolute  pardon,  but  allow  him  fourteen  days  to  repent; 
in  which  time,  if  he  did  repent,  he  should  have  a  pardon.  He  dreamt 
that  accordingly  he  repented  and  was  pardon'd,  and  at  the  fourteen  days' 
end  received  into  heaven.  The  poor  man  declared  his  dream  to  the  people 
of  the  house,  and  sent  for  the  help  of  ministers  and  other  Christians;  and 
expressed  the  humiliations  of  a  very  deep  repentance.  As  he  drew  near 
his  end,  he  grew  daily  more  lively  in  the  exercises  of  his  faith  on  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  relying  on  him  for  salvation;  until  he  confidently  said  that 
his  peace  was  made  with  God.  But,  behold,  at  the  expiration  of  the  four- 
teen days,  precisely  and  exactly  according  to  his  dream,  he  died.  Yea, 
and  he  died  full  of  that  great  joy  which  gave  no  little  to  the  spectators. 

Nunquam  eat  aera  converaio :  latro  de  cruce  tranait  ad  Parndiaum.* — Hike. 


CHAPTER    ?. 


HISTORIA  NEMESIOS;i-  RELATING  REMARKABLE  JUDGMENTS  OF  GOD. 

The  reader  is  doubtless  waiting  for  an  history  of  Remarkable  Judg- 
ments, inflicted  by  the  evident  and  undoubted  hand  of  Heaven,  on  several 
sorts  of  sinners  in  this  land.  Now,  an  history  of  those  things  having  been 
interwoven  into  two  brief  Sermons  lately  preached  among  us,  reader  take 

*  Converrion  is  nevor  tuo  late ;  (he  tlilcf  pawed  frum  the  crosB  lu  Paradise.— Jbromi. 
t  Hiitory  of  Rod's  iludginents. 


878 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


it  under  the  advantage  which  was  thereby  given  unto  it.  Read  it  with 
the  salutation  ujed  by  Maximillian  when  he  passed  by  the  place  of  execu- 
tion, Salve  justitia  !*  . 

TERRIBILIA  DEI.t-REMAREABLE  JUDGMENTS  OF  GOD. 

ON  SETEKAL  SORTS  OP  OFFENDERS.  IN  8ETERAL  SCORES  OF  INSTANCES, 
AMONG  THE  PEOPLE  OP  NEW-ENGLAND. 

OBSERVED,  COLLECTED,  XELATBD,  AND  IMFKOTED ;  IN  TWO  SERMONS, 
AT  BOarON-LECTUBE  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  JULY,  lt87.— BY  COTTON  HATHEB. 

Ban  anteeedentem  teeleatum  deaeruitpede  pana  claudo.t — Horat. 
Supplicia  imprudentium  prudentibut  eonferunt  tanitatem.^ — Cyfr.  de  Zelo. 


\■^:^i' 


THE    FIRST   SERMON. 


PsAL.  cziz.  120:   My  flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee,  and  I  am  afraid  of  thy  Jcdoments. 

It  cannot  be  said  of  any  man,  as  it  is  said  of  the  Leviathan,  "he  is 
made  without  fear;"  hnt  fear  is  one  of  these  natural  passions  which  the 
Maker  of  man  hath  infused  into  him  to  move  him  in  the  matters  of  his 
happiness.  And,  indeed,  if  the  spirit  of  man  were  destitute  of  all  fear,  it 
would  want  a  sinew,  needful  to  manage  him  in  many  of  his  motions.  But 
this  affection  of  our  fear,  by  which  we  have  such  apprehensions  of  evils  as 
to  fly  from  them,  as  'tis  useful  to  us  in  all  our  concerns,  thus  'tis  of  most 
eminent  use  to  us  in  the  concerns  of  religion.  Without  the  exercise  of 
some  fear,  no  real  religion  can  be  exercised ;  if  we  would  serve  the  Lord,  it 
must  be  with ^ar/  if  we  would  keep  the  commandments  of  God,  it  is  our 
fear  of  him  that  will  be  custos  utriusque  ta5u/ce.|| 

In  the  sacred  oracle  now  before  us,  behold  such  a  fear  exemplified! 
Solomon  the  Wise  once  wrote  that  maxim  of  wisdom,  "  Happy  is  the  man 
that  feareth  always."  And  he  had  the  example  of  his  blessed  father,  to 
inform  him  of,  and  confirm  him  in  such  a  maxim.  David  was  as  great  an 
instance  of  undaunted  valour  and  courage,  as  perhaps  any  that  ever  lived; 
his  fortitude  was  heroical.  Yet  we  find  him  fearing  always:  and  well 
might  he  fear,  when  he  had  such  a  formidable  object  for  his  fear  as  that 
which  is  proposed  in  the  text  now  before  us. 

The  Psalmist  in  our  context  is  making  his  observations  upon  the  dis- 
pensations of  the  God  of  heaven  towards  ungodly  men  on  earth.  Ungodiy 
men  had  been  very  high  in  their  worldly  advancements  and  advantages: 
but,  saith  he,  "Lord,  I  see  thee  treading  of  them  down!"  Ungodly  men 
had  cleaved  unto  the  people  of  God,  as  if  they  had  been  of  one  metal  with 
them,  and  their  fate  and  lot  had  been  one;  but,  saith  he,  "Lord,  I  see 

*  AH  hatl,  Justice!  t  The  terrors  of  the  Lord. 

X  Avenging  Justice,  though  with  limping  pace, 

O'urtuliei  the  fleetest  villuin  in  the  race.— Horace,  Odn,  lit.  S,  v.  31. 
I  The  puniubment  of  the  Imprudent  aflurds  lecurily  t4i  >'iu  prudent.    |  The  kooporofboth  tablesof  tlie  law. 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF   NEW-ENGLAND. 


379 


thee  putting  them  away  like  dross."  Now,  there  is  a  two-fold  use  which 
the  psalmist  makes  of  these  observations: — One  is  hve :  Therefore  I  love 
thy  testimonies. — Another  is  fear :  "  My  flesh  trembleth  for  fear  of  thee, 
and  I  am  afraid  of  thy  judgments." 

The  degree  of  fear  thus  expressed,  is  remarkable.  One  of  the  ancients 
who  understood  Hebrew,  as  few  of  them  did,  renders  it  horripilavit  caro 
mea;  (q.  d.)  "My  hair  even  stands  on  end  with  fear."  And  the  Septua- 
gint  renders  it,  "My  flesh  is  pierc'd  with  fear  as  with  nails."  But  there  is 
no  need  of  evaporating  our  discourse  in  criticisms  on  the  language  of  our 
text    The  plain  language,  and  the  doctrine  of  it  is, 

TBIT,  A  VEST  TBEMBLINO  FEAK  OF  OOD  IN  HIS  JUDOHENTS,  IS  WHAT  ALL  HEN  SHOULD,  AND  WHAT 
OOOD  MEN  WILL,  HAVE  THEIR  SOCLS  EXCEEDINOLT  AWED  WITHAL. 

If  you  will  hear  the  sum  of  the  matter,  there  is  this  case,  to  be  dis- 
tinctly with  all  due  brevity  spoken  unto. 

What  M  the  trendtling  fear  of  God  in  hit  judgmenta  tehiek  it  to  be  entertained  in  our    ' 
touU  ?    And  $0,  what  are  thoee  judgnunta  of  God,  whereof  it  beeomea  ita,  with  a  trem- 
Uing  fear,  to  be  afraid? 

Behold  the  steps  by  which  we  shall  arrive  to  a  full  answer  of  the  import- 
ant case  thus  before  us. 

I.  The  "fear  of  God"  comprehends  the  whole  of  that  religion,  whereto 
the  will  of  God  obligeth  us.  Indeed,  in  a  natural  fear,  we  are  carried 
from  what  we  fear.  But  a  gracious  fear  will  carry  us  to  the  God  who  is 
therein  our  fear;  to  fear  God,  is  to  choose  him,  to  love  him,  to  trust  him, 
to  seek  him,  and  to  draw  near  unto  him.  In  this  fear  of  God  there  is 
presupposed  a  sense  of  God.  We  must  be  none  of  those  ^^fools"  who  say, 
"there  is  no  God."  Our  fear  of  God  must  not  be  as  of  an  imaginary 
being,  or  of  the  frightful  non-entities  which  the  feeble  spirits  of  children 
are  scared  with  all.  We  are  to  be  well  satisfied,  and  we  have  all  possible 
demonstrations  to  satisfie  us,  that  "there  is  a  God,  whose  kingd  iv  ruleth 
over  all."    But  then, 

First,  There  is  in  the  "fear  of  God"  a  reverence,  respect  and  regard, 
unto  all  that  has  the  name  of  God  upon  it.  We  must  have  such  a  fear 
of  God  in  us,  that  our  God  may  speak  of  us,  in  that  stile  in  Mai.  iv.  2 : 
"You  fear  my  name."  We  should  havd  none  but  fit — that  is  to  say,  lioly 
and  humble — resentments  of  all  those  things  whereby  the  great  God 
makes  himself  known  unto  us.  His  titles  we  must  mention  with  honour; 
his  attributes  we  must  adore,  with  all  affection ;  his.  appointments  we  must 
approach,  with  all  attention.  We  should  be  soUicitous  that  God  may  be 
glorified,  not  only  by  ourselves,  but  also  by  all  the  world  about  us. — 
" Hallow 'd  be  thy  name,"  is  to  be  the  first  petition  of  our  souls. 

Secondly,  There  is  in  the  "fear  of  God,"  a  studious  concern  and  caution, 
to  avoid  all  that  sinful  evil  by  which  the  "law  of  God  is  transgress'd." 
We  must  have  that  fear  of  God,  whereto  we  are  advised  in  Prov.  xvi.  6: 


I 


m 


880 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEF.ICANA; 


"By  the  fear  of  the  Lord,  men  depart  from  evil."  We  should  fl}-  from 
every  known  sin,  as  from  a  deadly  serpent  or  poison,  because  of  the 
offence  thereby  given  to  that  God  who  hath  no  pleasure  in  wickedness. 
When  we  see  others  do  any  thing  that  is  forbidden  and  condemn 'd  in  the 
edicts  of  God,  we  should  be  able  to  say,  as  Nehemiah  of  old,  "  but  so  do 
not  I,  because  I  have  the  fear  of  Godl"  When  others  urge  us  to  do  any 
thing  amiss,  we  should  reply,  like  Joseph,  "I  dare  not  commit  such  things, 
for  I  fear  Godl"  And  therefore  the  anger  of  God  should  be  the  terror  of 
our  souls:  we  should  rather  inctir  any  miseries,  than  procure  that  anger 
which  the  strongest  mountains  cannot  stand  before :  and  count  it  a  fearful 
thing  to  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God. 

Thirdly ,  In  the  "fear  of  God"  there  is  a  filial  care,  to  yield  him  that 
service  and  worship  which  may  be  pleasing  unto  him.  In  the  fear  of 
God  we  must  obey  him  with  our  service.  The  angels  of  heaven,  who 
move  the  wheels  in  the  great  changes  on  earth,  when  they  stood  in  their 
service  before  the  throne  of  God,  which  had  the  appearance  of  fire  round 
about  him,  they  let  down  their  wings,  at  his  voice,  in  the  vision  of  Ezekiel. 
In  allusion  hereunto,  the  apostle,  speaking  unto  believers,  that  are  to  be 
as  the  angels  in  the  kingdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  cannot  be 
moved,  says,  in  Heb.  xii.  28,  29:  "Serve  God  with  reverence  and  with 
godly  fear:  for  our  God  is  a  consuming  fire."  In  the  fear  of  God,  we  must 
renounce  the  service  of  all  our  idols;  we  must  no  more  humour  the  flesh, 
no  more  follow  the  world,  no  more  gratifie  the  devil.  And  we  must  now 
so  devote  ourselves  unto  the  service  of  God,  that  we  may  be  able  to  say, 
"Lord,  I  am  thy  servant,  devoted  unto  thy  fear!"  He  is  to  be  our  master, 
and  we  should  leave  no  room  for  that  expostulation,  "Where  is  my  fear?" 
And,  in  the  fear  of  God,  we  must  address  him  with  our  worship.  The 
proselytes  which  came  in  to  embrace  the  true  worship  of  God,  ha\e  this 
distinction  in  Psal.  cxv.  11 :  "Ye  that  fear  the  Lord."  In  the  fear  of  God, 
we  must  worship  him  who  is  worthy  to  be  feared:  and  both  the  natural 
and  the  instituted  worship  of  God  is  to  be  continually  perform'd  with  us; 
we  ought  to  be,  as  he  once  was,  devout  persons,  who  fear  God  and  pray 
always  unto  him. 

All  this  is  comprised  in  the  fear  of  God.  And  yet  you  have  no  right 
notion  of  it,  if  a  Christ  be  left  out  of  the  notion.  There  is  a  faith  implied 
in  this  fear.  The  fear  of  God  is,  after  all,  to  be  thus  describ'd,  and  never 
fully,  till  thus  described,  unto  us:  'tis  even  sxich  a  dread  of  the  divine  dis- 
pleasure at  sin,  as  drives  us  to  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  salvation  from  sin, 
and  from  the  displeasure  of  God  against  us  for  it.  There  never  was  any 
true  fear  of  God  in  the  days  of  the  Old  Testament,  but  such  as  thought  of 
and  ran  to  a  Messiah,  as  the  deliverer  from  the  wrath  of  God;  and  all  the 
fear  of  God  in  the  days  of  the  New  Testament  acknowledges  our  blessed 
Jesus  as  that  Messiah.  This  is  that  fear  of  God  which  is  the  " beginning  of 
wisdom;"  this  that  fear  of  God  wherein  all  men  should  be  all  the  day  long. 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


Sol 


This  is  that  fear  of  God,  wherein  we  should  continue  all  the  days  that  we 
live  upon  the  earth.  If  thou  dost  not  walk  in  the  fear  of  God,  0  man,  let 
thy  flesh  tremble  for  fear,  and  be  afraid  of  the  judgments  whereto  thou 
dost  make  thy  self  obnoxious.  But  this  leads  us  to  a  further  consideration. 
II.  Unto  the  fear  of  God  we  are,  by  the  consideration  of  his  judgments, 
to  be  awakened;  and  we  should  therefore  be  struck  with  a  very  trembling 
fear  of  those  judgments.  Now,  the  judgments  of  God  are  capable  of  a 
distribution,  into  Judicia  Jvdicantia  and  Judida  Judicata — judgments 
denounced  aucl  judgments  inflicted;  judgments  in  the  commination,  and 
judgments  in  the  accomplishment:  the  declaration  of  divine  judgments, 
and  the  execution  of  divine  judgments.  With  an  eye  to  this  distribution, 
there  are  these  counsels,  which  from  the  great  God  of  judgment  are  to  be 
given  you.  , 

The  First  Counsel. — ^Let  us  with  a  very  trembling  fear  be  afraid  of 
the  judgments  that  are  pronounced  against  the  ungodly  in  the  book  of 
God.  They  are  used,  in  our  longest  and  sweetest  Psalm,  no  less  than 
twelve  several  words,  to  signifie  the  revelation  which  God  had  made  of 
his  purpose  to  save  men  by  that  "son  of  a  virgin,"  who  was  to  "break 
the  old  serpent's  head;"  and  one  of  these  words  is,  judgments.  This, 
then,  is  the  influence  which  the  judgments  of  God,  or  the  discoveries 
which  He  has  made  of  himself  in  this  book  of  his,  must  have  upon  us : 
we  should  be  able  to  say,  as  in  Psal.  cxix.  161:  "Lord,  my  heart  stands 
in  awe  of  thy  word."  Are  there  any  precepts  in  this  book? — we  should 
fear  the  commandment:  fear,  and  cry,  "Lord,  I  am  afraid  of  breaking 
thy  holy  laws,  that  are  so  holy,  and  just,  and  good  I"  Are  there  any 
promises  in  this  book? — we  should  fear,  lest  we  should  fall  short  of  them. 
Are  there  any  threatnings  in  this  book? — we  should  fear  lest  they  take 
hold  of  us.  Before  every  thing  in  the  book  of  God,  we  should  have  the 
same  disposition  that  Josiah  had  when  the  book  of  Deuteronomy  was  read 
unto  him;  [the  Jews  have  a  tradition  that,  by  the  special  disposal  of 
Divine  Providence,  the  first  place  which  the  reader  lit  upon,  was  Deut. 
xxviii.  36:]  That  it  may  be  sail  unto  us,  "Thy  heart  was  tender,  and 
thou  didst  humble  thy  self  before  God,  when  thou  didst  hear  his  v.crds." 
We  should  be  apprehensive  of  the  almighty  God,  speaking  in  every  line 
of  this  book ;  and  then  be  afraid,  lest  all  the  plagues  written  in  this  book 
overtake  us,  if  we  sin  against  such  a  God.  It  was  the  character  of  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  in  Isa.  Ixvi.  2:  "He  that  is  of  a  poor  and  a  contrite 
spirit,  and  who  trembleth  at  my  word."  When  we  see  what  judgments 
the  word  of  God  has  threatned  against  the  children  of  disobedience,  we 
should  even  fall  a  trembling  at  them.  And  especially  they  that  are  con- 
scious to  a  course  of  disobedience  against  God,  should  be  afraid  of  these 
judgments.  When  Belshazzar  saw  upon  the  wall  an  hand-writing,  which 
he  could  not  read,  (because  perhaps  the  letters  were  so  infolded  one  among 


1 1 


882 


MAOKALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICAITA; 


another,  that  except  a  man  had  the  key  of  the  cypher,  the  sentence  wag 
not  easie  to  be  uncyphered^)  he  was  wonderfully  terrified  at  what  he  saw. 
Unbelievers  may  read  that  hand-writing  in  this  book,  "If  any  man  believe 
not  the  Son,  the  wrath  of  God  abideth  on  him:"  and  will  you  not  be 
afraid  of  that  wrath?  Impenitents  may  read  that  band-writing  in  tliis 
book:  "The  Lord  will  wound  such  an  one  as  goeth  on  still  in  his  tres- 
passes:" and  will  you  not  be  afraid  of  that  wound?  The  prayerless  may 
in  this  book  read  that  hand-writing:  "The  wicked  shall  be  turned  into 
hell,  and  all  they  that  forget  God;"  and  will  they  not  be  afraid  of  that 
hell,  or  fear  Him  "who  is  able  to  cast  body  and  soul  into  hell?"  I  say 
unto  you,  fear  him;  and.  Oh!  be  afraid  of  these  judgments. 

The  Second  Counsel. — Let  us  with  a  very  "trembling  fear"  be  afraid 
of  judgments  that  shall  be  pronounced  upon  the  ungodly  in  the  day  of 
God.  It  is  a  truth  whereof  we  are  very  sure — the  God  of  truth  has  given 
us  assurance  of  it — that  he  hath  appointed  a  day  in  which  he  will  judge 
the  world  in  righteousness  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  Now,  in  the  remem- 
brance of  this  day,  when  the  kingdom  that  was  promised  unto  the  seed  of 
David  shall  be  erected,  it  is  said  in  Eccl.  xii.  13, 14:  "Fear  God;  for  God 
will  bring  every  work  into  judgment."  We  must  expect  the  approach  of 
a  day,  wherein  the  quickening  and  wondrous  voice  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
will  raise  us  out  of  our  graves;  a  day,  wherein  a  doom  of  everlasting  pun- 
ishment, or  of  life  eternal  will  be  passed  upon  us ;  a  day,  wherein,  as  the 
apostle  speaks,  "we  must  all  appear  before  the  judgment-seat  of  Christ, 
that  every  one  may  receive  such  things  in  the  body,  according  to  what  he 
hath  done:"  [for  thus  I  choose  to  render  it.]  Now,  let  us  fear  the  judg- 
ments which  on  this  terrible  day  of  judgment  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will 
dispense  unto  the  world.  Of  these  judgments  it  is  that  a  great  minister 
of  our  Lord  could  say,  in  2  Cor.  v.  11,  "Knowing  the  terror  of  the  Lord 
we^perswade  men."  There  is  a  terror  in  those  judgments;  Oh!  let  this 
UrroT  now  perswade  us  to  pursue  after  an  interest  in  him  that  is  to  be  our 
judge;  and  let  it  perswade  us  to  repent  of  the  sins  which  our  judge  will 
else  damn  us  to  endless  confusion  for.  When  a  Pagan  Fselix  was  told  of 
the  judgments  which  the  notable  day  of  God  will  produce  upon  mankind, 
it  is  said,  "he  trembled."  What!  shall  we  be  worse  than  that  unhappy 
Pagan?  When  God  was  only  publishing  his  judgments  on  the  burning' 
mountain,  we  are  told,  so  terrible  was  the  sight,  that  Moses  said,  "I 
exceedingly  fear  and  quake."  And  shall  not  we  "exceedingly  fear  and 
quake  "  when  we  think  on  the  day  when  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  descend 
from  heaven  in  flaming  fire,  to  pour  out  his  judgments;  and  "behold  the 
Lord  comes  with  myriads  of  his  saints  to  execute  judgment  upon  all!" 
Certain  I  am,  all  this  lower  world,  will  be  surprized  with  an  horrible  fright 
at  that  great  revolution:  an  horrible  tempest  will  then  be  rain'd  fn)m 
heaven  upon  this  world:  "the  earth  will  shake  and  tremble,  the  founda- 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


883 


tions  of  the  hills  also  will  move  and  be  shaken,"  when  our  Lord  shall 
"bow  the  heavens,  and  come  down,  with  a  devouring  fire  about  him." 
So,  then,  let  us  now  shake  and  tremble  at  the  contemplation  thereof.  Be 
afraid,  lest  we  be  found  among  the  ungodly,  "that  shall  not  stand  in  the 
judgment."  Be  afraid,  lest  our  judgment  then  be  that  of  the  devil  and 
his  angels.  'Tis  a  thing  which  I  have  given  me  in  charge,  "some  save 
with  fear,  pulling  them  out  of  the  fire."  Wherefore  I  say  unto  you,  souls, 
he  afraid,  lest  we  be  adjudged  unto  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire,  even  to 
the  fire  of  the  vengeance  of  God  throughout  eternal  ages. 


■v» 


■^ 


The  Third  Counsel. — There  are  astonishing  judgments,  dispensed  by 
the  "  hand  of  God,"  upon  others  in  this  world ;  and  with  a  very  trembling 
fear  we  should  be  afraid  of  those  judgments.  The  dispensations  of  God 
unto  a  sinful  world,  are  such  aa  give  us  that  invitation  in  Psal.  Ixvi,  5: 
"Come  and  see  the  works  of  God,  for  he  is  terrible  in  his  doing  towards 
the  children  of  men."  'Tis  our  duty  now,  to  be  afi-aid  of  those  judgments, 
under  which  we  see  the  children  of  men  suffering,  by  the  terrible  dispensa- 
tions of  God.  I  do  not  mean  that  we  should  live  in  a  slavish  fear  of  all 
fearful  accidents,  but  that  we  should  be  awakened  unto  the  fear  of  God, 
by  what  we  see.  Our  duty  is  described  unto  us  in  Isa.  xxvi.  9 :  "  When 
thy  judgments  are  in  the  earth,  the  inhabitants  of  the  world  will  learn 
righteousness."    And,  now,  let  us  proceed  by  these  rules  in  this  our  duty. 

The  First  Rule. — There  is  one  thing  in  the  "judgments  of  God"  whereof 
we  should  always  be  afraid;  that  is,  lest  we  do  make  an  injudicious  inter- 
pretation of  them.  It  is  a  caution  given  to  us,  in  Psal.  xxxvi.  6:  "Thy 
judgments  are  a  great  deep,  O  Lord,"  and  we  should  be  very  cautious, 
lest  we  drown  our  selves  in  such  a  deep,  when  we  go  to  fathom  it.  The 
judgments  of  God  are  those  things  whereof  'tis  said,  "  Whoso  is  wise  will 
observe  those  things;"  but  then  we  mvist  be  careful  to  proceed  wisely  in 
our  observing  of  them.  'Tis  a  dangerous  thing  for  us  to  indulge  our  own 
fancy,  and  much  more  for  us  to  indulge  our  own  passion,  in  making  of 
glosses  upon  the  "judgments  of  God:"  God  will  not  hold  the  man  guiltless 
who  shall  so  take  his  name  in  vain.  Very  sad  things  may  befal  the  "peo- 
ple of  God,"  which,  if  he  should  call  'em  the  "judgments  of  God"  upon 
them  for  some  crime  or  other,  this  would  be  as  great  a  crime  in  us,  as  to 
adulterate  the  coin  of  the  nation.  The  sovereign  God  has  made  a  cross 
to  be  necessary  for  all  the  disciples  of  Him  who  dy'd  upon  the  cross;  and 
he  will  in  his  infinite  sovereignty  make  choice  of  their  cross  for  them,  to 
exercise  their  virtue,  and  prepare  them  and  ripen  them  for  his  heavenly 
kingdom.  If  we  should  be  so  wicked  as  to  suppose  a  curse  of  God  upon 
all  that  we  see  under  the  cross,  "behold,  we  should  wickedly  offend 
against  the  generation  of  the  children  of  God."  When  the  sons  of  that 
excellent  "minister  of  God,  Aaron,  the  priest  of  the  Lord,"  came  to  an 
untimely  end,  it  had  been  a  vile  impiety  in  the  congregation  of  Israel  to 


.ji^ii' 


884 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


have  persecuted  their  worthy  and  aged  father  with  any  censorious  imputa- 
tions. The  "judgments  of  God"  are  like  to  arrest  none  sooner  than  the 
rash  expositors  of  his  judgments  on  other  men.  The  jealous  God  will 
soon  draw  near  in  judgment  unto  those  who  persecute  them  whom  he 
hath  smitten,  and  who  talk  to  the  grief  of  those  whom  he  hath  wounded. 
Our  Lord  has  given  us  a  most  wholesome  admonition,  to  be  generally 
made  use  of  when  sore  disasters  happen  unto  any  of  our  neighbours,  in 
Luke  xiii.  4,  5:  "Think  ye  that  these  were  sinners  above  all  others?  1 
tell  you  nay."  But  what  shall  we  then  do  to  determine  a  judgment  of 
God  upon  a  sinner  for  his  doing  so?  I  answer,  first,  the  sin  of  the  sinner 
must  be  evident  from  the  Scripture  of  God,  before  we  may  dare  to  apply 
a  judgment  of  God  unto  him.  'Tis  very  preposterous  for  us,  first  of  all 
to  take  it  for  granted,  this  or  that  calamity  is  a  judgment  of  God  for  some 
iniquity;  and  upon  this  presumption  to  search  out  that  iniquity.  And, 
secondly,  a  "judgment  of  God  for  sin,"  must  be  cloathed  with  some  con- 
vincing circumstance  and  character  upon  it  self,  reasonably  to  speak  its 
being  so,  before  we  may  venture  to  call  it  so.  There  must  be  something 
in  the  time  of  it,  or  in  the  place  of  it,  or  in  its  resemblance  to  the  fault  for 
which  it  comes,  or  in  the  confession  of  the  person  chastised,  that  shall  make 
the  conscience  to  say,  there  are  the  plain  signatures  of  a  judgment  for  some 
sin  in  the  stroke  now  given  by  God!  Having  first  laid  in  this  antidote 
against  rash  judgments  of  our  own,  about  the  great  judgments  of  God, 
we  may  safely  go  on  to  say : 

The  Second  Bute. — ^The  "judgments  of  God"  in  former  ages,  they  should 
make  us  afraid  of  the  sins  which  procured  those  judgments.  There  came 
the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  murmurous  Israelites;  'tis  said  in  1  Cor. 
X.  11,  "All  these  things  happened  unto  them  for  examples,  and  they  are 
written  for  our  admonition.^'  Behold  those  judgments  then,  and  be  afraid 
of  all  murmuring,  be  afraid  of  all  impatience,  be  afraid  of  all  discontent 
under  the  difficulties  of  a  wilderness,  lest  we  be  "destroy'd  of  the  de- 
stroyer." There  came  the  judgments  of  God  upon  the  debauch 'd  Sodom- 
ites; 'tis  said  in  2  Peter  ii.  6,  "God  made  them  an  example  unto  those  that 
after  should  live  ungodly."  Behold  those  judgments  then,  and  be  afraid 
of  all  debauchery,  be  afraid  of  all  uncleaniiess,  be  afraid  of  all  intemperance, 
lest  God  condemn  us  with  a  fiery  and  early  overthrow.  Sirs,  the  history 
which  the  Bible  has  given  us  of  the  judgments  which  have  come  from 
God  upon  them  that  sinned  against  him,  'tis  not  only  a  chronicle  of  what 
is  past,  but  also  a  calendar  of  what  is  to  come.  We  have  the  history : 
there  we  may  consider  the  "days  of  old,"  the  "years  of  ancient  timciJ." 
But  when  we  do  so,  let  us  be  afraid,  lest  by  repeating  of  old  sins,  we  bring 
a  repetition  of  oW  plagues  upon  our  selves.  When  thunder  and  lightning 
from  heaven  suddenly  calcin'd  a  poor  woman  into  a  lump  of  salt  for  lior 
covetousness  near  three  thousand  and  eight  hundred  years  ago,  that  suit 
was  to  season  us  with  fear,  lest  near  the  "time  of  the  end  "  we  perish  like 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


885 


her,  by  setting  our  hearts  upon  the  world.  Our  Lord  therefore  said,  on 
that  occasion,  in  Luk.  xvil.  32 :  "Eemember  Lot's  wife."  Thus  I  may  say, 
remember  Judas,  and  be  afraid,  lest  we  perish  as  he  did  in  betraying  the 
interests  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  some  worldly  benefit.  Remember 
Herod,  and  be  afraid,  lest  we  perish  as  he  did,  in  proud  affectations  of 
what  belongs  not  unto  us.    Remember  all  the  rest.        - 

The  Third  Rule. — The  "judgments  of  God  "on  other  places,  they  should 
make  us  afraid,  lest  we  fall  within  the  circuit  of  those  judgments.  When 
the  judgments  of  God  have  begun  their  walk,  we  have  cause  to  be  afraid, 
lest  we  fall  into  their  walk;  because  "with  us,  even  with  us  also,  there  are 
sins  against  the  Lord  our  God."  It  was  prophesied  in  Jer.  xxv.  32,  "Thus 
saith  the  Lord  of  hosts,  behold,  evil  shall  go  from  nation  to  nation."  Do 
we  behold  other  nations,  grievously  sharing  in  distress  of  nations,  and 
great  perplexity,  we  should  be  afraid,  lest  we  also  have  our  share  in  the 
distressing  judgments  of  God.  Have  the  judgments  of  God  sent  war,  and 
poverty,  and  scarcity,  upon  other  nations?  We  have  cause  to  be  afraid 
lest  the  evils  of  those  judgments  reach  unto  ourselves;  and  lest  we  drink 
of  that  cup  of  trembling  which  God  seems  to  be  putting  into  the  hands  of 
all  the  nations.  A  fire  on  one  house  alarms  all  the  town.  The  judgments 
of  God  have  set  all  Europe  on  fire;  yea,  the  sparks  are  flown  over  into 
America;  lamentable  desolations  have  been  made  both  northward  and 
southward  of  us:  be  afraid,  then,  O  poor  people  of  Godl  lest  thou  also 
become  desolate.  When  the  judgments  of  God  were  in  their  course,  he  said 
unto  his  people  in  Zeph  iii.  6,  7,  "I  have  cut  off  the  nations,  their  towers  are 
desolate,  their  cities  are  destroyed.  I  said,  surely,  thou  wilt  fear  me."  Thus 
do  we  see  destruction  come  upon  other  countries.  Our  God  says  thereupon, 
"Surely  this  country  too  shall  be  afraid,  lest  I  bring  the  like  upon  them." 

The  Fourth  Rule. — The  "judgments  of  God,"  seizing  upon  a  few  persons 
only,  before  our  eyes,  they  should  make  us  afraid,  lest  we  be  the  next  that 
those  judgments  do  seize  upon.  When  one  malefactor  died,  it  was  said,  all 
the  people  shall  hear  and  fear.  Thus,  if  the  judgments  of  God  single  out 
one  malefactor,  to  punish  him,  his  voice  is,  let  all  be  afraid  I  It  is  noted 
of  a  nuserable  minister,  who,  falling  into  a  scandal,  was  presently  over- 
whelm'd  by  the  judgment  of  God,  in  Acts  v.  5,  "Great /car  came  upon  all 
them  that  heard  these  things."  When  the  judgments  of  God  had  signal- 
ized themselves  upon  any  scandalous  wretches,  we  should  all  be  struck 
with  a  great  fear,  lest  our  sins  expose  us  also  to  the  signal  rebukes  of 
Heaven.  As,  if  one  drunkard  in  a  town  be  drowned,  it  is  a  loud  sermon  to 
all  the  bruits  about  the  town,  to  be  afraid  of  being  so  cut  off  in  their  brut- 
ish follies.  Thus  in  all  the  special  judgments  of  God  upon  any  oftenders 
whatsoever,  there  is  that  voice  from  heaven  to  all  such  offenders,  "  Trem- 
ble and  repent,  lest  all  of  you  likewise  perish:"  Yea,  the  judgments  of 
God  upon  a  few,  often  should  be  seriously  pondered  by  the  whole  body  of 
the  people  whom  they  belong  unto,  as  a  decimation  made  by  that  God 
Vol.  11.-25 


886 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


who  gives  none  account  of  his  matters.  God  hath  a  controversie  with  the 
whole  body  of  the  people;  he  might  have  pitch'd  upon  me  or  thee,  to  have 
been  the  subjects  on  which  he  does  manage  this  controversie,  as  well  as 
any  other  of  our  neighbors.  Oh  I  what  cause  have  we  now  to  be  afraid  of 
what  we  also  have  to  meet  withal  I  When  the  judgments  of  God  followM 
one  man  aboard  the  vessel,  bound  for  Tartesus,  'tis  said  in  Jon.  i.  16,  all 
the  other  men  feared  the  Lord  exceedingly.  Truly,  if  any  one  man  aboard 
the  vessel  of  the  publick,  be  followed  with  a  storm  of  judgments  from 
God,  it  becomes  us  all  to  fear  exceedingly. 

The  Fifth  Bule.— When  things  that  look  like  "judgments  of  God"  befal 
the  dear  people  of  God,  it  highly  concerns  other  people  to  be  afraid  of  tlio 
greater  judgments  which  they  may  reasonably  look  for.  'Tis  an  inference 
whereto  we  are  directed  in  1  Pet.  iv.  17 :  ^^  Judgment  must  begin  at  the  house 
of  God, — and  if  the  righteoits  scarcely  be  sav'd,  where  shall  the  ungodly 
and  the  sinner  appear?"  Which  is  but  the  translation  of  what  we  have  in 
Prov.  xi.  81:  "Behold  the  righteous  shall  be  recompenced  in  the  earth, 
much  more  the  wicked  and  the  sinner."  Sometimes  the  most  eminent 
Christians  in  the  land — yea,  and  whole  churches  of  such  Christians — meet 
v/ith  troublesome  difficulties  in  their  way  to  salvation;  yea,  they  meet 
with  troubles  upon  earth,  that  seem  to  be  recompences  from  heaven  upon 
them  for  their  miscarriages.  Come,  let  all  ungodly  sinners  now  be  afraid. 
I  that  never  was  reconciled  unto  God  by  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesris 
Christ;  what,  what  will  become  of  me  throughout  the  days  of  eternity  1 
Our  Saviour  has  taught  us  to  argue  thus  upon  the  afflictions  of  good  men : 
"If  these  things  be  done  to  the  green  tree,  what  shall  be  done  to  the  dry?" 
Those  men  that  bring  forth  much  of  that  fruit  whereby  God  is  glorified, 
are  cast  into  a  fire  of  many  afflictions.  Yea,  but  you  then  that  bring  forth 
no  fruit,  or  ill  fruit,  and  never  were  united  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
what  a  formidable,  intolerable,  interminable  fire  is  reserved  for  you  I  Oh, 
be  afraid  of  that  fire!  That  blessed  prophet  of  God,  even  Ezekiel,  must 
have  the  best  thing  in  his  family  snatch'd  out  of  it,  by  the  stroke  of  death : 
"Behold,  I  take  away  from  thee  the  desire  of  thine  eyes  with  a  stroke; 
yet  shall  not  thy  tears  run  down,  saith  the  Lord."  And  what? — was  this 
a  judgment  on  the  prophet?  It  seem'd  so;  but  it  was  indeed  a  warning 
to  the  people;  of  whom  the  Lord  then  said,  in  Ezek.  xxiv.  24,  "Ezekiel 
is  a  sign  unto  you:  according  to  all  that  he  hath  done,  shall  ye  do." 

Sirs,  those  things  that  appear  like  judgments  of  God  upon  his  own 
faithful  servants,  they  are  awful  warnings  unto  those  that  serve  him  not: 
God  therein  says  unto  profane,  Christless  and  graceless,  creatures:  "If  I 
do  these  things  to  those  whom  yet  I  pity  as  a  father  does  his  children  that 
eerve  him,  what  shall  I  do  unto  you  that  are  my  enemies,  and  that  serve 
none  but  my  greatest  enemy?  What  shall  I  do  unto  you?  Wretches,  what 
shall  I  do  unto  you?"  If  God  has  such  rods  for  his  dutiful  children,  what 
seourges,  what  scorpions  hath  be  for  hia  adversaries? 


The  Sixth 
more  tremen 
and  pretend 
we  see  those 
fear  of  God," 
sometimes  d< 
for  piety  an( 
and  God  hat 
laid  violent 
themselves,  i 
their  doing  o 
that  out-cry 
make  of  the 
our  sojournii 
our  own  sab 
say  of  those 
counted  first 
say  of  the  t 
pillars  of  CI 
burning  wra 
discovered  i 
dations  of  o 
some  one  or 
has  been  fo 
venom  and 
would  neve] 
tion  of  his  w 
his  wrath,  s 
those  "wofi 
years  ago,  tl 
and,  ohl  Wi 
able  and. an 
Christ.    Sii 
down  from  i 
and  befool, 
heavenly  fn 
am  afraid  c 
"Thou  stai 
be  afraid,  1 
he  withdra 
The  Sev 
young  peo 
see  the  gre 
tion.    It  n 


OB,    TEE   HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


887 


tH'l 


The  Sixth  Bute. — Am  »  all  the  "judgments  of  God,"  I  know  none 
more  tremendous  than  leaving  here  and  there  some  famous  professors 
and  pretenders  of  religion,  to  some  horribly  irreligious  actions.  When 
we  see  those  judgments,  then,  above  all,  should  our  flesh  tremble  "for 
fear  of  God,"  and  we  should  be  a/raid  of  his  judgments.  'Tis  a  thing  that 
sometimes  does  happen  among  us.  Persons  that  have  been  exemplary 
for  piety  and  charity  all  their  days,  yet  have  at  last  grown  melancholy, 
and  God  hath  so  left  them  to  the  possession  of  some  devil,  that  they  have 
laid  violent  hands  upon  themselves;  they  have  starv'd  themselves,  hang'd 
themselves,  drown'd  themselves;  yea,  and  had  a  preternatural  assistance  in 
their  doing  of  it.  Who  can  behold  these  unaccountable  tragedies  without 
that  out-cry,  "Lord,  I  am  afraid  of  thy  judgments  1"  What  use  can  we 
make  of  these  tragical  tilings,  but  that  in  1  Pet.  i.  17,  "To  pass  the  time  of 
our  sojourning  here  in  fear?"  What,  but  that  in  Phil.  ii.  12,  "To  work  out 
our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling?"  And,  alas!  what  shall  we 
gay  of  those  prodigious  falls  into  sin,  which  the  lives  of  some  that  were 
counted  first-rate  Christians  have  been  reproach'd  withal  ?  What  shall  we 
say  of  the  monstrous  crimes  which  we  have  seen  some  that  have  seem'd 
pillars  of  Christianity,  among  us,  to  fall  into?  This  I  will  say,  that  the 
burning  wrath  of  a  righteous  and  a  terrible  God  has  never  been  so  much 
discovered  in  all  our  losses  by  sea  and  land,  and  in  all  the  bloody  depre> 
dations  of  our  adversaries,  as  in  this  one  thing:  that  ever  now  and  then 
some  one  or  other,  that  has  been  much  noted  for  zeal  in  the  ways  of  God, 
has  been  found  in  some  damnable  act  nf  wickedness.  There  is  the  very 
venom  and  spirit  of  hell  in  these  judgments  of  God  upon  a  land;  God 
would  never  have  permitted  these  judgments,  if  there  were  not  a  genera- 
tion of  his  wrath,  to  be  precipitated  down  into  the  fiery  bottom  of  hell  by 
his  wrath,  so  "  darkening  of  the  land."  Infinitely  better  had  it  been  for 
those  "woful  men"  to  have  dy'd  with  milstones  about  their  necks,  many 
years  ago,  than  thus  to  have  offend'd  and  poison'd  the  souls  of  multitudes; 
and,  ohl  wo,  wo,  unto  multitudes  of  sowis  that  have  hence  taken  an  incur- 
able and, an  everlasting  offence  against  the  blessed  ways  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ.  Sirs,  when  a  provok'd  God  shall  permit  the  dragon  to  sweep  stars 
doionfrom  heaven  with  his  tail,  and  permit  the  devil  to  enter,  and  popsess, 
and  befool,  and  besot,  and  confound  such  as  have  made  a  shew  of  a  more 
heavenly  frame  than  other  men,  how  can  we  forbear  crying  out,  "Lord,  I 
am  afraid  of  thy  judgments!"  What  says  the  Apostlo,  in  Rom.  xi.  20? — 
"Thou  stnndest  by  faith:  be  not  high  minded,  but  fear!"  Oh!  be  afraid, 
be  afraid,  lest  by  some  secret  sin  we  grieve  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God.  If 
he  withdraw,  ah,  Lor(  I  who  shall  stand? 

I'he  Seventh  Rule. — There  is  a  peculiar  concernment  lying  upon  the 
young  people  among  us  to  be  afraid  of  those  judgments,  in  which  they 
see  the  great  God  consuming  of  our  young  people  with  his  fiery  indigna- 
tion.   It  may  be  said  about  the  young  men  of  New-England,  as  it  was  of 


M 


888 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


old  said  about  the  young  men  of  Israel,  in  Psal.  Ixxviii.  63,  "The  fire  con- 
sumed their  young  men."  And  as  when  the  earth  swallowed  up  some 
young  people  in  the  wilderness  of  old,  it  is  said,  "the  rest  fled  at  the  cry 
of  them,  saying,  lest  the  earth  swallow  us  up  also."  Behold,  O  our  young 
folks,  the  earth,  and  the  sea,  and  the  pit,  have  been  terribly  swallowing 
tip  your  brethren.  Fly,  then,  with  affrighted  souls — fly  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  say,  "Lord,  I  am  afraid,  lest  thy  judgments  do  swallow  me  up 
also."  Young  people,  O  that  you  would  suitably  lay  to  heart  the  dreadful 
judgments  of  God,  which  are  consuming  of  your  generation  among  us. 
Behold,  vain  youths  1  behold,  how.  the  waisting  judgments  of  God  have 
been  upon  you,  till  we  cry  out,  "The  curse  has  devoured  the  land,  and 
few  young  men  are  left." 

Know  you  not  that  when  our  young  men  have  been  press'd  into  the 
wars,  they  have  been  but  "  number'd  for  the  slaughter,"  and  brought  forth 
for  the  murderer?  Know  you  not  that  our  young  men,  hoping  to  mend 
their  condition  at  sea,  have  but  sail'd  the  sooner  to  their  long  home  in 
running  abroad?  Know  you  not  that  the  angels  of  death  have  struck 
our  young  folks  with  the  arrows  of  death  in  epidemical  sicknesses? 
Know  you  not  that  one  strange  casualty  after  another  brings  many  of 
our  most  hopeful  yonng  folk  to  an  untimely  end?  And,  oh  I  how  doleful, 
doleful  things  have  our  young  people  seen,  when  they  have  been  captives 
in  the  hands  of  barbarous  infidels/  The  Cannibals  of  the  east  have  hide- 
ously tormented  them;  and  as  far  off  as  the  scorching  tents  of  Africa, 
they  have  been  fainting  under  the  bitter  servitude  of  Mahometans. 

Come,  then,  be  afraid,  0  our  young  people!  Job  could  say,  "Destruc- 
tion from  God  was  a  terror  to  mel"  Be  terrified,  young  people,  with  a 
fear,  lest  a  "destruction  from  God"  come  upon  you,  in  and  for  your  sins. 
Be  afraid  of  continuing  estrang'd  from  the  sheltering  wings  of  your  Lord 
Redeemer,  lest  you  lie  open  to  the  storms  of  the  judgments  of  God.  Be 
afraid  of  neglecting  the  great  salvation,  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath 
so  often  offered  you,  lest  the  judgments  of  God  bring  a  great  destruction 
upon  you.  Be  afraid  of  all  filthiness,  and  all  prophaneness,  and  all  (lis- 
obedience,  and  all  bad  company,  and  all  the  courses  of  dishonesty,  lest, 
by  the  judgments  of  God,  you  die  before  your  time,  for  your  being  wicked 
^ver-much.  Oh  I  fear  and  flee  youthful  lusts;  and  now  remember  your 
Creator  in  the  days  of  your  youth,  lest  the  judgments  of  God  bring  evil 
days  upon  you. 

THE    SECOND    SERMON. 

But  I  intend  all  this  discourse,  as  only  an  introduction  unto  a  more 
entertaining  recapitulation  of  the  divine  judgments,  which  wc  have  seen 
executed  upon  several  sorts  of  sinners  among  our  selves.  It  cannot  but 
be  much  for  the  glory  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Chuist,  who  from  hxa  f/lon'ot  ■ 
high  throne  dispensed  these  judgments;  it  cannot  but  be  a  satisfaction  uuio 


OR,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


889 


•'m 


the  good  angels  of  the  Lord,  who  are  oftentimes  the  executioners  of  these 
judgments;  it  is  an  holy  undertaking,  and  it  cannot  but  serve  the  interests 
of  holiness  to  make  our  modest  observations  upon  the  judgments  of  God 
which  have  been  executed  among  us.  As  far  as  it  may  be  convenient  in 
this  discourse,  I  will  now  address  my  self  unto  this  undertaking. 

Sirs,  give  me  your  attention. — When  that  great  man,  the  emperor 
Mauritius,  beheld  his  &mily  overwhelmed  in  terrible  calamities,  and  five 
hopeful  branches  of  his  family  slain  before  his  eyes,  he  humbly  recited 
those  words  of  the  Psalmist  in  Psal.  cxix.  137:  "Bighteous  art  thou,  0 
Lord,  and  right  are  thy  judgments."  My  neighbours,  we  have  aver  now 
and  then  those  calamitous  things  before  our  eyes  in  our  neighborhood, 
which,  if  we  are  not  blind,  we  must  pronounce  "  the  right  judgments  ot  a 
righteous  God."  And  I  must  now  ask  you  to  take  some  notice  of  those 
judgments. 

I  do  most  readily  grant,  that  lubncus  hie  locus  ac  diffidlis*  'tis  no  easie 
matter  to  observe  the  judgments  of  God:  we  shall  easily  yaW  into  the 
extreams  of  being  either  too  censorious  and  fanciful,  or  else  too  negligent 
in  our  observation  of  the  divine  judgments. 

And  I  am  not  altogether  ignorant  of  the  Jewish  maxim,  Non  est  ctiriose 
qucerendum  post  Opera  Dei:  omnia  enim  sapienter  fecit,  tametsi  ahscondita 
sunt  ab  Oculis  sapientum.  f 

But  yet  the  judgments  of  God  sometimes  are  so  circumstanced,  that  he 
who  runs  may  read  them;  and  our  duty  thereupon  is  described  in  Psal. 
Ixiv.  9:  "All  men  shall  fear,  and  they  shall  declare  the  work  of  God,  for 
they  shall  wisely  consider  of  his  doing."  Learned  men  have  complained 
of  it,  as  a  defect  in  the  historical  part  of  learning,  and  there  is  not  extant 
an  impartial  and  a  well  attested  historia  numeseos,  or,  account  of  remarka- 
ble judgments  on  scandalous  and  notorious  offenders.  Yea,  the  Ood  of 
heaven  himself  complains  of  it,  when  men  do  not  regard  bis  works,  even 
the  operation  of  his  hands. 

I  will  now  therefore,  with  all  faithfulness,  lay  before  you  some  of  those 
remarks  which  I  have  made  upon  the  judgments  of  God  which  have  been 
executed  in  this  land.  Sirs,  the  Lord  has  been  known  by  his  executing 
of  these  judgments;  accompany  them  with  your  meditations  1  you  shall 
hear  nothing  but  what  bos  had  sufficient  evidence;  and  certainly  I  should 
be  afraid  of  speaking  wickedly  for  God,  or  talking  deceitfully  for  him! 

The  First  Remark. — Take  a  due  and  a  deep  notice,  I  beseech  you,  of 
the  notable  judgments  with  which  wo  have  seen  the  contempt  of  the 
glorious  gospel  rovcng'd  by  the  God  of  glory.  We  have  seen  the  gospel, 
or  the  tidings  of  salvation  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  miserable  siimers 
graciously  olVcred :  wo  have  seen  the  offer  of  this  gospel  most  ungratefully 

*  This  place  li  »llp|wry  mhI  Ulffloult. 

t  It  In  lint  well  Id  ln(|iilr«  l«Mt  curlotiity  Into  the  worki  of  Gud ;  fur  He  hu  done  all  IhingH  wiaely,  tbuugh  Uiojr 
be  hldduu  fruiu  the  ejre*  uf  Ihe  wlie. 


=1  If 


890 


UAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA. 


refused:  but  of  this  refusal  what  event  have  we  seen?  Truly  a  very 
terrible  event  I  remember  a  passage  of  Scripture,  which  runs  thus  in  our 
translation,  Isa.  ii.  22:  "Cease  ye  from  man,  whose  hreaUi  is  in  his  nostrils; 
for  wherein  is  he  to  be  accounted  of?"  But,  if  you  please,  you  may  tlius 
understand  it:  The  prophet  is  denouncing  the  judgments  of  God  u))()n 
the  Jews  for  their  despising  of  the  Messiah;  and  the  denunciation  is  thus 
concluded:  "Now  forbear  as  to  that  man,  [or  cease  from  offending  and 
provoking  of  him,]  who  is  now  very  angry,  [which  the  Hebrews  expie-s 
by  breath  in  the  nostrils,]  for  none  is  able  to  declare  how  high  an  account 
is  to  be  made  of  him.  Sirs,  we  have  seen  the  God  of  heaven  ver\-  angrv; 
he  has  breath'd  the  hot  lightnings  of  death  out  of  his  nostrils,  wh'.n  people 
have  made  no  account  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  and  of  his  gospel.  We 
have  seen  these  four  or  five  remarkables  among  the  rest: 

For  a  First  Instance. — The  nation  of  the  Narragansetts  was  one  of 
the  most  populous  and  powerful  among  all  the  Indians,  and  once  filled 
this  mighty  wilderness.  Unto  that  woful  nation  the  gospel  of  our  Lc^rd 
Jesus  Christ  was  freely  tendered ;  but  they,  with  much  affront  and  con- 
tempt, rejected  it.  An  holy  man,  then  famous  throughout  our  churches, 
hereupon  utter'd  a  speech  to  this  purpose:  "I  speak  altogether  without 
the  Spirit  of  God,  if  this  nation  be  not  quickly  and  strangely  destroyed." 
It  was  not  long  before  this  nation,  much  against  the  advice  of  the  more 
aged  men  among  them,  engaged  in  acts  of  hostility  against  our  people. 
Whereupon,  ours,  with  a  force  much  inferiour  unto  theirs,  but  with  a 
marvellous  valour  and  success,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  made  a  descent 
upon  'em.  The  glorious  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  whom  they  had  slighted,  was 
with  our  army,  and  the  day  was  wonderfully  carried  against  the  tawny 
Infidels.  Their  city  was  laid  in  ashes.  Above  twenty  of  their  chief 
captains  were  killed;  a  proportionable  desolation  cut  off  the  inferiour 
salvages;  mortal  sickness,  and  horrid  famine  pursu'd  the  remainders  of 
'em,  so  that  we  can  hardly  tell  where  any  of  'em  are  left  alive  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth.  Such  was  thy  speedy  vengeance,  0  blessed  Jesus,  on  the 
heathen  that  would  not  know  thee,  nor  call  upon  thy  name. 

For  a  Second  Instance. — That  renowned  evangelist  of  our  Indians, 
the  reverend  Eliot,  preached  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto 
Philip,  the  prince  of  the  Wompanoags;  but  that  monster,  pulling  off  a 
button  on  the  good  man's  coat,  said,  he  did  not  value  what  he  jn'eached  any 
more  than  that:  and  he  hindered  his  abject  subjects  from  embracing  the 
Christian  religion,  that  they  might  not  become  the  subjects  of  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  But  what  has  become  of  'em  all?  They  rashly  precipitaied 
themselves  into  a  rebellious  war  against  the  English;  and  at  last  Philip 
fell  into  all  the  distresses  that  could  be  imagined.  One  of  his  own  vnss  ils 
then  ran  away  from  him,  and  informed  the  English  where  he  was.  They 
came  upon  him  in  his  thicket,  just  as  he  was  telling  his  counsellors  his 
dream  that  he  had  fallen  into  our  hands.     While  he  endeavoured  an 


OB,    THK    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENQLAND. 


891 


escape,  an  Indian  shot  him  thro'  the  heart,  whereof  he  died  immediately ; 
nor  is  any  number  of  his  people  now  left  in  the  world.  So  do  the  rejecto/a 
of  thy  grace,  perish,  0  Lordl 

For  a  Third  Instance. — But  the  Indian  salvages  are  not  the  only 
instances  of  the  divine  revenges  which  have  ensued  on  men's  undervalu- 
ing the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  among  us.  Travel  with  me,  sirs, 
to  the  eastern  parts  of  this  province:  "0  come  and  behold  the  works  of 
the  Lord,  the  desolations  he  haa  made  in  those  parts  of  the  earth  1"  Twice 
has  that  brave  countrey  been  occupied  with  hopeful  seUkments.  Hopeful! 
no,  no;  call  them  not  hopeful^  inasmuch  as  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  were  not  settled  among  them.  Hence,  twice  has 
that  countrey  now  been  made  an  Aceldama;  and  the  settlements  have  all 
been  broken  up  for  many  score  miles  together.  The  jealousie  of  the 
neglected  Lord  Jesus  Christ  has  "broke  forth"  like  an  unquenchable  fire 
against  those  plantations;  the  fiery  "wrath  of  Heaven"  has  brought  a 
"swift  destruction"  upon  them.  A  barbarous  enemy  has  once  and  again 
broke  in  upon  those  towns,  like  an  irresistible  torrent,  carrying  all  before 
it,  until  they  come  to  those  towns  where  the  "ordinances  of  the  gospel" 
are  more  upheld ;  and,  behold,  there  they  find  a  barriere,  which  they  can 
not  yet  get  over;  there  the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  lifts  up  a  standard  against  Oiem. 
In  one  of  those  plantations  there  had  hewh  been  \QTy  prodigious  dis- 
coveries of  enmity  against  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  which  had 
been  sometimes  among  them :  and  a  bloody  adversary  soon  surprised  them, 
and  captiv'd  and  slaughter'd  most  of  them,  and  laid  their  habitations  in 
ashes,  and  horribly  roasted  alive  some  of  the  inhabitants.  "Tremble,  0 
ye  people  of  the  south,  when  ye  are  told  of  this!" 

For  a  Fourtli  Instance. — And  there  is  another  contempt  of  the  Gospel, 
which  we  have  often  seen  another  way  chastised  among  us.  Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  hath  said,  concerning  the  "faithful  ministers  of  his  gospel," 
in  Luk.  X.  16,  "He  that  despiseth  you,  despiseth  me."  When  the  "min- 
isters of  the  gospel"  are  holy,  prayerful,  painful,  watchful,  and  fruitful 
servants  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  men  filled  and  acted  with  his  Holy 
Spirit,  we  have  seen  the  judgments  of  God  many  a  time  arresting  those 
that  have  abused  these  ambassadors  from  the  King  of  heaven.  Thus,  there 
have  been  angry  men  among  us,  who  have  sat  over  their  cups,  railing  at 
such  or  such  a  "minister  of  God,"  and  hoping  ere  long  to  see  the  death  of 
him.  In  a  little  while  they  themselves  have  died  miserably,  and  on  their 
death-beds  they  have  cried  out  for  that  very  minister  to  help  them  in  their 
anguishes.  Yea,  you  may  sometimes  mark  it  in  our  churches:  a  church 
has  long  enjoy'd  an  excellent  minister;  but  they  grow  at  length  full  of 
unaccountable  prejudices  against  him:  The  Son  of  God,  seeing  this  their 
froward  folly,  sends  for  that  minister  away  to  heaven  presently ;  and  let 
'em  supply  themselves  with  such  another  when  they  can  find  him.  And, 
shall  I  venture  to  say  one  thing  more?    I  will  say  it.    Let  the  Levites  of 


j.^-*^' 


892 


ilAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


the  Lord  keep  close  to  their  instructions,  and  "  God  will  smite  thro'  the 
loins  of  those  that  rise  up  against  them." — I  will  report  unto  you  a  thing 
which  many  hundreds  among  us  know  to  be  true:  The  godly  minister  of 
a  certain  town  in  Connecticut,  when  he  had  occasion  to  be  absent  on  a 
Lord's-day  from  his  flock,  employ'd  an  honest  neighbour  of  some  small 
lialents  for  a  mechanick,  to  read  a  sermon  out  of  some  good  book  unto  'em. 
This  honest,  whom  they  ever  counted  also  &  pious  man,  had  so  much  con 
ceit  of  his  talents,  that,  instead  of  reading  a  sermon  appointed,  he,  to  the 
surprize  of  the  people,  fell  to  preaching  one  of  his  own.  For  his  text  he 
took  these  words:  "Despise  not  prophecyings;"  and  in  his  preachment  he 
betook  himself  to  bewail  the  "envy  of  the  clergy"  in  the  land,  in  that 
they  did  not  wish  "all  the  Lord's  people  to  be  prophets,"  and  call  foitb 
"private  brethren"  publickly  to  "prophesie."  While  he  was  thus  in  the 
midst  of  his  exercise,  God  smote  him  with  horrible  madness;  he  was  taken 
ravingly  distracted :  The  people  were  forc'd  with  violent  hands  to  carry 
him  homu.  And  tho'  in  a  few  weeks  the  physician  brought  him  to  so 
much  composure  that  ue  could  jog  on  after  some  sort  in  an  obscure 
privacy  the  rest  of  his  days;  yet,  if  any  one  begin  a  discourse  of  any 
thing  in  religion  with  him,  he  would  ever  fly  out  into  a.  fit  of  madness, 
which  would  continue  till  the  discourse  were  laid  aside.  I  will  not  men- 
tion his  name:  He  was  reputed  apioits  man. 

If  unto  these  things  I  should  add,  that  the  impoverishing  judgments  of 
God  upon  our  land  have  been  very  much  for  that  abominable  sacrilege, 
wherein  the  ministers  of  Christ,  almost  all  the  land  over,  have  been  as 
much  defrauded  of  their  dues,  as  if  you  should  with-hold  the  wages  of 
your  servants,  [which  is  a  sin  that  cries  to  God  for  vengeance  I]  I  could 
quote  Scripture  enough  to  give  authority  unto  that  assertion.  Scripture! 
yea,  and  experience  too. 

A  town  in  this  countrey,  enrich'd  with  two  very  eminent  ministers,  did 
one  year  pass  a  town  vote,  that  they  could  not  allow  their  ministers  above 
thirty]^.  iiiJs  a-piece  that  year  for  their  salaries;  and,  behold,  the  God 
who  will  "not  be  mock'd,"  immediately  caused  the  town  to  lose  three 
hundred  pounds,  in  that  specie  of  their  cattle  by  one  disaster.  But  I  forbear 
it;  for  though  the  judgments  of  God  go  on  to  break  "people  in  a  mortar" 
for  it,  thi^  foolishness,  I  know,  will  never  depart  from  them. — I  pass  to — 

The  Second  Remark. — Men  had  need  beware  of  rash  speeches,  espe- 
cially of  rash  tvishes;  for  we  have  seen  sore  judgments  fall  out  most 
agreeably  thereunto.  It  was  wholesome  advice  once  given  by  the  town 
clerk  of  Ephesus,  "Ye  ought  to  do  nothing  raslily."  Truly,  nor  should 
we  speak  any  thing  rashly,  much  less  wish  any  thing  rashly.  Sirs,  the 
"angels  of  death"  over-hear  what  we  say,  and  God  often  gives  'em  com- 
mission to  smite  a  man,  ex  ore  suo.*    IIow  often  have  we  seen  it,  that  a 

*  Taking  him  at  hl»  own  word. 


«« fool's  moutl 
There  was  oi[ 
«'It  went  ill 
unadvisedly  | 
heard  a  vej 
child  again.'l 
dispatches  o| 
I  have  kn| 
shall  ever 
have  given  'I 
Again,  thf 
who,  being 
barrel  of  pol 
me  away  ali 
boat  in  piec< 
to  admiratic 
found  in  t 
away,  think 
Once  mo 
wherein  he 
when  they  t 
last,  he  wic 
house."    In 
off  a  little  b 
There  wa 
admonition  < 
to  repent,  ar 
answer:  "1 
This  man  s 
yet  one  mc 
A  man  i 
neighbours 
stir  from  t 
it,  expressi 
used  the  m 
let  him  sti 
out  of  his 
any  more, 
the  truth 
A  fello 
with  som( 
if  he  had 
a  rheum 
of  his  cor 


OB,    THS   HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


893 


"fool's  mouth  is  his  destruction,  and  his  lips  are  the  snare  of  his  soul  I" 
There  was  once  a  very  godly  man,  of  whom  'tis  reported  in  Psal.  cvi.  32, 
"  It  went  ill  with  him,  because  they  provoked  his  Spirit,  so  that  he  spoke 
unadvisedly  with  his  lips."  I'll  tell  you  what  I  have  met  withal.  I  have 
heard  a  vexed  father  say,  "  he  cared  not  whether  he  ever  saw  such  a 
child  again."  That  child  has  gone  out  of  his  presence,  and  through  the 
dispatches  of  death,  he  has  never  seen  that  child  again. 

I  have  known  a  weary  mother  say,  "she  hopes  this  is  the  last  child  she 
shall  ever  have;  and  multiplied  and  unhappy  miscarriages,  ever  after, 
have  given  'em  cause  to  remind  what  they  said,  with  bitterness  of  soul. 

Again,  there  was  a  sailor  in  a  boat  bound  hither  from  fhe  northward, 
who,  being  disswaded  from  taking  a  pipe  of  tobacco,  because  they  had  a 
barrel  of  powder  aboard,  reply'd,  "I  will  take  it,  though  --he  devil  carry 
me  away  alive  1"  The  fire  some  how  came  at  the  powder,  which  tore  the 
boat  in  pieces,  and  lost  all  the  goods  that  were  in  it  All  the  men  were 
to  admiration  preserved,  except  that  one  sailor,  whom  they  long  after 
found  in  the  woods,  with  his  body  torn  to  pieces.  Who  carried  him 
away,  think  you? 

Once  more:  A  lewd  young  man,  being  dissatisfied  with  the  service 
wherein  he  lived,  at  the  house  of  an  honest  man,  in  a  neighbouring  town, 
when  they  told  him  that  his  bad  courses  would  bring  him  to  hell  at  the 
last,  he  wickedly  said,  "He  had  rather  be  in  hell  than  in  his  master's 
house."  Immediately  after  this,  he  was  in  a  very  str?\nge  manner  drowned 
ofi'a  little  bank  in  the  river. — Take  one  example  more: 

There  was  an  old  professor  in  one  of  our  churches,  who  being  under  the 
admonition  of  the  church  for  some  offences,  was  by  his  friends  call'd  upon 
to  repent,  and  reform,  and  humble  himself.  But  he  flew  into  this  outrageous 
answer:  "No!  I  will  burn,  before  I  will  turn."  And  behold  the  issue! 
This  man  some  time  after  fell  into  the  fire,  and  war.  burnt  to  death. — Take 
yet  one  more  example.    'Tis  well  known  to  all  the  neighbours : 

A  man  in  our  Narragansett  country,  having  set  his  dog  to  mischief  his 
neighbours  cattel,  deny'd  the  fact  with  imprecations  "that  he  might  never 
stir  from  the  place,  if  he  had  so  done."  The  neighbor  to  v.'^hom  he  deny'd 
it,  expressing  himself  troubled  at  his  infpuaenrt  lying,  this  Atheist  hereupon 
used  the  name  of  the  great  God  in  his  imprecations,  "  that  God  would  never 
let  him  stir  out  of  that  place,  if  he  did  the  thing."  The  words  were  scarce 
out  of  his  mouth,  but  he  sunk  down  dead  in  the  place,  and  never  stirr'd 
any  more. — Credible  persons  in  this  place  have  been  able  to  tebtifie  unto 
the  truth  of  another  such  passage: 

A  fellow  aboard  s^  vessel  commanded  by  one  Wollery,  being  cliarg'd 
with  some  deceit,  horribly  wish'd  "  that  the  devil  might  put  out  his  eyes, 
if  he  had  done  as  had  been  suspected  concerning  him."  That  very  night 
a  rlieum  fell  into  his  eyes,  with  which  in  a  few  days,  to  the  astonishment 
of  his  company,  he  became  stark-blind,  even  as  if  he  had  forsworn  himself, 


I 


ill 


riwi? 


894 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


with  washing  his  dyes  in  the  foantains  of  Sardinia.    And  the  physician:*, 
hearing  how  he  fell  into  his  blindness,  durst  not  undertake  the  cure  of  it. 

And,  as  they  who  curse  themselves,  often  smart  for  it,  [consider  of  thin 
ye  hardy  wretches,  who  call  upon  the  Almighty  to  damn  you,  which  the 
devils  themselves  are  not  so  hardy  as  to  do !]  so  they  who  curse  others, 
do  horribly  wound  themselves  in  the  recoil.    You  shall  hear  an  example: 

A  debauch'd  fellow  had  curs'd  that  excellent  man,  Governour  Prince. 
The  Governour  laid  before  the  transgressor  the  great  sin  he  had  com- 
mitted ;  and  with  a  grave,  holy,  awful  admonition,  besought  him  to  consider 
of  that  scripture  in  Psal.  cix.  17,  18:  "As  he  loved  cursing,  so  let  it  come 
unto  him ;  as  he  delighted  not  in  blessings,  so  let  it  be  far  from  him.  As 
he  clothed  himself  with  cursing,  like  as  with  his  garment,  so  let  it  come 
into  his  bowels,  and  like  oyl  into  his  bones."  Quickly  aHer  this,  a  direful 
cancer  smote  the  man ;  the  cancer  appear'd  first  in  his  lip,  and  so  it  eat 
away  his  flesh,  and  his  jaw  down  to  his  throat,  where  with  inexpressible 
torments  it  kill'd  him. 

Behold,  O  man,  "If  thou  desirest  life,  keep  thy  tongue  from  evil  I" 

The  Third  Bemark. — ^There  is  a  lying  proverb,  "A  drunken  man  gets 
no  harm."  We  have  seen  the  judgments  of  God  upon  drunkai-ds  most 
wofully  confuting  that  lye.  I  am  sure  'tis  not  a  proverb  of  Solomon's; 
for  he  says,  in  Prov.  xxiii.  29,  "Who  hath  wo?  They  who  tarry  long  at 
the  wine."  Is  it  no  harm  for  a  man  to  bring  sickness  on  his  body?  We 
have  seen  drunkards  often  perishing  in  diseases  contracted  by  their 
debauches.  Is  it  no  harm  for  a  man  to  bring  disgrace  on  his  esteem? 
We  have  often  seen  drunkards  become  very  abjects,  tho'  they  once  were 
folks  of  some  fashion  and  figure  in  the  world.  Is  it  no  harm  for  a  man 
to  bring  poverty  on  his  estate?  We  have  often  seen  the  judgments  of  God 
fulfilling  that  word,  "The  drunkard  shall  come  to  poverty."  Surely,  'tis 
no  little  harm  for  men  to  debase  and  confound  their  own  souls,  and  lay 
themselves  open  unto  the  worst  of  all  the  temptations  of  the  devil — tlio 
worst  of  all  impieties.  But,  sirs,  how  often  have  we  seen  woful  drunkards 
doing  so?  We  have  seen  them  turn  beasts — ^yea,  turn  devils!  But  more 
particularly, —  , 

A  drunken  man  is,  in  old  English,  as  much  as  to  say,  a  drowned  man. 
To  see,  then,  a  drunken  man  become  a  drowned  man,  is  to  see  but  a  most 
retaliating  hand  of  God.  Why,  we  have  seen  this  very  thing  more  thai 
three  score  times  in  our  land.  And  I  remember  the  drowning  of  one 
drunkard,  so  odly  circumstanced:  it  was  in  the  hold  of  a  vessel,  that  lay 
full  of  water  near  the  shore.  We  have  seen  it  so  often,  that  I  am  amazed 
at  you,  0  ye  drunkards  of  New-England — I  am  amazed,  that  you  can 
"harden  your  hearts"  in  your  sin,  without  expecting  to  "be  destroyed 
suddenly,  and  without  remedj."  Yea,  and  we  have  seen  the  devil  that 
has  possess'd  the  drunkard,  throwing  him  into  the  fire  as  well  as  into  the 


OR,    THS    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


895 


water.  They  have  tumbled  into  the  fire,  and  then  kept  shrieking,  "Firet 
fire  I"  till  they  have  gone  down  to  the  fire  that  never  shall  be  qaenched. 
Yea,  more  than  one  or  two  drunken  women,  in  this  very  town,  have, 
while  in  their  drink,  lullen  into  the  fire,  and  so  they  have  tragically  gone 
roaring  out  of  one  fire  into  ancher.  O,  ye  "daughters  of  Belial,  hear, 
and  fear,  and  do  wickedly  no  more." 

The  Fourth  Behark. — ^It  was  a  thing  once  charged  upon  Sabbath- 
breakers,  in  Neh.  xiii.  18,  "Ye  bring  wrath  upon  Israel  by  profaning  the 
Sabbath."  And  have  not  we  seen  the  wrath  of  God  correcting  profana* 
tions  of  the  Christian  Sabbath,  with  rebukes  of  thunder  and  lijhtningf 
And,  indeed,  some  intelligent  persons  have  noted  it,  that  the  dreadful 
storms  of  thunder  and  lightning,  which  have  kill'd  many  among  us  from 
year  to  year,  as  God  overthrew  Sodom  and  Gomorrah ;  they  have  mostly 
happened  on  or  near  the  Lord's-day;  as  an  intimation,  that  breaches  of 
the  Lord's-day  have  procured  the  firing  of  the  great  artillery  of  heavea 
upon  us.  However,  our  land  sees  little  rest,  through  the  judgments  of  God 
upon  us,  for  the  violations  of  the  sacred  rest  which  he  has  appointed  for 
us.  And  the  many  disasters  which  happen  on  the  Lord's-day  among  us, 
may  be  so  many  judgments  upon  us  for  our  not  sanctifying  the  day  unto 
the  Lord.  But  all  the  more  special  examples  of  judgments  coming  fur 
sins  against  the  Sabbath,  I  will  wrap  up  in  this  one  piece  of  history: 

I  have  been  desired  by  many  malefactors  to  be  with  them  at  their  execu- 
tion; and  then,  in  those  last  and  sad  minutes  of  their  lives,  they  have 
sometimes  cried  out,  "This,  this,  is  a  judgment  of  God  upon  my  Sabbath- 
breaking;  I  may  thank  my  Sabbath-breaking  for  all  this;  'Twas  for  my 
mis-spending  of  the  Sabbath  with  vain  persons,  and  in  vain  actions,  that  God 
has  left  me  to  that  wickedness  which  has  brought  upon  me  all  of  this 
horrible  misery  1"  Think  of  this,  you  that  still  say  of  the  Lord's-day, 
"What  a  weariness  is  it?" 


The  Fifth  Eehark. — Disobedient  children!  my  heart  akes  for  you; 
for  I  have  seen  the  judgments  of  God,  making  such  as  you  the  most 
astonishing  monuments  of  his  indignation.  It  was  a  custom  in  Israel, 
that  once  a  year  this  proclamation  was  made,  from  the  top  of  mount  £bal, 
in  Deut.  xxvii.  16:  "Cursed  be  he  that  sets  light  by  his  father  or  his 
mother.  And  all  the  people  shall  say  amen."  As  from  the  top  of  that 
mount,  I  do  this  day  proclaim  it,  that  I  have  seen  the  curse  of  God  making 
a  quick  work  with  such  as  have  not  honour'd  their  parents ;  while  I  have 
also  seen  those  children  who  have  honoured,  and  supported,  and  comforted 
their  parents,  wonderfully  prospering  under  the  manifold  blessings  of 
God.    And  I  pray  all  the  people  to  mind  it. 

Very  few  have  died  on  the  gallows,  in  this  place,  but  what  have  wrung 
their  hands  upon  the  ladder,  with  this  out-cry:  "This  is  a  judgment  of 


396 


MAGNlLIA    CHBISTI    AMEBIOANA; 


God  upon  me  for  my  undutifulness  unto  my  parents!  My  disobedience 
to  my  parents  has  brought  me  hither." 

But  this  article  of  discourse  may  not  be  dismissed  until  we  have  singled 
out  one  particular  example  of  the  strange  punishments  which  undutiful 
children  bring  upon  themselves  from  the  judgments  of  God. 

A  reverend  minister  of  Christ,  that  often  served  him  in  that  very  pulpit 
where  these  words  are  uttered,  once  observed  a  son  to  behave  himself 
undutifully  towards  his  father  in  the  ferry-boat  which  was  carrying  them 
over  the  river.  Whereupon  that  man  of  God  said  unto  the  young  man, 
"Young  man,  I  am  sorry  to  see  you  so  little  regard  your  father;  I  would 
seriously  perswade  you  to  repent  of  your  undutifulness,  or  I  will  solemnly 
assure  you  that  I  expect  the  killing  judgments  of  God  will  overtake  you 
before  a  year  come  to  an  end."  And,  behold,  before  that  year  was  out, 
this  young  man  was  miserably  murthered. 

Hearken,  my  young  folks,  and  let  not  your  eye  mock  your  fathers,  or 
despise  to  obey  your  mothers,  lest  the  ravens  of  the  valley  do  pick  it  out, 
and  the  young  eagles  do  eat  it! 

The  Sixth  Bemabk. — Unto  the  contentious  w^e  have  seen  God  recom- 
pence  indignation  and  wrath,  tribulation  and  anguish.  Said  the  apostle 
once,  in  Bom.  xvi.  17,  "I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  them  which  cause 
divisions."  And  I  now  say,  "I  beseech  you,  brethren,  mark  the  places 
and  the  persons  which  by  divisions  have  made  themselves  notorious: 
mark,  yfh&t  judgments  of  God  have  signalized  them."  Something  of  what 
I  have  marked,  I  will  freely  tell  you. 

I  have  marked  it,  that  those  places  which  have  kept  up  divisions  and 
strifes,  and  schisms,  have  been  direfully  smitten  with  spiritual  plagues,  the 
plagues  which  are  the  direfuUest.  The  most  lively  saints  in  those  places 
have  been  soon  snatch'd  away  by  death,  one  after  another:  the  "power 
of  godliness"  hath  been  lamentably  lost  among  the  survivors,  and  a  lean- 
ness hath  been  sent  into  their  souls:  the  work  of  conversion  hath  been 
at  a  deadly  stand,  and  the  rising  generation  hath  "pined  away  in  their 
iniquities."  Yea,  there  was  one  church  among  us,  wherein  an  uncomfort- 
able rupture  happen'd;  and  a  young  man  in  the  town  was  left  unto  an 
horrid  self-murder:  he  drown'd  himself;  but  he  left  behind  him  a  writing 
directed  unto  his  father,  wherein  there  was  this  among  other  passage?: 
"Father,  my  ruin  was  the  stubbornness  and  unfaithfulness  of  my  tender 
years;  and  evil  counsel  and  evil  company;  and  the  differences  in  the 
church,  by  reason  whereof  I  grew  proud,  and  did  not  carry  it  in  my  place 
as  I  ought,  which  is  the  wide  way  to  ruin."  God  make  this  young  man 
our  Warner;  his  name  was  Warner. 

Again,  I  have  marked  it  that  those  persons  who  have  been  the  grand 
incendiaries  in  divisions,  have  been  often  branded  with  some  symptoms 
of  the  displeasure  of  God.    Those  persons  have  been  very  industrioul  to 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


897 


blot  the  names  of  other  men;  and  at  last  they  themselves  have  died  with 
a  blot.  This  indeed  is  a  point  whercia  we  must  be  sparing;  yet  I  may 
not  for  .,  that  a  counsel,  sitting  at  a  town,  for  the  composing  some  eccle- 
siastical diflferences,  our  venerable  old  Mr.  Wilson  saw  one  man  to  be 
extreamly  perverse  above  the  rest,  and  most  unreasonably  to  disturb  the 
peace  of  the  church.  Whereupon,  th  ^t,  zealous  man  told  the  counsel,  he  was 
confident  that  the  jealousie  of  God  would  set  a  .aark  upon  that  man,  and 
that  the  ordinary  death  of  men  should  not  befal  him.  It  happened  a  little 
while  after  this  that  the  man  was  barbarously  murdered  by  the  salvages. 
Again,  there  was  a  quarrelsome  woman  in  a  church  not  far  off;  who, 
having  accus'd  a  man  in  the  church  of  a  fault  that  she  could  not  prove, 
she  yet  remain'd  so  irreconcilable,  that  she  would  never  come  to  the 
Lord's  Table  as  long  as  that  man  liv'd.  He  dying,  she  bragg'd  unto  her 
friends  that  now  she  would  go  to  the  sacrament  at  the  Lord's  Table.  One 
of  them  solemnly  told  her  that  she  might  yet  fear  a  testimony  of  the  dis- 
pleasure of  God  against  her  for  her  unchristian  absenting  herself  from  that 
ordinance.  And,  lo,  she  died  suddenly,  just  before  the  next  sacrament 
was  to  be  administered:  (tho'  she  had  the  repute  of  a  godly  woman.) 
Lon't,  then — don't  sow  discord,  any  of  you,  lest  you  be  an  "abomination 
to  the  Lord."  Be  not  unpeaceable  or  unplacable:  God  is  not  pleased 
with  the  froward. 


1 


The  Seventh  Eemark. — We  are  assured  in  2  Pet.  ii.  9,  10,  "At  the 
day  of  judgment  shall  be  punished  chiefly  they  that  walk  after  the  flesh 
in  the  lust  of  uncleanness."  And  it  is  no  rare  thing  among  us  to  see 
judgment  in  this  world  also  overtaking  them.  Father  Latimer  once  pre- 
sented unto  a  great  man  a  New  Testament,  with  this  inscription  emboss'd 
on  the  cover  of  it:  "Whoremongers  and  adulterers  God  will  judge." 
And,  indeed,  how  surprisingly,  how  amazingly  may  we  see  God  judging 
that  sort  of  sinners ! 

A  famous  Bolognian  physician,  in  publish'd  bills,  profess'd  a  sovereign 
antidote  against  an  horrible  distemper  which  men  bring  upon  themselves 
by  their  uncleanness.  But  when  multitudes  flocked  unto  him  for  his 
antidote,  he  only  gave  'em  the  picture  of  a  gallant  with  his  nose  eaten 
off.  He  bid  'em  that,  when  they  were  going  to  debauch  themselves, 
they  would  look  upon  that  picture;  and  if  that  would  not  preserve  'em, 
nothing  would.  • 

Not  much  unlike  to  that  is  the  course  which  I  am  now  taking,  to  pre- 
serve you  from  unchastity. 

We  have  seen  many,  many,  many,  to  "die  in  their  youth;"  because 
their  life  has  been  among  the  unclean.  We  have  seen  'em  to  mourn  at 
the  last,  when  their  flesh  and  their  body  has  been  consumed.  We  have 
seen  'em  getting  a  wound,  and  a  dishonour,  and  a  reproach  that  is  never 
wip'd  away.    It  may  be,  the  just  God  says  upon  the  unclean  "Write  this 


I 


893 


MA6KALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


person  childless."  Or,  it  may  be,  the  Lord  says,  "I  will  kill  their  children 
with  death."  Or,  'tis  possible,  some  very  miserable  disasters  have  attended 
their  offspring:  peccatum  seminis  jounitur  in  semine*  Why?  Because  that 
some  old  acts  of  uncleanness  have  not  been  enough  repented  of. 

'Tis  said  of  uncleanness,  "By  means  thereof  a  man  is  brought  unto  a 
piece  of  bread."  Some  forlorn  people  have  cried  out  unto  me  of  thoir 
desperate  poverty ;  and  anon  they  have  confessed  that  they  believ'd  the 
judgments  of  God  made  'em  and  kept  'em  so  poor,  to  revenge  the  secret, 
cursed,  horrid  adulteries  which  they  had  wallowed  in. 

Yea,  how  many  have  ripen'd  themselves  for  the  most  capital  strokes  of 
the  sword  of  justice  by  this  wickedness  1  I  have  known  several  who, 
under  a  sentence  of  death  for  other  crimes,  wherein  they  thought  them- 
selves hardly  dealt  withal,  have  cried  out,  "Ohl  'tis  for  my  secret  adul- 
teries that  the  holy  God  has  brought  all  this  upon  me  I"  And  how  many 
young  women  have  been  executed  among  us  for  murdering  their  bastard- 
infants!  But,  at  their  execution,  this  has  been  their  exclamation:  "Oh, 
that  all  young  people  would  beware  of  the  snares  of  uncleanness!  By 
continuing  in  those  awful  snares,  without  any  speedy  repentance,  we  have 
been  ruined!"  One  of  the  first  in  this  land  that  came  to  such  an  end  (her 
name  was  Martin)  had  yielded  unto  a  wicked  man  soliciting  her  chastity; 
but  with  such  reluctances  of  soul,  that  in  her  prayers  to  God  for  help,  she 
said,  "if  ever  she  were  overtaken  again,  she  would  leave  herself  unto  his 
justice  to  be  made  an  exr.mple."  She  remembred  not  her  vows,  but  was 
again  overtaken.  She  conceived,  she  travailed,  she  privately  destroyed 
her  child,  using  two  several  attempts  before  she  could  wholly  dispatch  it. 
Afterwards,  upon  a  removal  of  the  family,  the  murder  strangely  came  to 
light.  God  made  the  infant  bleed  afresh  before  her,  for  her  confusion; 
she  own'd  the  whole  truth,  and  she  dy'd  for  it :  but  she  was  twice  turn'd 
off  before  her  expiration.  Say,  then — say,  my  friends,  to  all  the  temptations 
of  uncleanness — "How  shall  I  do  this  wickedness,  and  sin  against  God." 

The  Eighth  Remark. — Let  us  a  little  summ  up  the  gains  of  those  who 
have  used  irregular  methods  of  oppression,  or  of  dishonesty,  to  gain  the 
world.  I  have  done  it:  and  I'll  tell  you  what  I  have  seen  the  sum  total 
to  be.  The  judgments  of  God  have  brought  it  unto  that  in  Jer.  xvii.  11: 
"lie  gets  riches,  and  not  by  right;  at  his  end,  he  shall  be  a  fool."  Father 
Latimer  would  speak  of  a  grievous  coitgh  which  would  come  upon  them  that 
swallow'd  unrighteous  gains.  Truly,  losses  have  usually  follow'd  upon  such 
gainsy  like  so  many  coughs,  and  men  have  cough'd  and  cough'd,  until  they 
vomited  up  all  that  they  had  got.  It  is  the  charge  if  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  upon  us,  that  no  ma.  go  bev ond,  or  oppress  his  brother  in  a  matter; 
because  that  the  Lord  is  the  avenger  of  all  such.  We  are  told,  "If  thou 
seest  the  oppression  of  the  poor,  he  that  is  higher  than  the  highest,  regards 

*  The  (Id  of  ths  Kc<t  It  pnniahetl  in  Iho  nhxI. 


j! 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


899 


it."  We  are  told,  "  God  considers  all  the  oppressions  that  are  done  under 
the  sun."  There  was  much  notice  taken  of  this  in  the  infancy  of  our 
Plimouth  c  lony,  when  the  poor  planters  had  their  dependende  on  certain 
adventurers  in  England.  The  adventurers,  taking  their  advantages  of  the 
extream  straits  which  those  poor  planters  were  in,  sent  over  supplies  unto 
them  at  the  most  extream  rates  imaginable.  The  poor  planters  made 
return  in  peltry,  but  the  vessel  was  taken  by  a  Turks  man  of  war,  and  car- 
ried into  Salley,  where  they  sold  the  peltry  for  groats  a-piece;  as  much  too 
low,  as  the  goods  for  which  they  had  been  return'd  were  too  high,  and  the 
men  were  made  prisoners  into  the  bargain,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  adven- 
turers. But  it  would  spend  many  hours  to  relate  the  notice  which  might 
have  been  since  taken  of  many  more  such  evident  judgments  of  God  on 
the  ways  of  the  oppressor.  Oh!  do  not  learn  his  ways.  God  gives  unto 
all  sorts  of  devourers  letters  of  reprisal  to  take  away  his  unjust  gains  from 
him ;  very  commonly  it  so  falls  out. 

There  are  some  that  have  used  the  grossest  sort  of  stealing  and  robbing. 
But  have  they  enrich'd  themselves?  I  intreat  you,  sirs,  to  make  our  New- 
English  pirates  the  subjects  of  your  meditations.  That  man  is  blind  unto 
sun  shine,  and  blind  before  lightning,  who  sees  not  the  tremendous  judg- 
ments of  God,  pursuing  of  those  wicked  men.  Let  no  man,  after  this,  run 
greedily  after  the  error  of  those  children  of  perdition.  But  if  any  of  you 
have  knowingly  been  sharers  with  them  in  their  gains,  for  God's  sake 
repent  of  what  you  have  done:  You  have  carry'd  burning  coals  into  your 
feather'd  nests;  don't  put  a  farthing  of  that  money  among  the  rest  of  your 
possessions;  it  will  consume  all  the  rest. 

Others  have  had  their  finer  ways  of  cheating.  But  what  has  come  of 
them?  The  estates  gotten  by  cheating,  have  been  but  so  many  "treasures 
of  snow ;"  the  rains  of  the  wrath  of  God  have  wonderfully  melted  them ; — 
at  least.  Vex gandet  Tertius  HcRres* 

There  are  persons  that  have  broken  by  their  own  extravagancies;  not 
meerly  by  sad  providences,  but  their  own  extravagancies ;  these  have  used 
more  frauduknce  than  fair  dealing  in  their  compositions  with  their  creditors: 
But  have  we  not  seen  afterwards,  that  after  this,  (as  we  say)  "no  butter 
would  ever  stick  upon  their  bread  " 

Widows,  when  the  estates  of  the  deceas'd  husbands  have  been  insolvent, 
have  not  always  given  in  true  accounts;  they  have  held  back  a  part,  that 
they  should  not  have  with-held :  God  has  been  offended  at  'em ;  they  have 
gone  under  the  scourges  of  God  all  their  days  for  that  offence. 

Desperate  gamesters,  what  hand  have  they  made  of  it?  I  can  tell  what 
one  of  'em  did.  He  had  played  away  about  forty  pounds  in  lewd  com- 
pany, and  then  he  fell  into  horror  of  conscience,  wherein  he  often  cried 
out,  "I  am  all  on  fire  under  the  wrath  of  God!  I  am  all  on  fire  under  the 
wrath  of  God  1"    And  so  ho  went  and  hanged  himself, 

*  Tbo  third  heir  In  luccoiiion  la  rarvly  rich. 


^li   If) 

'^'  i 

1  '  t  M'  I  * 


4 ' 
4     1! 


Hi 


n'  "V! 


400 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


Make  all  the  restitution  you  can,  ye  cheats;  or  expect  the  judgments  of 
God  upon  you — Discite  Justitiam  Moniti.* 

The  Ninth  Remark. — Methinks  the  public  judgments,  under  which  we 
have  labour'd,  have  sometimes  very  convictively  intimated  the  sins  and 
faults  for  which  those  judgments  have  been  laid  upon  us.  I  will  use  a 
plain  dealing  in  this  matter.  When  have  the  judgments  of  God  ever  de- 
prived us  of  any  good  thing,  but  we  first  of  all  have  despis'd  that  good  ? 

We  have  been  sensual,  excessive,  unthankful,  in  our  enjoyment  of  the 
fruits  of  our  harvest.    The  judgments  of  God  have  blasted  them. 

We  have  made  idols  of  our  lands,  and  for  the  sake  thereof  neglected 
almost  all  that  is  holy,  and  just,  and  good.  There  was  a  time  wlien, 
through  the  judgments  of  God,  our  titles  to  them  all  were  contested. 
Litigious  law-suits  were  scandalously  multiply'd  among  us.  The  jud<T- 
ments  of  God  brought  us  into  a  time  when  the  extortions  of  the  law  made 
a  cry  among  us. 

Drinking  houses  have  been  a  most  undoing  stumbling-block  of  iniquity 
in  the  midst  of  us.  The  judgments  of  God  brought  us  into  a  time  when 
unsufferable  villanies  were  perpetrated  every  where,  under  the  pretence 
of  the  excise. 

Those  times  are  now  over  indeed.  But  our  Indian  wars  are  not  over 
yet:  Wc  have  too  far  degenerated  into  Indian  vices.  The  vices  of  the 
Indians  are  these:  They  are  very  lying  wretches,  and  they  are  very  lazy 
wretches,  and  they  are  out  of  measure  indulgent  unto  their  children; 
there  is  no  family  government  among  them.  We  have  shamefully  Indian- 
ized  in  all  those  abominable  things.  Now,  the  judgments  of  God 
have  imploy'd  Indian  hatchets  to  wound  us,  no  doubt,  for  these  our 
Indian  vices. 

A  thousand  more  such  things  may  occur  to  a  serious  observation.  Sirs, 
consider  the  wondrous  works  of  God. 


The  Tenth  Remark. — Many  people  have  sinned  horribly,  upon  a  pre- 
sumption that  they  sinned  secretly:  but  the  judgments  of  God  have  been 
wondrously  and  prodigiously  and  stupendously  display'd  in  the  discover- 
ing of  secret  sinners  among  us.  David,  no  doubt,  promised  himself  an 
everlasting  secrcsie  of  his  transgression.  "Thou  didst  it  secretly,"  said 
the  prophet:  And  the  Psalmist,  calling  to  mind  that  word,  own'd  in  Psal. 
li.  4,  "Against  thee,  thee  only  have  I  sinned:  and  the  evil  I  liavc  done  in 
thy  sight."  None  was  privy  to  the  crime,  except  one  man,  who  was  a 
partner  in  it.  Yea,  but  says  the  Lord,  "I'll  inake  all  Israel  hoar  of  it:" 
The  sin-confounding  judgments  of  God  made  all  the  sin  to  come  out. 
Sirs,  those  judgments  of  God  have  been  so  exemplified  among  our  solve.-', 
that  I  cannot  imagine  how  some  guilty  wretches,  whose  crimes  are  hiili- 

*  Uuliig  lulnioiilthrd,  Ivimi  Jiidlce. 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT   OF   NEW-EXOLAND. 


401 


erto  secret,  are  able  to  walk  about,  having  the  terrors  of  the  shadow  of 
death  upon  their  souls. 

How  many  secret  murders  have  strangely  been  discover'd  among  us! 
and  I  believe  there  are  yet  more  to  be  discover'd. 

There  have  been  devilish  filthinesses  committed  among  us.  But,  Oh,  how 
strangely  have  the  sins  of  men  found  them  out! 

At  the  southward  there  was  a  beast,  which  brought  forth  a  creature 
which  might  pretend  to  something  of  an  human  shape.  Now,  the  people 
minded  that  the  monster  had  a  blemish  in  one  eye,  much  like  what  a  prof- 
ligate fellow  in  the  town  was  known  to  have.  This  fellow  was  hereupon 
examined;  and  upon  his  examination,  confess'd  his  infandous  Bestialties; 
for  which  he  was  deservedly  executed. 

But,  "I'll  never  confess,"  thinks  many  an  hard-hearted  sinner.  No! 
So  thought  another  man,  whose  name  I  could  mention.  He  was  one  who 
had  formerly  and  frequently  derided  other  persons,  as  fools,  for  confessing 
against  themselves.  This  man  liv'd  in  adultery,  especially  with  one  vile 
woman,  until  God  struck  him  with  a  dead  palsie  and  a  quick  conscience. 
Then  he  that  had  laugh'd  at  others  for  not  concealing  their  sins,  could  not 
conceal  his  own.  He  reveal'd  his  villanies  with  that  woman  and  others, 
and  he  acknowledg'd  the  justice  of  God  in  compelling  him  to  reveal  them. 
The  woman  also  made  an  acknowledgment  of  her  enormities:  and  they 
both  dy'd  for  their  iniquities. 

What  shall  I  say?  There  have  been  church-members  among  us  who 
have  made  no  mean  profession  of  religion.  These  have  gone  on  from 
year  to  year  in  a  trade  of  secret  jilthiness.  Even,  "I  know,  and  am  a  wit- 
ness of  it,"  says  the  Lord.  Some  of  these  have  died  in  very  sad  circum- 
stances, and  the  world  has  never  heard  any  thing  of  the  Lord's  controversie 
with  them.  Yea,  but  many  of  them  have  been  strangely  detected  before 
they  have  dy'd.  They  have  been  left  unto  some  foolish  and  sottish  action 
at  last,  which  has  occasioned  the  publishing  of  their  vileness  unto  all  the 
world.  The  holy  ei/es  of  the  Lord  Josus  Christ,  which  are  like  "a  flame  of 
fire,"  have  seen  their  damnable  hypocrisie  and  impiety;  and  he  hath  made 
all  the  "churches  to  know,  that  he  searches  the  reins  and  hearts  of  men:" 
lie  hath  made  their  "wickedness  to  be  declared  before  the  whole  congrega- 
tion;" he  hath  brought  the  public  censures  of  his  faithful  people  upon  them. 
He  hath  done  much  in  these  awful  judgments;  and  I  fear,  I  fear  he  hath  yet 
more  to  do  upon  some,  in  the  midst  of  thee,  0  Boston,  excejH  they  repent/ 

The  Eleventh  Remark. — The  ''judgments  of  God"  among  us  have 
not  been  more  conspicuous  upon  any  sinners,  than  upon  those  that  have 
made  others  to  sin.  There  are  some  whom  the  Scripttircs  call  the  "chief 
of  sinners:"  Those  who  are  chief  in  drawing  others  on  to  be  sinners. 
Truly,  the  "judgments  of  God"  have  often  made  these  as  exemplary  in 
ihoit  ptatjucs,  US  they  have  been  in  their  siiis. 
Vol.  11—26 


' 


!i 


m 


[AONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


I  have  known  some  wretched  young  men  in  several  societies,  who 
have  been  the  chief  dehauchers  of  the  societies  which  they  belongM 
unto.  But,  Oh!  what  sad  things  could  I  tell  you,  v  "  the  deadly  judg- 
ments that  God  hath  showered  from  heaven  upon  the  heads  of  tliose 
infamous  youths  1  God  has  made  'em  the  sons  of  Eli  with  his  deadly 
judgments. 

Under  this  head  of  the  divine  judgments,  why  should  I  not  mention 
the  condition  of  one  whom  I  knew  in  this  place?  The  man  deny'd  tlio 
"immortality  of  the  soul,"  and  would  go  to  debauch  other  men  with  his 
vile  opinion,  that  we  have  no  immortal  soul  in  tia.  This  poor  man  came  to 
lie  on  his  death-bed,  and  then  the  terrors  of  God  so  thunder-struck  his 
conscience,  that  his  dying  out-cries  were,  "Ohl  what  shall  I  do  for  my 
immortal  soul  I  What  will  become  of  my  immortal  soul  for  everl" 

And  when,  alas  I  when  will  our  Indian  traders  apply  themselves  to  that 
commination  in  Heb.  ii.  15:  *'Wo  to  him  that  gives  his  neighbour  drink; 
that  puttest  thy  bottle  [thy  rhum  bottle}  to  him,  and  makest  him  drunken 
also."  While  there  has  been  a  most  observable  blessing  of  God  upon  tlio 
preachers  of  truth  to  the  Indians,  all  the  world  may  observe  a  judgment  of 
God  upon  the  sellers  of  drink  to  the  Indians.  I  pray,  what  have  tho 
estates  of  such  men  generally  come  to?  Do ;  Trade  on,  ye  merchants  of 
souls,  or,  more  truly,  ye  butcherers  of  souls;  Trade  on,  till  the  judgments  of 
God  have  caused  you  to  trade  your  selves  into  beggary  at  the  last!  But 
know,  that  the  "blood  of  souls"  will  be  found  on  your  skirts.  It  is  not 
very  long  ago  that  an  unusual  accident  in  a  part  of  this  province  did 
afiVight  the  neighbours  into  some  serious  thoughts  of  this  matter.  Several 
Indians  were  made  horribly  drunk  by  the  drink  which  the  English  had 
•  sold  unto  them.  Returning  hon\e  over  a  little  ferry,  eight  of  them  were 
drown'd;  and  three  months  after  they  were  drown'd  (from  December  to 
March)  one  of  their  dead  bodies  came  ashore  very  near  the  place  where 
they  had  been  supplied  with  their  drink ;  and  lying  on  the  shore,  it  bled 
BO  plentifully,  as  to  discolour  the  water  and  sand  about  it.  Upon  which 
the  considerate  spectators  thought  of  that  scripture,  "the  stone  shall  cry 
out  of  the  wall"  against  him  that  "gives  his  neighbour  drink."  They 
thought  there  was  a  loud  cry  of  "Blood!  blood!"  against  some  wicked 
English  in  this  matter. 

The  Twelfth  Remark. — Finally,  we  have  seen  that,  by  omitting  thtir 
prayers  to  God,  men  bespeak  for  themselves  the  "judgments  of  God." 
How  many  that  have  liv'd  prayerless,  have  we  seen  to  die  prayerloss,  or 
to  die  hopeless? 

We  often  miscarry  in  our  enterprizes.  Now,  if  we  would  "  search  and 
try  our  ways,"  it  may  be,  we  should  find  that  we  did  not  sufficiently  pray 
over  our  enterprizes  before  we  resolved  upon  them.  How  often,  how 
often,  have  I  seen  this  verify 'd  in  tho  judgments  of  God! 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


403 


Yea,  by  a  prayerless  life,  we  have  seen  men  pulling  down  the  most  con- 
summate judgments  of  God  upon  their  own  woful  heads. 

It  was  a  pathetlcul  passage  in  the  last  prayer  of  a  poor  murderer  that 
was  executed  in  this  place  not  long  ago:  "Oh!"  said  he  "if  I  had  gone 
to  prayer  that  morning  when  I  committed  the  sin  for  which  I  am  now  to 
die,  0  Lord  Gbd!  I  believe  thou  wouldst  have  kept  back  my  hands  from 
that  sin!" 

The  day  wherein  men  have  gone  abroad  without  prayer  before  they 
went,  how  often  have  the  "judgments  of  God"  made  it  a  day  of  thick 
darkness  to  the  prayerless  people?  How  remarkably  has  that  observation 
been  confirmed  in  the  experience  of  thousands  among  us,  Negligentiam  in 
orando  semper  aliqua  notabitis  transgressio  sequitur.*  Indeed,  the  instances 
of  Origen's  apostacy  has  been  sometimes  brought  with  this  observation: 
But  I  do  from  the  universal  silence  of  the  more  ancient  writers,  both 
before  and  after  that  scandalous  reporter,  Epiphanius,  believe  th.'».t  whole 
story  of  Origen  to  be  a  sham,  in  after  ages  invented  by  the  adversaries 
of  that  excellent  man;  and  as  false  as  that  Origen  wrote  the  discourse 
entitul'd  *'  Origen's  Lamentation^^^ 

Yea,  there  was  an  aged  professor,  belonging  to  a  church  in  this  town, 
who,  after  many  years  of  good  repute  with  good  people,  became  a  drunken 
sot^  for  which  he  was  excommunicated.  After  his  excommunication,  he 
fell  into  bitter  anguish  of  soul,  and  at  length  dy'd  in  astonishing  circum- 
stances. But  some  of  his  dying  words  were:  "I  often  pray'd  unto  God 
for  a  mercy,  which  he  still  deny'd  me.  At  length  I  grew  angry  at  God: 
wliereupon  I  grew  slack  in  my  acquaintance  with  the  Lord:  ever  since 
which,  he  hath  dreadfully  forsaken  me,  and  I  know  that  now  he  hath  no 
mercy  for  me."  Think  of  these  things;  and,  oh!  do  not  so  reject  fear  as 
to  restmin  prayer  before  the  Lord. 

These  are  the  most  peculiar  "judgments  of  God,"  ntito  which  I  have 
accounted  it  not  amiss  to  point  you;  so  you  may  "tremble  for  fear  of 
him,  and  be  aft-aid  of  his  judgments." 


AN   APPENDIX, 

OONTAININa 

AN  HISTORY  OF  SOME  ClUMINAIS  EXECDTKD  IN  NEW-ENGLAND  FOR  CAPITAL  CRIMES; 


WITH   SOME  OF   THEIR   DYING   SPEECHES. 


Wk  find  in  Zuinger,  the  mention  of  a  city  besieged  by  a  potent  enemy; 
where  the  inhabitants  took  the  dead  bodies  of  the  starv'd  people,  and  set 
them  in  armour  on  the  walls;  at  the  sight  whereof  the  amazed  enemy  fled. 

*  Boma  nuUbl*  InuugraMion  always  MIowt  a  negloot  of  prayer. 


i? 


404 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


One  of  the  New-English  ministers,  beholding  vice  besieging  his  countroy 
as  an  euemy,  singl'd  out  a  company  of  cfeac^  wretches  to  set  upon  the  ■walls, 
in  hopes  that  the  horrible  sight  would  cause  that  w^orst  enemy  to  fly  before 
it  He  publish'd  unto  the  ccuntrey  "^n  History  of  Grim'mah^''  which  may 
be  here  over-again  publish'd,  as  a  fit  appendix  to  "-4»  History  of  Remark- 
able Judgments-'^  For  indeed  in  these  criminals,  the  "remarkable  judgments 
of  God"  were  wonderfully  exemplify^ d. 


PILLARS  OF  SALT. 

It  hath  been  thought,  that  the  dying  speeches  of  such  as  have  been 
executed  among  us,  might  be  of  singular  use  to  correct  and  reform  the 
crimes  wherein  too  many  do  live:  and  it  has  been  wish'd  that  at  least 
some  fragments  of  those  dying  speeches  might  be  preserv'd  and  publish'd. 
Upon  this  advice  from  some  good  persons,  I  have  stollen  an  hour  or  two, 
wherein  I  have  collected  some  accounts  of  several  ill  persons,  which  have 
been  cut  off  by  the  sworJ  of  civil  justice  in  this  land;  and  this  collection 
I  suffer  to  go  abroad,  in  hopes  that,  among  many  other  essays  to  suppress 
growing  vice,  it  may  signifie  something  with  the  blessing  of  Heaven  there- 
upon, to  let  the  vicious  understand  what  have  been  the  cries  of  our  misera- 
bles  when  passing  into  another  world.  Behold,  an  history  of  criminals, 
whom  the  terrible  judgments  of  God  have  thunder-strook  into  pillars  of  salt 

(I.)  About  the  year  1646,  here  was  one  Mary  Martin,  whose  father  going 
from  hence  to  England,  left  her  in  the  house  of  a  marry 'd  man,  who  yet 
became  so  enamour'd  on  her,  that  he  attempted  her  chastity. 

Such  was  her  weakness  and  folly,  that  she  yielded  unto  the  temptations 
of  that  miserable  man;  but  yet  with  such  horrMe  regret  of  mind,  that 
begging  of  God  for  deliverance  from  her  temptations,  her  plea  was,  "That 
if  ever  she  were  overtaken  again,  she  would  leave  herself  unto  his  justice, 
to  be  made  a  pubhck  example." 

Heaven  will  convince  the  sinful  children  of  men,  that  the  vows  which 
they  make,  relying  on  the  stability  and  resolution  of  their  own  hearts, 
are  of  no  significancy.  A  chain  of  hell  was  upon  her,  and  the  forfeited 
grace  of  Heaven  was  with-held  from  her;  she  fell  a  third  time  into  the 
sin  against  which  her  vows  had  been  utter'd. 

Afterwards  going  to  service  in  Boston,  she  found  herself  to  have  con 
ceiv'd;  but  she  lived  with  a  favourable  mistress,  who  would  admit  ami 
allow  no  suspicion  of  her  dishonesty. 

A  question  (like  that  convincing  one  of  our  Saviour's  unto  the  woman 
of  Samaria)  was  once  odly  put  unto  her:  "Mary,  where  is  thy  husband?" 
And  one  said  also,  "Did  I  not  think  thou  wcrt  an  honest- and  sincere 
creature,  I  should  verily  think  thou  wcrt  with  child!"  These  passages, 
which  were  warnings  from  God  unto  her  guilty  soul,  did  serve  only  to 
strike  her  with  amazement — not  with  any  true  repentance. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


405 


She  conceaVd  her  crime  till  the  time  of  ber  delivery ;  and  then  being 
deliver'd  alone  by  her  self  in  a  dark  room,  she  murdered  the  harmless 
and  helpless  infant;  hiding  it  in  a  chest  from  the  eyes  of  all  but  the 
jealous  God. 

The  blood  of  the  child  cried,  when  the  cry  of  the  child  it  self  was  thus 
cruelly  stifled.  Some  circumstance  quickly  occurr'd  which  oblig'd  her 
friends  to  charge  her  with  an  unlawful  birth.  She  deny'd  it  impudently. 
A  further  search  confuted  her  denial.  She  then  said,  the  child  was  dead 
born,  and  she  had  burn'd  it  to  ashes.  With  an  hypocritical  tear,  she 
added,  "Oh,  that  it  were  true,  that  the  poor  babe  were  any  where  to  be 
seenl"  At  last,  it  was  found  in  her  chest;  ahd  when  she  touch 'd  the  face 
of  it  before  the  jury,  the  blood  came  fresh  into  it.  So  she  confessed  the 
whole  truth  concerning  it. 

Great  endeavours  were  used  that  she  might  be  brought  unto  a  true  faith 
in  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for  the  pardon  of  her  blood-guilti- 
ness; and,  it  may  be,  none  endeavour'd  it  more  than  that  reverend  man, 
old  Mr.  Wilson,  who  wrote  several  sheets  of  pathetical  instructions  *~  her 
while  she  was  in  prison.  That  renown'd  man,  old  Mr.  Cotton  also,  did 
his  part  in  endeavouring  that  she  might  be  renew'd  by  repentance ;  and 
preach'd  a  sermon  on  Ezek.  xvi.  20,  21 :  "  Is  this  of  thy  whoredoms  a 
small  matter,  that  thou  hast  slain  my  children?"  Whereof  great  notice 
was  taken.  It  was  hoped  that  these  endeavours  were  not  lost:  her  car- 
riage in  her  imprisonment  and  at  her  execution  was  very  penitent.  But 
there  was  this  remarkable  at  her  execution:  she  acknowledged  her  twice 
essaying  to  kill  her  child  before  she  could  make  an  end  of  it:  and  now, 
through  the  unskillfulness  of  the  executioner,  she  was  turned  off  the 
ladder  twice  before  she  died. 

(II.)  There  was  a  miserable  man  at  Weymouth,  who  fell  into  very 
ungodly  practice;  but  would  particularly  signalize  his  ungodliness  by 
flouting  at  those  fools  (as  he  cali'd  'em)  who  would  ever  confess  any  sins 
laid  unto  their  charge.  This  man  liv'd  in  abominable  adulteries;  but  God 
at  length  smote  him  with  a  palsie.  His  dead  palsie  was  accompany'd  with 
a  quick  conscience,  which  compell'd  him  to  confess  his  crimes:  but  he 
confess'd  them  so  indiscreetly  that,  by  their  divulgation,  they  reach'd  the 
ears  of  the  authority ;  and  in  tliis  confession  there  was  involv'd  and  con- 
cern'd  the  wretched  woman  who  chiefly  had  been  concern'd  with  him  in 
the  transgression. 

By  tiie  law  of  this  countrey,  adultery  was  then  a  capital  transgression, 
as  it  hath  been  in  many  other  countries:  and  this  poor  adulterer  could 
not  escape  the  punishment  which  the  law  provided. 

(III.)  On  June  6,  1662,  at  New-haven,  there  was  a  most  utiparallel'd 
wretch,  (one  Potter,  by  name,  about  sixty  years  of  age,)  executed  for 


fI     'si 


f'Ji 

''Am 


r-i* 


"I 


S| 


'.,  '*■" 


406 


MAQKALIA    CnRISTI    AMERICANA; 


damnable  bestialities;   although  this  wretch  had  been  for  now  twenty 
years  a  member  of  the  church  in  that  place,  and  kept  up  among  tlio 
holy  people  of  God  there  a  reputation  for  seiious  Christianity.    It  seems 
that  the  unclean  devil  which  had  the  possession  of  this  monster,  liaJ 
carry'd  all  his  lusts  with  so  much  fury  into  this  one  channel  of  wickoil- 
ness,  that  there  was  no  notice  taken  of  his  being  wicked  in  any  othoi-. 
Hence  'twas  that  he  was  devout  in  worship,  gifted  in  prayer,  forw  urd  in 
edifying  discourse  among  the  religious,  and  zealous  in  reproving  the  sins 
of  the  other  people;  every  one  counted  him  a  saint;  and  he  enjoy 'd  such 
a  peace  in  his  own  mindj  that  in  several  fits  of  sickness,  wherein  he  seem'd 
"nigh  unto  death,"  he  seem'd  "willing  to  die;"  yea,  "death,"  he  said, 
"smiled  on  him."    Nevertheless,  this  diabolical  creature  had  liv'd  in  most 
infandous  buggeries  for  no  less  than  fifty  years  togeiher;  and  now  at  tlie 
gallows  there  were  kill'd  before  his  eyes  a  cow,  two  heifers,  three  sheep, 
and  \wo  soius,  with  all  of  which  he  had  committed  his  brutalities.    His 
wife  had  seen  him  confounding  himself  with  a  hitch  ten  years  before ;  and 
he  then  excused  his  filthiness  as  well  as  he  could  unto  her,  but  conjurM 
her  to  keep  it  secret:    but  he  afterwards  hang'd  that  bitch  himself,  and 
then  return'd  unto  his  former  villanies,  until  at  last  his  son  saw  him  hid- 
eously conversing  with  a  sow.    By  these  means  the  burning  jealousie  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  at  length  made  the  churches  to  know  that  he  had  all 
this  while  seen  the  cover'd  filthiness  of  this  hellish  hypocrite,  and  expos'd 
him  also  to  the  just  judgment  of  death  from  the  civil  court  of  judicature. 
Very  remarkable  had   been  the  warnings  which   this  hell  hound  had 
receiv'd  from  Heaven  to  repent  of  his  impieties.     Many  years  before  this 
he  had  a  daughter,  who  dreamt  a  dream,  which  caus'd  her  in  her  sleep  to 
cry  out  most  bitterly;  and  her  father  then,  with  much  ado,  obtaining  of 
her  to  tell  her  dream,  she  told  him  she  dreamt  that  she  was  among  a  great 
multitude  of  people  to  see  an  execution,  and  it  prov'd  her  own  fiither  that 
was  to  be  hanged,  at  whose  turning  over  she  thus  cry'd  out.    This  hap- 
pen'd  before  the  time  that  any  of  his  curs'd  practices  were  known  unto  her. 
At  another  time,  when  there  was  a  malefactor  adjudg'd  in  those  parts  to 
die,  for  the  very  same  transgressions  which  this  rotten  fellow  was  guilty 
of,  the  governour,  with  some  of  the  magistrates,  most  unaccountably,  with- 
out any  manner  of  reason  for  their  so  doing,  turn'd  about  unto  this  fellow, 
and  said,  "What  think  you? — is  not  this  man  worthy  to  die?"    He  now 
confessed,  that  these  warnings  did  so  awaken  his  conscience,  as  to  make 
him  for  a  time  leave  otf  his  infernal  debauches;  and.  so,  he  said,  "he 
thought  all  was  pardoned — all  was  well   with  him."     Nevertheless,  he 
return'd  unto  his  vomit  and  his  quagmire,  until  the  sentence  of  death  at 
last  fell  upon  him;  and  then  he  acknowledged  that  he  had  lived  in  tlie 
sin  of  bestiality  ever  since  he  was  ten  years  old,  but  had  sometimes  inter- 
mitted the  perpetration  of  it  for  some  years  together.    During  his  imprison- 
ment, he  continu'd  in  a  sottish  and  stupid  frame  of  spirit,  and  marvellously 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


407 


secure  about  his  everlasting  pardon  and  ivelfare;  but  the  church  whereto  he 
belonged  kept  a  solemn  day  of  humiliation  on  this  occasion,  wherein  Mr. 
D.iveiiport  preach'd  on  Josh.  xxii.  20:  "Did  not  Achan  commit  r  e.«<- 
j.ass  in  the  accursed  thing,  and  wrath  fell  on  the  congregation  of  Isruol?" 
And  in  the  close  of  the  fast,  that  faithful  people  of  God  excommunicated 
this  accursed  Achan  from  their  own  society.  But,  as  I  have  seen  hewitch\l 
self-poisoners,  under  a  singular  energy  of  some  devil,  obstinately  refuse  all 
olfer'd  relief  until  the  poisons  had  prevail'd  so  far  that  all  relief  was  too 
late,  and  then  with  roaring  agonies  they  would  have  given  ten  worlds  for 
it;  so  this  bewitc/i'd  beast,  that  had  not  been  afraid  of  dying  till  he  came  to 
the  "  place  of  execution,"  when  he  came  there,  he  was  awaken\l  into  a  most 
unutterable  and  intolerable  anguish  of  soul,  and  made  most  lamentably 
desperate  out-cries ;  among  which  out-cries,  he  warn'd  men  particularly  to 
"take  heed  of  neglecting  secret  prayer;"  which,  he  said,  "had  been  his 
bane."  He  said,  he  never  used  secret  prayer  in  his  life,  and  that  he  fre- 
quently OTD\i\jedi  family  x>rayer  too;  yet,  he  said,  he  had  2)rayUl  and  sinned, 
and  sinned  and  pray'd;  namely,  by  ejaculations,  with  which  he  contented 
himself,  throwing  set  prayer  aside.    But  so  he  perish 'd! 

(IV.)  An  English  ship  (in  the  year  1673)  sailing  from  somewhere  about 
the  mouth  of  the  Streights,  was  mann'd  with  some  cruel  miscreants,  who, 
quarrelling  with  the  master  and  some  of  the  officers,  turn'd  them  all  into  the 
long  boat,  with  a  small  quantity  of  provisions,  about  an  hundred  leagues 
to  the  westward  of  the  Spanish  coast. 

These  fellows,  in  the  mean  time,  ^et  sail  for  New-England;  where,  by  a 
surprising  providence  of  God,  the  master,  with  his  afflicted  company  in  the 
long  boat,  also  arrived ;  all,  except  one,  who  died  of  the  barbarous  usage. 

The  countenance  of  the  master  was  now  come  terrible  to  the  rebellious 
nc  en,  who,  though  they  had  escap'd  the  sea,  yet  "  vengeance  would  not 
suffer  to  live  a-shore."  At  his  instance  and  complaint,  they  were  appre- 
hended ;  and  the  ringleaders  of  this  murderous  piracy  had  a  sentence  of 
death  executed  on  them  in  Boston. 

Under  that  sentence,  there  was  heard  among  them  a  grievous  lamenta- 
tion for  this:  "Their  education  had  been  under  the  means  of  grace,  and 
the  faithful  preaching  of  the  gospel  in  England;  but  they  had  sinned 
against  that  education."  And  one  of  theni  sadly  cry'd  out,  "Oh!  'tis  my 
diunkenness,  'tis  my  drunkenness,  that  hath  brought  me  to  this  lament- 
able endl" 

The  horrors  which  attended  the  chief  of  these  malefactors  (one  Forrest) 
in  the  last  hours  of  his  life,  were  such  as  exceedingly  astonished  the 
beholders.  Though  he  were  a  very  stout  man,  yet  now  his  trembling 
agonies  and  anguishes  were  inexpressible.  One  speech,  let  foil  by  him, 
was,  "I  have  been  among  drawn  swords,  flying  bullets,  roaring  cannons — 
amidst  all  which,  I  knew  not  v/hat  fear  meant;  but  now  I  have  dreadful 


w 


Hi 


'If 


.:i 


408 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


aj^rehensions  of  the  dreadful  wrath  of  God  in  the  other  world,  which  I 
am  going  into,  my  soul  within  me  is  amazed  at  it." 

(V.)  On  March  18, 1674,  two  men,  whose  names  were  Nicholas  Feavour 
and  Robert  Driver,  were  executed  at  Boston.  The  crime  for  which  they 
were  executed,  was  the  murder  of  their  master ;  whom,  upon  the  provoca- 
tion of  some  chastisement  which  he  had  given  them,  they  knock'd  him  on 
the  head  with  an  axe  in  their  bloody  rage. 

After  they  were  condemn'd,  they  bestowed  their  lamentations  not  only 
on  the  particular  crime  which  had  now  brought  them  to  their  untimely 
end,  but  also  on  some  others,  for  which  their  consciences  told  them  tbnt 
the  righteous  God  had  left  'em  unto  this. 

One  of  'em  said,  "his  pride  had  been  his  bane;"  for  he  thought  much 
of  it  tha<;  such  a  one  as  he  should  be  a  servant;  and  he  would  sometimes 
utter  such  words  as  these:  "I  am  flesh  and  blood,  as  well  as  my  master; 
and  therefore  I  know  no  reason  why  my  master  should  not  obey  me,  jf 
well  as  I  obey  him." — "And  now,"  said  he,  "see  what  my  pride  bat) 
brought  me  to !" 

One  of  them  also  said  that  his  idleness  had  ruin'd  him :  he  would  not 
industriously  follow  his  calling,  but  live  an  idle,  slothful  vagrant  life. 
This,  he  said,  had  undone  him. 

And  one  of  them  said  that  his  disobedience  to  his  parents  had  brought 
this  misery  upon  him.  His  father,  he  said,  gave  him  good  instructions 
when  he  was  a  child ;  but  he  regarded  them  not.  He  wo.jld  not  go  to  a 
school,  when  his  father  would  have  sent  him  to  it.  He  would  not  go  to  a 
trade,  when  his  father  would  have  put  him  to  one.  After  his  father  was 
dead,  he  would  not  be  subject  unto  them  that  had  the  charge  of  him;  ho 
ran  away  from  them;  and  after  that  he  ran  away  from  several  masters. 
Thus  he  ran  into  the  jaws  of  death. 

These  things  are  particulariz'd  in  the  sermon  preach'd  just  before  their  exe- 
cution ;  and  afterwards  print'd  under  the  title  of, "  The  Wicked  Man's  Portion." 

(VI.)  On  September  22,  1681,  one  W.  C.  was  executed  at  Boston  for  a 
rape  committed  by  him  on  a  girl  that  liv'd  with  him;  though  he  had  then 
a  wife  with  child  by  him,  of  a  nineteenth  or  twentieth  child. 

This  man  had  been  "  wicked  overmuch."  His  parents  were  godly  per- 
sons; but  he  was  a  "child  of  Belial."  He  began  early  to  shake  oft'  his 
obedience  unto  them ;  and  early  had  fornication  laid  unto  his  charge ;  after 
which,  he  fled  unto  a  dissolute  corner  of  the  land,  a  place  whereof  it  might 
be  said,  "Surely  the  fear  of  God  is  not  in  this  place."  He  being  a  youth 
under  the  inspection  of  the  church  at  Roxbury,  they,  to  win  him,  invited 
him  to  return  unto  his  friends,  with  such  expressions  of  lenity  towards 
him,  that  the  reverp'.id  old  man  their  pastor,  in  a  sermon  on  the  day  when 
this  man  was  ex*  cuted,  'vith  tears  bewaii'd  it. 


(vn.)  0 

for  an  hor 

bouse,  he  i 

as  his  wore 

He  was 

bewaii'd  hi 

The  rev 

this  poor  r 

to  read  a  ] 

the  assemi 

"I,  Jamea 
He  is  righte 
have  been  a 
nre  espcciull 
i\css,  which 
guilty  of  cv] 
most  heavy 
time  ri'fusiM 
liiiti  bruugli 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF   NEW-ENOLAND. 


409 


After  this,  he  liv'd  very  dissolutely  in  the  town  of  Dorchester;  where, 
in  a  fit  of  sickness,  he  vow'd  that,  if  God  would  spare  his  life,  he  would 
live  as  a  new  man ;  but  he  horribly  forgot  his  vows.  The  instances  of  his 
impiety  grew  so  numerous  and  prodigious,  that  the  wrath  of  God  could 
bear  no  longer  with  him;  he  was  ripen'd  for  the  gallows. 

After  his  condemnation,  he  vehemently  protested  his  innocency  of  the 
fact  for  which  he  was  condemn 'd;  but  he  confess'd  "that  God  was  righte- 
ous, thus  to  bring  destruction  upon  him  for  secret  adulteries." 

A  reprieve  would  have  been  obtain'd  for  him,  if  his  foolish  and  froward 
refusing  to  hear  a  sermon  on  the  day  appointed  for  his  execution  had  not 
hardened  the  heart  of  the  judge  against  him.  He  who  had  been  a  great 
scoffer  at  the  ordinances  of  God,  now  exposed  himself  by  being  left  unto 
such  a  sottish  action  1 

He  had  horribly  slighted  all  calls  to  repentance,  and  now,  through  some 
wretches  over-perswading  of  him  that  he  should  not  die  according  to  sen- 
tence and  order  of  the  court,  he  hardened  himself  still  in  his  unrepentant 
frame  of  mind. 

When  he  came  to  the  gallows,  and  saw  death  (and  a  picture  of  hell^  too, 
in  a  negro  then  burnt  to  death  at  the  stake,  for  burning  her  master's  house, 
with  some  that  were  in  it,)  before  his  face,  never  was  a  cry  for  "Time! 
time!  a  world  for  a  little  time!  the  inexpressible  worth  of  time!"  uttered 
with  a  most  unutterable  anguish. 

He  then  declared,  that  "  the  greatest  burden  then  lying  upon  his  miser- 
able soul,  was  his  having  lived  so  unprofitably  under  the  preaching  of 
the  gospel." 

(Vn.)  On  March  11,  1686,  was  executed  at  Boston  one  James  Morgan, 
for  an  horrible  murther.  A  man,  finding  it  necessary  to  come  into  his 
house,  he  swore  he  would  run  a  spit  into  his  bowels;  and  he  was  as  bad 
as  his  word. 

He  was  a  passionate  fellow,  and  now,  after  his  condemnation,  he  much 
bewail'd  his  having  been  given  to  cursing  in  his  passions. 

The  reverend  person  who  preach'd  unto  a  great  assembly  on  the  day  of 
this  poor  man's  execution,  did,  in  the  midst  of  his  sermon,  take  occasion 
to  read  a  paper  which  he  had  receiv'd  from  the  malefactor  then  present  in 
the  assembly.    It  was  as  foUoweth: 

" I,  James  Morgan,  being  condemn'd  to  die,  must  needs  own,  to  the  gloiy  of  God,  that 
He  is  righteous,  and  that  I  have  by  my  sins  provoli'd  him  to  destroy  me  before  my  time.  I 
have  been  a  great  sinner,  guilty  of  Sabbath-brealving',  of  lying,  and  of  unoleanness;  but  there 
are  especially  two  sins  whereby  I  have  offended  the  great  God;  one  is  that  sin  of  drunken- 
iicss,  which  has  caused  me  to  commit  many  other  sins;  for  when  in  drink,  I  have  bt'eii  often 
guilty  of  cursing  and  swearing,  and  quarreling,  and  striking  others.  But  the  sin  wiiicli  lies 
most  hciivy  upon  my  conscience  is,  that  I  have  despised  the  word  of  God,  and  for  m.iny  a 
time  n-fusi'd  to  hear  it  preach'd.  For  these  things,  I  believe  God  has  left  me  to  tliat  which 
bus  brought  me  to  a  shameful  and  miserable  death.    I  do  therefore  beseech  and  warn  all 


'.  1' 

^  'iff] 


410 


MAUNALIA    CIIRISTl    AMLcilCANA; 


persons,  young  men  especially,  to  tsike  heed  of  these  sins,  lest  they  provoke  the  Lord  to  do 
to  them  08  he  has  justly  done  by  me.  And,  for  the  further  peace  of  my  own  conscienve,  I 
think  my  self  obliged  to  add  this  unto  my  foregoing  confession,  *  that  I  own  the  sentence 
which  the  honour'd  court  has  pass'  upon  me,  to  be  exceeding  just  ;*  inasmuch  as  (though  I 
had  no  former  grudge  and  malice  against  the  man  whom  I  have  kill'd,  yet)  my  ^ossion  at 
the  time  of  the  fact  was  so  outrageous,  us  that  it  hurried  me  on  to  the  doing  of  t.aat  which 
makes  me  now  justly  proceeded  against  as  a  murderer" 

After  the  sermon,  a  minister,  at  his  desire,  went  unto  the  place  of  exe- 
cution with  him.  And  of  what  passed  by  the  way,  there  was  a  copy 
taken,  which  here  ensueth : 


THE  DISCOURSE  OF  THE  MINISTER  WITH  JAMES  MORGAN, 
ON  TUE  WAY  TO  BIS  EXECUTION. 

Min.  I'm  come  hither  to  answer  your  deoires,  which  just  now  you  expresu'd  to  me  in  the  publick, 
thnt  I  would  give  you  my  company  at  your  execution. 

Mor.  Dear  sir,  how  much  am  I  beholden  to  you !  You  have  already  done  a  great  deal  for  me. 
0,  who  am  I,  that  I  have  been  such  a  vile  wretch,  that  any  servants  of  God  should  take  notice  of  me ! 

Min.  I  beseech  you  to  make  this  use  of  it:  I  believe  there  is  not  one  Christian  this  day  behoiil- 
ing  you,  who  would  not  willingly  be  at  the  greatest  pains  they  could  devise  to  save  your  precious 
soul.  How  merciful  then  is  that  man,  who  is  God  as  well  as  man !  How  unspeakably  ready  is 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  to  save  the  souls  of  sinners  that  affectionately  look  unto  him !  The  goodness 
ond  pitifulness  of  the  most  tender-hearted  man  in  the  world  is  but  a  shadow  of  what  is  in  him. 
The  compassions  of  any  man,  compar'd  with  the  bowels  of  a  merciful  Jesus,  are  but  as  the  painted 
sun,  or  the  painted  fire,  in  comparison  of  the  real. 

Mor.  O  that  I  could  now  look  unto  him  as  I  ought  to  do!     Lord,  help  me! 

Min.  Well,  you  are  now  a  dying  man ;  the  last  hour  or  two  of  your  life  is  now  running.  You 
know  yourself  now  to  stand  just  on  the  brink  of  eternity ;  you  shall  presently  be  in  a  state  of  won- 
derful happiness  or  of  horrible  misery,  which  must  endure  forever:  which  of  those  estates  do  you 
now  count  yourself  stepping  into? 

Mor.  Oh,  sir,  I  am  afraid,  but  I  am  not  without  hope  that  God  may  have  mercy  on  me. 

jlfin.  What's  your  ground  for  that  hope?  O,  see  that  your  confidences  be  not  such  as  God  will 
by  and  by  reject ! 

Mor.  I  don't  know  well  what  to  say,  but  this,  I  hope,  is  a  good  sign;  I  have  lived  in  many  griev- 
ous sins,  in  lying,  drinking,  Sabbath-breakitig,  and  evil  company- keeping;  God  has  made  now 
these  so  bitter  to  my  soul,  that  I  would  not  commit  them  again,  might  I  have  my  life  this  afternoon 
by  doing  it. 

J/in.  That's  a  great  word ;  God  grant  it  may  not  be  a  word  only,  the  good  word  of  a  good  pnni;, 
without  such  a  thorough  change  of  heart  as  you  must  have  if  you  would  not  perish  everlastingly. 
You  are  not  like  to  have  any  longer  time  in  this  world  to  try  the  sincerity  of  your  profession. 

Mor.  I  know  it,  and  I  beseech  you,  sir,  to  help  me  what  you  can  :  I  hope  the  means  used  with 
me  since  my  condemnation  has  not  been  lost. 

Min.  I  would  not  have  the  sense  of  the  pain  and  shame  which  your  body  is  about  to  unde.-go 
any  ways  hinder  your  mind  from  being  taken  up  about  the  soul  matters  which  I  shall  endeavour  to 
set  before  you. 

Jlfor.  Sir,  as  for  the  pain  that  my  body  must  presently  feel,  I  matter  it  not:  I  know  what  pain 
is;  but  what  shall  I  do  for  my  poor  soul?  I'm  terrified  with  the  wrath  of  God;  this,  this  terrifies 
me ;  hell  terrifies  me.     I  should  not  mind  my  death,  if  it  were  not  for  that. 

Min.  Now,  the  Lord  help  me  to  deal  faithfully  with  you,  and  the  Lord  help  you  to  receive  what 
he  sholl  enable  me  to  offer  unto  you.  Mark  what  I  say:  you  were  born  among  the  enemies  of 
God ;  you  were  born  with  a  soul  as  full  of  enmity  against  God  as  a  toad  is  full  of  poiaon.  You 
have  lived  now,  how  many  years? 

Mor.  I  think  about  thirty. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


411 


Min.  And  all  these  thirty  years  have  you  been  sinning  against  the  Holy  God.  Ever  since  you 
knew  how  to  do  any  thing,  you  hnve  every  day  been  guilty  of  innumerable  sins ;  you  deserve  the 
dreadful  wrath  and  curse  of  the  infinite  God.  But  God  has  brought  you  here,  to  a  place  where  you 
hove  enjoy'd  the  means  of  gra;e.  And  here  you  have  added  unto  your  old  sins  most  fearful  iniqui- 
ties: you  have  been  such  a  matchless,  prodigious  transgressor,  that  you  are  now  to  die  by  the  stroke 
of  civil  juHtice ;  tn  die  before  your  time,  for  being  wicked  overmuch.  There  is  hardly  any  sort  of 
wickedness  which  you  have  not  wallow'd  in.  That  sin  particularly  which  you  are  now  to  die  for, 
is  a  most  nu-nstrous  crime.  I  can't  possibly  describe  or  declare  the  sins  whereby  you  have  made 
yourself  an  astinishing  example  of  impiety  and  punishment. 

Mor.  0,  sir,  I  have  been  a  he'  lish  sinner.     I  am  sorry  for  what  I  have  been. 

Min.  Sorry,  you  say:  well,  te'i  me  which  of  all  your  sins  you  are  now  most  sorry  for — which 
lies  most  tieavy  ? 

Mor.  I  hope  I  am  sorry  for  all  my  sins,  but  I  must  especially  bewail  my  neglect  of  the  means  of 
grnce.  On  Sabbath  days  I  us'd  to  lie  at  home,  or  be  ill  employ'd  elsewhere,  when  I  shu^ild  have 
been  at  church.     This  has  undone  me! 

Min.  And  let  me  seriously  tell  you,  your  despising  of  Christ  is  a  most  dreadful  sin  indeed.  You 
have  for  whole  years  together  had  the  call  of  Jesus  Christ  to  seek  an  interest  in  him ;  and  you 
would  now  give  all  the  world  for  that  interest,  but  you  would  take  no  notice  of  him.  The  Jews 
of  old  put  him  to  a  worse  death  than  yours  will  be  this  afternoon,  and  by  your  contempt  of  Christ, 
you  have  said,  the  Jews  did  well  to  do  so.  How  justly  might  he  nrw  laugh  at  your  calamity? 
And  for  these  sins  of  yours,  besides  the  direful  woes  and  plagues  that  have  already  come  upon  you, 
you  are  now  expos'd  unto  the  vengeance  of  eternal  fire.  You  are  in  danger  of  being  now  quickly 
cast  into  those  exquisite  amazing  torments ;  in  comparison  of  which,  the  anguishes  which  your  body 
ever  did  feel,  or  shall  feel  before  night,  or  can  ever  feel,  are  just  nothing  at  all:  and  these  dolorous 
torments  are  such  as  never  have  an  end.  As  many  sands  as  could  lie  between  this  tarth  and  the 
Etarit  in  Heaven,  would  not  be  near  eo  many  as  the  ages,  the  endless  ages  of  these  torments. 

Mor.  But  is  there  not  mercy  for  me  in  Christ  ? 

Min.  Yes;  and  it  is  a  wonderful  thing,  that  I  have  now  further  to  tell  you.  Mind,  I  entreat  you. 
The  son  of  God  is  become  the  son  of  man;  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  both  God  and  man  in  one  per- 
son ;  and  he  is  both  sufficiently  able  and  willing  aUo  to  be  your  Saviour.  He  lived  a  most  righteous 
lile ;  and  this  was,  that  such  as  you  and  I  might  be  able  to  say  before  God,  Lord,  accept  of  me,  as 
if  I  had  lived  righteously.  He  died  at  length  a  most  cursed  death ;  and  this  was,  that  we  might 
be  able  to  say  unto  God,  Lord,  let  me  n  die  for  sin,  since  thy  son  died  in  my  room.  This  glorious 
Redeemer  is  now  in  the  highest  heaven .  pleading,  with  God  for  the  salvation  of  his  chosen  ones. 
And  he  pours  out  his  spirit  continually  upon  them  that  do  believe  on  him:  might  you  then  be  ena- 
bled by  his  grace  to  carry  your  poor,  guilty,  condemn'd,  enslav'd,  ignorant  soul  unto  Jesus  Christ, 
and  humbly  put  your  trust  in  him  tor  deliverance  from  the  whole  bad  state  which  you  are  brought 
into.  O  then  his  voice  is  to  you  ihe  same  that  was  to  the  penitent  thief,  this  day  ehalt  thou  be  with 
me  in  Paradise. 

Mor.  Oh!  that  I  might  be  so!  Sir,  I  would  hear  more  of  these  things:  I  think  I  can't  better  fit 
myself  for  my  death,  than  by  hearkening  to  these  things. 

Min.  Attend  then :  the  never  dying  spirit  that  lodges  within  you,  must  now  within  a  few  minutes 
appear  before  the  tribunal  of  the  gr-'at  Goo.  Ta  whot,  or  in  whose  righteou^^ness  will  you  then 
appear?  Will  you  have  this  to  be  your  plea,  "  Lord,  I  experienc'd  many  good  motions  and  desires 
in  my  soul,  and  many  sorrows  for  my  sin  before  I  dy'd?"  or,  will  you  expect  to  have  no  other  plea 
but  this, "  Lord  I  am  vile,  but  thy  Son  is  a  surety  for  the  worst  of  sinners  that  believe  on  him ;  for  his 
sake  alone  have  mercy  on  me?" 

Mor.  I  thank  God  for  what  he  has  wrought  in  my  soul. 

Min.  But  be  very  careful  about  this  matter:  if  you  build  on  your  own  good  affections  instead  of 
Jesus  Christ,  the  only  rock,  if  you  think  they  shall  recommend  you  to  God,  he  that  made  you,  will 
not  have  mercy  on  you. 

Mor.  I  would  be  cloathed  with  the  righteousness  of  Jesus  Christ. 

Min.  But  you  can't  sincerely  desire  that  Christ  should  justifie  you,  if  you  don't  also  desire  that  he 
should  sanctifie  you:  those  two  always  go  together.  Is  every  lust  that  has  hitherto  had  possession 
of  your  heart  become  so  loathsome  to  you,  that  it  would  fill  your  soul  with  joy  to  hear  Jesus  Christ 


.  ^1 


«i» 


'it\ 


P    1 


412 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


my,  "  I  will  subdue  those  iniquities  of  thine ;  I  will  make  an  holy,  an  heavenly,  a  spiritually  minded 
person  of  thee." 

Mnr.  I  would  not  sin  against  God  any  more. 

Min.  But  I  must  deal  plainly  with  you:  you  have  made  it  sadly  suspicious  that  your  repentance  is 
not  yet  as  it  ought  to  be.  When  men  truly  and  thoroughly  repent  of  sin,  they  use  to  be  in  a  special 
manner  watchful  against  that  sin  which  has  been  their  chief  sin  ;  one  of  your  principal  sins,  which 
has  indeed  brought  you  to  the  death  of  a  murderer,  is  passion,  unmortify'd  and  outragious  pnssion- 
atenesa:  now,  I  have  been  this  day  inform'd,  that  no  longer  since  than  the  last  night,  upon  some 
dissatisfaction  about  the  place  which  the  authority  hath  order'd  you  by  and  by  to  be  bury'd  in,  you 
did  express  yourself  with  a  most  unruly  passionatenesa. 

ATor.  Sir,  I  confess  it,  and  I  was  quickly  sorry  for  it,  though  for  the  present  I  was  too  much  dis- 
turb'd:  'twas  my  folly  to  be  so  careful  about  the  place  where  my  body  should  be  laid,  when  my 
precious  soul  was  in  such  a  condition. 

Min.  Truly,  you  have  cause  to  mourn  for  it.  Secure  the  welfare  of  your  soul,  and  this  (now)  pin 
ion'd,  hang'd,  vile  body  of  yours  will  shortly  be  rais'd  unto  glory,  glory  for  evermore.  And  let  me 
put  you  in  mind  of  one  thing  more ;  I  doubt  not  you  have  not  yet  laid  aside  your  unjust  grudges 
against  the  persons  concern'd  in  your  conviction  and  condemnation:  you  have  no  cause  to  complain 
of  them:  and  you  are  not  lit  to  pray,  much  less  are  you  fit  to  die,  till  you  heartily  wish  them  as 
well  as  your  own  soul:  if  you  die  malicious,  you  die  miserable. 

Mor.  I  heartily  wish  them  all  well;  I  bear  ill-will  to  none.  What  a  lamentable  thing  is  this! 
Ah,  this  is  that  which  has  brought  me  hither! 

Min.  What  do  you  mean  ? 

Mor.  I  over-heard  a  man  mocking  and  scoffing  at  me  when  I  stumbled  just  now :  he  does  very 
ill.  I  have  done  so  myself.  I  have  mock'd  and  scoflf'd  like  that  man,  and  see  what  it  hath  brought 
me  to :  he  may  come  to  the  like. 

Min.  The  Lord  forgive  that  foolish  h.ird-heaited  creature.     But  be  not  too  much  diaturb'd. 

Mor.  Yonder!  I  am  now  come  in  sight  of  the  place  where  I  must  immediately  end  my  days. 
Oh,  what  a  huge  multitude  of  people  is  come  to(rether  on  this  occasion.  O  Lord,  O  Lord  I  I  pray 
thee  to  make  my  death  profitable  to  all  this  multitude  of  people,  that  they  moy  not  sin  against  thee 
as  I  have  done. 

Min.  Amen,  Amen,  ten  thousand  times;  the  Lord  God  Almi^^hty  say  Amen  to  this  prayer  of 
yours!  It  would  indeed  be  an  excellent  thing,  if  you  would  now  come  to  receive  your  death,  with 
some  satisfaction  of  soul  in  this  thought,  that  much  glory  is  like  to  come  io  God  by  it:  I  am  verily 
perswaded  God  intends  to  do  good  to  many  souls  by  means  of  your  execution.  This  is  a  greater 
honour  than  you  are  worthy  of 

[After  the  discourse  had  been  intermitted  about  a  minute  or  two  by 
reason  of  the  mirey  way.] 

Mor.  I  beseech  you,  sir,  speak  to  me.  Do  me  all  the  good  you  can :  my  time  grows  very  short : 
your  discourse  fits  me  for  my  death  more  than  any  thing. 

Min.  I  am  sorry  so  small  a  thing  as  a  plat<hy  street  should  moke  me  lose  one  minute  of  this 
more  than  ordinary  precious  time;  a  few  paces  more  bring  you  to  the  place  which  you  have  now 
in  your  eye,  from  whence  you  shall  not  come  back  alive.     Do  you  find  yourself  afraid  to  die  there? 

Mor.  Sir,  if  it  were  not  for  the  condition  that  my  soul  must  by  and  by  be  in,  I  should  not  fear  my 
death  at  all ;  but  I  have  a  little  comfort  from  some  of  Ood's  promises  about  that. 

Min.  And  what  shall  I  now  sayT  These  are  among  the  last  words  that  I  can  have  liberty  to 
leave  with  you.  Poor  man!  thou  art  now  going  to  knock  at  the  door  of  heaven,  and  to  beg  ond 
cry,  "  Lord,  Lord,  o-,"n  to  me!"  The  only  way  for  thee  to  speed,  is  to  open  the  door  of  thy  own 
soul  now  untr  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Do  this,  and  thou  shalt  undoubtedly  be  admitted  into  the 
glories  of  his  heavenly  kingdom:  you  shall  fare  os  well  as  Manasseh  did  before  you;  leove  \\\\i 
t'ndone,  and  there  is  nothing  remains  for  you  but  tha  "worm  which  dieth  not  and  the  fire  which 
never  shall  be  quench'd." 

Mor.  Sir,  shew  me  then  again  what  I  have  to  do. 

Min.  The  voice,  the  sweet  voice  of  the  Lord  Jenus  Christ  (who  was  once  hang'd  on  a  tree,  to 
take  uway  the  sting  and  curse  of  even  such  a  diaih  as  yours)  unto  all  that  clui<c  with  him,  his  liia- 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


413 


renly  voice  now  is,  "  O  that  I  nnd  my  saving  vi-ork  might  be  entertained,  kindly  entreated,  in  that 
poor  peris^hing  soul  of  thine !"     Are  you  willing? 

Alor.  I  hope  I  am. 

Min.  His  voice  further  is, "  If  I  am  lodg'd  in  thy  soul,  I'll  sprinkle  my  blood  upon  it ;  and  on  my 
account  thou  shalt  find  favour  with  God."     Do  you  consent  to  this? 

Mor,  This  I  want. 

Min.  But  this  is  not  all  that  he  saith ;  his  voice  further  is, "  If  I  come  into  thy  soul,  I  will  change 
it ;  I  will  make  all  sin  bitter  to  it ;  I  will  make  it  an  holy,  heavenly  soul."  Do  you  value  this  above 
the  profTera  of  all  the  world  7 

Mor.  I  think  I  do.  And  now,  sir,  I  must  go  no  further.  Look  here — what  a  solemn  sight  is 
this!  Here  lies  the  coffin  which  this  body  of  mine  must  presently  be  laid  in.  I  thank  you,  dear 
eir,  for  what  you  have  already  done  for  me. 

Min.  When  you  are  gone  up  this  ladder,  my  last  service  with  you  before  you  are  gone  off  will 
be  to  pray  with  you ;  but  I  would  here  take  my  leave  of  you.  Oh,  that  I  might  meet  you  at  the 
right  hand  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  last  day !  Farewel,  poor  heart,  fare  thee  well.  The 
everlasting  arms  receive  thee !  the  Lord  Jesus,  the  merciful  Saviour  of  souls,  take  possession  of  thy 
spirit  for  himself!  The  great  God,  who  is  a  great  forgiver,  grant  thee  repentance  unto  life ;  and 
glorifie  himself  in  the  salvation  of  such  a  wounded  soul  us  thine  forever!  With  him,  and  with  his 
free,  rich,  marvellous,  infinite  grace,  I  leave  you. — Farewel. 

Being  arrived  unto  the  place  of  execution,  his  last  speech  upon  the  lad- 
der, then  taken  in  short  hand,  was  that  which  is  here  inserted: 

"I  pray  God  that  I  may  be  a  warning  to  you  all,  and  that  I  may  be  the  last  that  ever  shall 
suffer  after  this  manner.  In  the  fear  of  God  I  warn  you  to  have  a  care  of  taking  the  Lord's 
name  in  vain.  Mind,  and  have  a  care  of  that  sin  of  drunkenness:  for  that  sin  leads  to  all 
manner  of  sins  and  wickedness:  (mind,  and  iiave  a  care  of  breaking  the  si.xth  commandment, 
where  it  is  said,  'Thou  shalt  do  no  murthcr,')  for  when  a  man  is  in  drink,  he  is  ready  to  coin, 
mit  all  manner  of  sin,  till  he  fill  up  the  cup  of  the  wrath  of  God,  as  I  have  done  by  committing 
that  sin  of  murder. 

"I  beg  of  God,  as  I  am  a  dying  man,  and  to  appear  before  the  Lord  within  a  few  minutes, 
that  you  may  take  notice  of  what  I  say  to  you.  Have  a  care  of  drunkenness,  and  ill  company, 
and  mind  all  good  instruction;  nnd  don't  turn  your  back  upon  the  word  of  God,  as  I  have 
done.  When  I  have  been  at  meeting,  I  have  gone  out  of  the  meeting-house  to  commit  .sin, 
and  to  please  the  lusts  of  my  flesh.  Don't  make  a  mock  at  any  poor  object  of  pity  •  but  bless 
God  that  he  has  not  left  you  as  he  has  justly  done  me,  to  commit  that  horrid  sin  of  murder, 

"Another  thing  that  I  have  to  say  to  you  is,  to  have  a  care  of  that  house  where  that  wick- 
edness  was  committed,  and  where  I  have  been  partly  ruin'd  by.  But  here  I  am,  and  know 
not  what  will  become  of  my  poor  soul,  which  is  within  a  few  moments  of  eternity.  I  iiave 
muider'd  a  poor  man,  who  had  but  little  time  to  repent,  and  I  know  not  what  has  become 
of  his  poor  soul.  O,  that  I  may  make  use  of  this  opportunity  that  I  have!  O,  that  i  may 
make  impro\ement  of  this  little,  little  time,  before  I  go  hence  and  be  no  more!  O,  let  all 
mind  what  I  am  saying,  now  I  am  going  out  of  this  world!  O,  take  warning  by  me,  and  beg 
of  God  to  keep  you  from  this  sin,  which  has  '>ecn  my  ruine!" 

His  last  words  were,  "0  Lord  receive  my  spirit!  I  come  unto  thee,  0 
Lord — I  come  unto  thee,  0  Lord — I  come,  I  come,  I  come." 

(VIIL)  One  Hugh  Stone,  upon  a  quarrel  between  himself  and  his 
wife,  about  selling  a  piece  of  land,  having  some  words,  .-is  tlioy  were  walk* 
iiig  together  on  a  f"jr*^^ain  evening,  very  barbarously  roacliM  a  stroke  at 
her  throat,  with  a  sharp  knife;  and  by  that  one  stroke  felch'd  away  tho 


414 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


soul  of  her  who  had  made  him  a  father  of  several  children,  and  would  have 
bro't  yet  another  to  him  if  she  had  liv'd  a  few  weeks  longer  in  the  world. 

The  wretched  man  was  too  soon  surpriz'd  by  his  neighbours  to  be 
capable  of  denying  the  fact;  and  so  he  pleaded  guilty  upon  his  tryal. 

There  was  a  minister  that  walk'd  with  him  to  his  execution;  and  I 
shall  insert  the  principal  passages  of  the  discourses  between  'em;  in 
which  the  reader  may  find  or  make  something  useful  to  himself,  wliat 
ever  it  were  to  the  poor  man,  who  was  more  immediately  concerned  in  it : 


Minister.  I  am  come  to  give  you  what  assistance  I  can  in  your  taking  of  the  steps,  which  your 
eternal  voeal  or  too  now  depends  upon  the  well  or  ill  taking  of. 

Hugh  Slone.  Sir,  I  thank  you,  and  I  beg  you  to  do  what  you  can  for  me. 

Min.  Within  a  few  minutes,  your  immortal  soul  must  appear  before  God,  the  judge  of  all.  I 
am  heartily  sorry  you  have  lost  so  much  time  since  your  dm  imprisonment :  you  had  need  use  a 
wonderful  husbandry  of  the  little  piece  of  an  inch  which  now  remains.  Are  you  now  prepared  to 
stand  before  the  tribunal  of  God  7 

H.  S.  I  hope  I  am. 

Min.  And  what  reason  for  that  hope  ? 

H.  S.  I  find  all  my  sins  made  so  bitter  to  me,  that  if  I  were  to  have  my  life  given  me  this  after- 
noon, to  live  such  a  life  as  I  have  liv'd  heretofore,  I  would  not  accept  of  it.     I  had  rather  die. 

Min.  That  is  well,  if  it  be  true.  But  suffer  me  a  little  to  search  into  the  condition  of  your  soul. 
Are  you  sensible  that  you  were  born  a  sinner  7  that  the  guilt  of  the  first  sin  committed  by  Adam 
is  justly  charged  upon  you  7  and  that  you  have  hereupon  a  wicked  nature  in  you,  full  of  enmity 
against  all  that  is  holy,  and  just,  and  good!  for  which  you  deserved  to  be  destroy'd  as  soon  as  you 
first  came  into  this  world  7 

H.  S.  I  am  sene^ible  of  this. 

Min.  Are  you  further  sensible,  that  you  have  liv'd  a  very  ungodly  life  7  that  you  are  guilty  of 
thousands  of  actual  sins,  every  one  of  which  detervea  the  uirath  and  curie  of  God,  both  in  thit 
life,  and  that  which  t«  to  come  ? 

H.  S.  I  am  sensible  of  this  also. 

Min.  But  are  you  sensible  that  you  have  broken  all  the  laws  of  God  7  You  know  the  com- 
mandmenta.     Are  you  sens-ible  that  you  hove  broken  every  one  of  them  7 

H,  S.  I  cannot  well  answer  to  that.  My  answer  may  be  liable  to  some  exceptions. — This  I 
own,  I  have  broken  every  commandment  on  the  account  mention'd  by  the  apostle  James  ;  that  he 
who  "  breaks  one,  is  guilty  of  all ;"  but  not  otherwise. 

Min.  Alas,  that  you  know  yourself  no  better  than  so !  I  do  affirm  to  you  that  you  have  partic- 
ularly broken  every  one  of  the  commandments ;  and  you  must  be  sensible  of  it. 

H.  S.  I  cannot  see  it. 

Min.  But  you  must  remember  that  (Ae  eommnndment  ia  exceeding  broad ;  it  reaches  to  the 
heart  as  well  as  the  life  :  it  excludes  oinisNions  as  well  os  commissions ;  and  it  nt  once  both  requires 
and  forbids.  But,  I  pray,  make  an  experiment  upon  any  one  comniondnietit,  in  which  you  cuunt 
your  self  most  innocent :  and  see  whether  you  do  not  presently  confess  your  self  guilty  thereabout. 
I  may  not  leave  this  point  slightly  pass'd  over  with  you. 

//.  5.  That  commandment,  "  thou  shall  not  make  to  thy  self  any  graven  image  ;"  how  hove  I 
broken  ii  7 

Min.  Thus:  yuu  have  had  undue  images  of  God  in  your  mind  a  thousnnd  tiini-s.  But  more 
than  to  ;  that  commandment  not  only  forbids  our  u^ing  the  inventions  of  n.i^'n  ill  the  worship  of 
God,  but  it  also  requires  our  Uf^ing  all  the  institutions  of  God.  Now,  have  not  you  tiiony  and 
many  n  time  turn'd  your  back  upon  sonte  of  those  glorious  institutions  7 

//.  S.  Indeed,  sir,  I  confess  it;  I  see  riiy  sinfulnifss  greater  than  i  thought  it  was. 

Min.  You  ought  lo  see  it.  God  help  you  to  see  it '  there  is  a  btiundlesa  ocean  of  it,  And  ttvn 
fur  that  SIN  which  has  now  brought  a  shnnicful  death  upon  you, 'tis  iiupossihie  to  declnre  the  ogi^tii- 
vations  of  it ;  hardly  an  age  will  show  the  like,     You  have  professed  your  self  sorry  fur  it ! 


OB,    THE    HI8T0EY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


415 


H.  S.  I  am  heartily  so. 

Min.  But  your  sorrows  must  be  after  a  godly  tort.  Not  merely  because  of  the  miseries  which 
it  has  brought  on  your  outward  man,  but  chiefly  for  the  wrongt  and  wound*  therein  given  to  your 
own  soul ;  and  not  only  for  the  miseries  you  have  brought  on  your  self,  but  chiefly  for  the  injuries 
which  you  have  done  to  the  blessed  God. 

H.  S.  I  hope  my  sorrow  lies  there. 

Min.  But  do  you  mourn  without  hope  ? 

H.  S.  I  thank  God  I  do  not. 

Min.  Where  do  you  see  a  door  of  hope  ? 

H.  S.  In  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  has  died  to  save  sinners. 

Min.  Truly,  "  there  is  no  other  name  by  which  we  may  be  saved  V  The  righteousness  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  that  alone  in  which  you  may  safely  onon  appear  bt^fore  the  judgment  seat  of 
God.  And  that  righteousness  is,  by  the  mcrvellous  and  infinite  "  grace  of  God,"  oflered  unto  you. 
But  do  you  find  that,  as  you  have  no  righteousness,  so  you  have  no  strength  ? — that  yoa  cannot  of 
your  telf  move  or  stir  towards  the  Lord  Jest's  Christ ;  though  you  justly  perish  if  you  do  not  run 
unto  him  7  that  it  is  the  "  grace  of  God"  alone  which  must  enable  you  to  accept  of  salvation  from 
the  great  Saviour  ? 

H.  S.  Sir,  my  case,  in  short,  is  this :  I  have  laid  my  self  at  the  feet  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  for 
ray  salvation  ;  and,  had  it  not  been  for  his  meer  grace  and  help,  I  hdd  never  been  able  to  do  that. 
But  there  I  have  laid  and  left  my  self;  I  have  nothing  to  plead,  why  He  should  accept  of  me.  If 
He  will  do  it,  /  am  happy ;  but  if  he  will  not,  lam  undone  for  ever :  it  had  been  good  for  me  that 
I  had  never  been  born. 

Min.  And  you  must  justifie  him,  if  he  should  reject  you.  You  surprize  me  with  at  once  giving 
me  so  much  of  the  discourse,  which  all  this  while  I  have  been  labouring  for.  I  can  add  but  this: 
the  good  Lord  make  you  sincere  in  what  you  say  ! — Your  crime  lay  in  blood;  and  your  help  also, 
that  lies  in  hlnod.  I  am  to  ofler  you  the  hUmd  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  that  in  which  you  may 
now  have  the  pardon  of  all  your  sins.  Now,  you  may  try  the  sincerity  of  your  faith  in  the  blood 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  for  a  pardon,  by  this. 

H.  S.  Do,  sir. 

Min.  The  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  is  not  only  sin-pardonmg  blood,  but  also  soul-purifying  and 
heart-softening  blood.  It  embitters  all  sin  unto  the  soul  that  it  is  applied  unto,  and  mortifies  every 
lust  in  such  a  soul.     Are  you  desirous  of  this  I 

H.  S.  With  all  my  heart. 

Min.  The  Lord  moke  you  so !  The  Lord  seal  your  pardon  in  that  blood,  which  is  worth  ten 
thousand  worids !  But  what  will  you  do  for  that  God  who  has  given  you  these  hopes  of  a  pardon  1 
You  must  now  with  a  holy  ingenuity  do  something  fur  the  honour  of  that  God  whom  you  have  sinned 
■o  much  against. 

H.  S.  What  shall  I  do  ? 

Min.  Why,  confess  ond  bewail  the  sins  (hat  have  undone  you ;  and  publickly  advise,  and  exhort, 
and  charge  all  that  you  con,  to  take  heed  of  such  evil  ways. 

H.  S.  I  will  endeavour  to  do  it,  as  God  shall  help  me. 

Min.  I  pruy,  tell  me  plainly  what  special  sin  do  you  think  it  was  that  laid  the  first  foundation  of 
your  destruction  1     Where  did  you  begin  to  leave  God,  and  ruine  your  self) 

H.  S.  It  was  contention  in  my  family.  I  had  been  used  unto  something  of  religion  :  and  I  wai 
once  cartful  about  the  worship  of  God,  not  only  with  tny  family,  but  in  secret  also.  But  upon 
contention  between  me  and  my  wife,  I  Irfl  uiT  the  ways  of  God,  and  you  see  whnt  I  am  come  to. 

Min.  I  would  pray  you  to  vomit  up  all  sin,  with  a  very  hearty  detestation.  You  are  going  (if 
I  may  so  ppenk)  to  dingorge  your  soul;  if  you  do  not  first  cast  up  your  sin — if  your  sour. and  your 
■in  come  away  together — you  cannot  but  know  something  of  the  dismal  condition  which  it  must 
pass  into.  0,  what  cause  have  you  to  full  out  with  sin  for  ever !  It  has  been  your  only  enemy. 
Here  is  the  only  revenge  which  you  may  allow  in  your  self  You  must  not  now  bear  any  malice 
against  any  one  man  in  the  world,  but  forgive  even  those  that  have  done  you  the  greatest  injuries. 
Only  upon  sin  be  as  revengeful  as  you  can  ;  I  would  have  you,  like  Sampson,  so  to  die,  taking  nf 
a  just  revenge. 

//.  S.  I  hope  I  thall. 


i     i' 


i'i 


I     i 


I 


416 


MAGXALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


Min.  Well,  we  are  now  but  a  very  few  paces  from  the  place  where  you  must  breathe  your  last. 
You  are  just  going  to  take  a  most  awful  step,  which  has  this  most  remarkable  in  it :  that  it  cannot  be 
twice  taken.  If  you  go  wrong  now,  it  cannot  be  recalled  throughout  the  days  of  eternity.  I  lan 
but  commit  you  into  the  arms  of  a  merciful  Redeemer,  that  he  may  keep  you  from  a  miscarriaire 
which  cannot  be  recalled  and  redressed  throughout  eternal  ages.  The  Lord  shew  unto  you  \\,e 
path  of  life.  Attend  unto  these  as  the  last  words  that  I  may  speak  before  he  prayer,  with  which 
I  am  immediately  to  i?ke  a  long  fnrewel  of  you.  You  are  now  just  going  to  be  confirmed  for 
ever.  If  the  great  God  presently  find  you  under  the  power  of  prejudice  against  any  of  his  truths 
and  ways,  or  of  enmity  against  what  has  his  blessed  name  upon  it,  you  shall  be  fix'd,  and  settl'J, 
and  confirmed  in  it,  until  the  very  heavens  be  no  more.  But  they  are  very  lerrible  plagues  and 
paina,  which  you  may  be  sure  will  accompany  this  everlasting  disposition  of  your  soul.  On  the 
other  side,  if  God  now  find  your  soul  under  the  power  of  inclination  to  love  him,  fear  him,  serve 
him  ;  and  to  esteem  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  above  a  thousand  worlds ;  you  shall  then  be  confirnic d 
in  the  perfection  of  such  a  temper,  and  of  all  the  joy  that  must  accompany  it.  Whi(  h  of  these  is 
the  condition  that  I  now  leave  you  in  ? 

H.  S.  Sir,  I  hope  the  latter  of  them. 

Mitt.  The  good  God  make  it  so !  and  grant  that  I  may  find  you  at  the  right  hand  of  the  Lord 
Jesus,  "in  the  day  of  his  appearing."  May  this  ladder  prove  as  a  Jacob's  ladder  for  you,  and.  ni.iy 
you  find  the  angels  of  the  Lord  Jesus  ready  here  to  convey  your  departing  soul  into  the  presence 
of  the  Lord ! 

After  this  discourse,  ascending  the  ladder,  he  made  the  following  speech : 

"  Young  Men  and  Maids  :  Observe  the  rule  of  obedience  to  your  parents,  and  servants  to 
your  musters,  according  to  the  will  of  God,  nnd  to  do  the  will  of  your  masters:  if  you  take 
up  wicked  ways,  you  set  open  a  gate  to  your  sins,  to  lead  in  bigger  afterwards:  thou  canst 
not  do  any  thing  but  God  will  see  thee;  although  thou  thickest  thou  shalt  not  be  cateh'd, 
thou  thinkest  to  hide  thyself  in  secret,  when  as  God  in  heaven  can  see  thee,  though  thou 
hast  hid  it  from  man.  And  when  thou  gocai  to  thievery,  thy  wickedness  is  discovered,  and 
thou  art  found  guilty.  O,  young  woman,  that  is  married,  and  young  man,  look  on  me  here: 
be  sure  in  that  solemn  engagement  you  are  obliged  to  one  another;  marriage  is  an  ordinanie 
of  God;  have  a  care  of  breaking  that  bond  of  marriage-union:  if  the  husband  provoke 
his  wife,  and  cause  a  difference,  he  sins  against  God:  and  so  does  she,  in  such  carriage-;  for 
she  is  bound  to  be  an  obedient  wife.  O,  you  parents  that  give  your  children  in  marriages 
remember  what  I  have  to  say:  you  must  take  notice  when  you  give  them  in  marriage,  ycni 
give  them  freely  to  the  Lord;  and  free  them  from  that  service  and  command  you  ought  to 
have;  yet  you  ought  to  have  a  tender  regard  to  them. 

"O  thou  that  takest  no  care  to  lead  thy  life  civilly  and  honestly,  and  then  "ommiltest  that 
abominable  sin  of  murder;  liere  is  this  murderer — look  upon  him;  and  see  ..itw  many  are 
come,  will;  their  eyes  to  behold  this  man,  thut  abhors  himself  before  God;  that  is  the  sin 
that  I  abhor  my  self  for,  and  desire  you,  take  example  by  me.  There  are  here  a  great  many 
young  people,  and,  ()  Lord,  that  they  may  be  thy  servants! 

"Have  a  care;  don't  sin-  I  will  tell  you,  that  I  wish  I  never  had  had  the  opportunity  to 
do  such  a  murder.  If  you  say,  when  a  person  has  provoked  you,  'I  will  kill  him;'  'tis  a 
thousand  to  one  but  the  next  time  you  will  do  it. 

"  Now  I  commit  myself  into  the  hands  of  Almighty  God." 


HIS    PHAYER. 

"0  Lord,  our  good  God,  thou  art  a  merciful  God,  and  a  gracious  nnd  loving  Father ;  alas, 
that  thou  whouldest  nourish  up  children  that  have  rebell'd  against  thee!  C)  Lord,  I  must 
confess,  thou  gavest  mo  opportunity  to  read  thy  written  word;  thou  art  also  my  (^-eatdr 
and  preserver:  but.  Lord,  I  have  not  done  according  to  the  oflers  of  thy  grace;  tlimi  hast  not 
hid  from  me  the  opportunities  of  the  good  things  and  liberty  of  thy  house  and  ordinances. 
but  I  havu  waxed  wanton  under  the  enjoyment  of  them.    I  have  /,'iven  theo  just  cause  to 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


417 


provoke  tlioo  to  anger,  and  thou  hiist  left  me  to  shame,  not  only  on  my  self,  but  on  my  rela< 
tioiiH.    O,  Lord  God,  I  do  confess  that  I  have  sinned  against  thee,  and  done  all  tliesc 
iniiiuities  ngninst  thco,  and  before  thine  eyes.    Lord,  I  have  sinned  especially  against  thee; 
pardon  my  sins  of  youtli ;  Lord,  pardon  this  bloody  sin  I  stand  here  guilty  of.    O  Lord 
hide  not  thy  ftico  from  me,  I  humbly  beg  it  of  thee :  for  there  is  no  man  can  redeem  his 
brother's  soul,  but  only  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ  must  do  it.    Let  it  be  sufficient  to  satisfie 
for  my  poor  soul.    I  have  not  done  any  thing  that  thou  should'st  be  pleased  to  shew  me  thy 
love ;  or  that  I  should  have  any  thing  from  thee,  but  only  everlasting  misery.    I  am  unworthy 
to  come  to  thee ;  yet,  Lord,  for  thy  mercy's  sake  have  pity  on  me.    Now  I  onri  coming  to 
judgment,  Loni,  let  the  arms  of  thy  mercy  receive  my  soul,  and  let  my  sir  be  remitted: 
Good  Lord,  let  not  my  sins  which  condemn  mo  here  in  this  world,  rise  up  to  condemn  me 
in  the  world  to  come ;  though  they  have  condemned  me  in  this  world,  shew  mercy,  Lord, 
when  I  come  buforo  tliy  judgment  seat.    If  my  soul  be  not  humbled,  Lord,  humble  it :  let 
my  petition  be  acceptable  in  heaven,  thy  holy  mountain.    1  am  unworthy  to  come  into  thy 
presence ;  yet,  O,  let  nio  come  into  thy  kingdom ;  and  deliver  my  soul  from  blood^uilliness, 
in  the  blood  of  Jesus  Christ.     O,  let  my  wounded  soul  mourn  for  my  sin  that  hath  brought 
mo  horo.    Sin  brings  ruin  to  the  poor  soul ;  wo  is  unto  me  for  mine  iniquity.    If  I  had  gone  to 
prayer  in  the  mnrniiif;  when  I  committed  this  sin,  Lord  God,  thou  wouldest  have  kept  back  my  hands 
from  shedding  imuxeut  t/oorf.    O,  gracious  God,  remember  thou  me  in  mercy ;  let  me  be  an  ob- 
ject of  thy  pity,  and  not  of  thy  wrath ;  the  Lord  hear  me,  and  p.ardon  my  sins.    Take  care  of 
my  poor  children.     I  have  scattered  them  like  strngling  sheep  flying  before  the  wolf:  pity  the 
poor  childivn,  that  go  like  so  many  lambs  that  have  lost  their  keeper;  that  they  may  not 
come  to  such  a  death  as  I  do!     Lord,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  righteousness  of 
thy  Son,  accept  my  soul,  and  receive  me  into  the  arms  of  thy  mercy,  that  1  may  enjoy  ever- 
lostiiig  rest.    Pai-don  ail  my  sins ;  and  let  the  prayers  of  all  those  that  put  up  their  petitions 
for  me,  bo  accepted,  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ.     Now  I  am  coming,  now  J  am  coming; 
thou  niiiyost  say, '  I  called  to  thee,  and  thou  wouldest  not  come.'    I  must  say,  my  sin  brought 
me  hero ;  O,  the  world,  and  the  corrupt  nature  of  man,  that  has  proved  my  ruine!    O  Lord, 
good  Lord,  let  n>e  enjoy  rest  for  my  soul.    The  desire  of  my  soul  is  to  be  with  thee  in  thy 
kingdom;  let  me  have  a  share  in  that  kingdom.    Now  is  the  time.  Lord  Jesus;  the  grave  is 
opening  its  mouth,    I  am  now  living,  tho'  dead  in  sin ;  let  my  prayers  be  heard  in  heaven, 
thy  holy  place:  thy  hands  have  made  me,  and  I  know  thou  canst  save  me:  hide  not  thy  face 
from  me ;  and  atVeot  the  hearts  of  thy  people  with  this  sud  object,  that  they  my  labour  to 
8pr\'o  thee  betimes,  and  may  not  give  themselves  up  to  prophaneness  and  wickedness, 
especially  that  sin  of  drunkenness,  which  is  an  inlet  of  all  abominations." 

["Wlien  thou  hast  thy  head  full  of  drink,  the  remembrance  of  God  is  out  of  thy  heart; 
and  tiuiu  art  unprepared  to  commit  thy  self  and  family  unto  God;  thou  art  unfit  to  come 
into  God's  presence.  1  have  cause  to  cry  out,  and  be  asham'd  of  it,  that  I  am  guilty  of  it, 
because  I  gave  way  to  that  sin  more  than  any  other,  and  then  God  did  leave  me  to  practice 
wickedness,  and  to  murder  tliat  dear  woman,  whom  I  should  have  taken  a  great  deal  of 
contentuuM\t  in,  which,  if  I  had  done,  I  had  not  been  here  to  suficr  this  death."] 

••T'h»u  art  holy,  just,  and  good,  and  therefore,  O  Ijord,  have  mercy  on  me,  for  tho  sake  of 
thy  Son  pity  me,  now.  Lord,  I  am  coming.    O,  timt  I  could  do  thee  better  servii-e !" 

["  Many  of  you  tlmt  behold  me,  I  know  wish  you  never  had  seen  me  here."] 

"Lortl,  receive  my  soul  into  a  better  place  if  it  bo  thy  blessed  will:  'Tis  a  day  of  groat 
trouble  with  n>e;  my  soul  is  greatly  troubled:  give  me  one  glimpse  of  comfort  in  thy  king- 
dom:  by  and  by  let  me  have  one  dram  of  thy  grace.  Accept  of  me  now  at  this  time;  'tis 
tho  last  time:  good  Lord,  deny  me  not;  give  me,  as  tiie  woman  of  Samaria,  a  taste  of  that 
living  water,  that  my  soul  may  thirst  no  more.    I  beg  it  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  ylmen."' 

Aflor  t1n8,  ho  was,  by  tho  prayers  of  a  minister  then  present,  recom- 
mondod  unto  tlio  divine  mercy.     Whioh  being  done,  the  poor  man  poured 
Vol.  II.— 27 


II 


!'!' 


liii! 


;    J 


i;. 


.  1 


i;  I. 

ill' 

i 

1 


418 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


out  a  few  broken  ejaculations,  in  the  midst  of  which  he  waa  turned  over 
into  that  eternity  which  we  must  leave  him  in, 

THE  SPEECH  OF  HUGH  STONE  IN  THE   PRISON,  THE   MORNING  BEFORE   HIS   EXECUTION. 

When  young  people  ar^  marry'd,  they  make  use  of  prayer  in  their 
families,  and  when  they  pray,  they  do  believe  there  is  sincerity  and  adVo- 
tion  in  their  prayer:  But  when  difference  between  a  man  and  his  wife 
doth  arise,  then  that  doth  occasion  hindrance  of  prayer  in  their  family : 
And  when  prayer  is  wholly  omitted,  it  lets  in  all  confusion,  and  every 
evil  work.  He  said  "That  he  used  to  pray  in  his  family;  but  when  ho 
did  pray,  it  was  in  a  formal  manner;  but  now,  from  the  consideration  of 
eternity  that  he  was  going  into,  he  was  made  the  more  considerate  in  his 
prayers  that  he  made,  and  did  hope  that  now  he  had  the  spirit  of  prayer 
in  his  praying." 

(IX.)  On  June  8, 1693,  two  young  women,  (the  one  English,  the  other 
negro,)  were  executed  at  Boston  for  murdering  their  bastard-children. 

The  English  young  woman  gave  to  the  minister  who  preach'd  that  after- 
noon the  following  paper  of  confessions  which  he  took  occasion  in  his 
sermon  to  publish  unto  the  congregation,  where  she  also  was  then  present 
before  the  Lord : 

"  I  am  a  miserable  sinner ;  and  I  have  justly  provok'd  the  holy  God  to  leave  me  unto 
that  folly  of  my  own  heart,  for  which  I  am  now  condemned  to  die.  I  cannot  but  see  much 
of  the  anger  of  God  ugninst  me,  in  the  circumstances  of  my  woful  death.  He  hath  fultillcd 
upon  me  that  word  of  his,  '  Evil  pursueth  sinners.'  I  therefore  desire  humbly  to  contuais 
my  many  sins  before  God  and  the  world;  but  most  particularly  my  blood  ^  uitiness. 

"Before  the  birth  of  my  twin-infants,  I  too  much  parlied  with  the  temptations  of  the  devil 
to  smother  my  wickedness  by  murthering  of  them.  At  length,  when  they  were  born,  I  was 
not  unsensible  that  at  least  one  of  them  was  alive;  but  such  a  wretch  was  I,  as  to  use  a 
murderous  carriage  towards  them,  in  the  place  where  I  lay,  on  purpose  to  dispatcli  them 
out  of  the  world.  I  acknowledge  that  I  have  been  more  hard  hearted  than  the  sea-monsters: 
And  yet,  for  the  pardon  of  these  my  sins,  I  would  fly  to  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  which  is  the  only 'fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  uncleanness.'  I  know  not  how 
better  'to  glorifle  God,'  for  giving  me  such  an  opportunity  as  I  have  had  to  make  sure  of 
his  mercy,  than  by  advising  and  entreating  the  rising  generation  here  to  take  warning  by  ray 
example ;  and  I  will  therefore  tell  the  sins  that  have  brought  me  to  my  shameful  end.  I  do 
warn  all  people,  and  especially  young  people,  against  the  sin  of  uncleanness  in  particular: 
'Tis  that  sin  that  hath  been  my  ruine.  Well  had  it  been  for  me,  if  I  hud  answered  all 
temptations  to  that  sin  as  Joseph  did,  'How  shall  I  do  this  wickedness,  and  sin  against  God? 
But,  I  see,  bad  company  is  that  which  leads  to  that,  and  all  other  sins:  And  I  therefore  beg 
all  that  love  their  souls  to  be  familiar  with  none  but  such  as  fear  God.  I  believe  the  chief 
thing  that  hath  brought  me  into  my  present  condition,  is  my  disobedience  to  my  parents:  I 
despised  all  their  godly  counsels  and  reproofs;  and  I  was  always  of  an  haughty,  stubborn 
spirit.  So  that  now  I  am  bciome  a  dreadful  instance  of  the  curse  of  God  belonging  to 
disobedient  children.  I  must  bewail  this  also,  that  although  I  was  baptized,  yet  when  I  grew 
up,  I  forgot  the  bonds  that  were  laid  upon  me  to  bo  the  Lord's.  Had  I  given  my  self  to 
God,  as  soon  as  I  was  capable  to  consider  that  I  had  been  in  baptism  set  a-part  for  him,  how 
happy  had  I  been!    It  was  my  delay  to  repent  of  my  former  sins,  that  provoked  God  to 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


419 


\ 


leave  me  unto  the  crimes  for  which  I  am  now  to  die.  Hud  I  seriously  repented  ui  my 
uiiclennness  the  first  time  I  fell  into  it,  I  do  suppose  I  had  not  been  left  unto  what  followed. 
Let  all  take  it  from  me:  they  li  tie  think  what  they  do,  when  they  put  off  turning  from  sin 
to  God,  and  resist  the  striving!  of  the  Holy  Spirit  I  fear  'tis  for  this  that  I  have  been 
given  up  to  such  'hardness  of  leart,'  not  only  since  my  long  imprisonment,  but  also  since 
my  just  condemnation.  I  now  know  not  what  will  become  of  my  distressed,  perishing  soul. 
But  I  would  humbly  commit  it  unto  the  mercy  of  Goti  in  Jesus  Christ.    Amen." 

(X.)  In  the  year  1694  a  miserable  Indian,  called  Zachary,  was  exe- 
cuted for  murder.  He  understood  so  very  little  English,  that  it  put  the 
English  minister,  who  after  his  condemnation  visited  him,  unto  an  inex- 
pressible deal  of  trouble  to  convey  unto  him  the  principles  and  the 
directions  of  our  holy  religion.  But  the  Lord  so  succeeded  the  endeavours 
used  upon  the  wretched  salvage,  that  within  a  little  while,  he  could  give 
a  sensible,  tho'  a  shattered  account,  of  the  fundamentals  in  Christianity. 
And  such  an  impression  had  the  doctrines  of  grace  upon  him,  that  he 
professed  himself  desirous  rather  to  die  than  to  live  at  his  own  sinful 
rate.  He  seemed  even  to  long  for  his  execution,  that  so  he  might  be 
delivered  from  all  disposition  to  sin  against  God.  But  all  his  hopes  of 
everlasting  salvation  he  seemed  very  suitably  to  place  on  the  obedience 
which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  yielded  unto  God  in  the  room  of  sinners. 

Of  this  poor  creature,  nothing  had  been  here  mentioned,  if  it  had  not 
been  to  introduce  the  mention  of  this  one  passage.  He  said  that  the  thing 
which  undid  him  was  this :  He  had  begun  to  come  and  hear  the  preaching 
of  the  gospel  among  the  Indians;  but  he  minded  the  Indian  preacher,  how 
he  liv'd;  and  he  saw  plainly  that  the  preacher  minded  his  bottle  more 
than  his  Bible:  he  lov'd  rhum  too  well;  and  when  his  .hum  was  in  him, 
he  would  quarrel  with  other  people,  and  with  himself  particularly. 
This  (he  said)  prejudic'd  him  against  the  gospel.  So  he  liv'd  as  a  Pagan 
still,  and  would  be  drunt;  too;  and  his  drunkenness  had  brought  all  this 
misery  upon  him. 

(XL)  In  the  year  1698  was  executed  at  Springfield  one  Sarah  Smith. 
Her  despising  the  continual  counsels  and  warnings  of  her  godly  father-in- 
law  laid  the  foundation  of  her  destruction.  When  she  was  married,  she 
added  unto  the  crime  of  adultery  that  of  stealing;  which  latter  crime 
occasioned  her  to  fly  unto  New-Jersey.  Afterwards,  coming  to  reside  in 
Deerfield,  her  (second)  husband  was  carry 'd  captive  unto  Canada:  But  the 
woman,  in  grievous  horror  of  mind  for  the  breaches  of  the  seventh  and 
eighth  commandment,  received  many  most  suitable  counsels  from  Mr. 
Williams,  the  worthy  minister  of  that  place.  In  conformity  to  his  counsels 
and  warning,  for  a  while,  she  led  a  reformed  life,  and  seem'd  much  affected 
with  the  word  of  God,  in  the  publick  dispensations  of  it.  But,  ere  it  was 
long,  she  lost  her  seriousness,  her  tenderness,  her  convictions;  and  relapsed 
into  the  sin  of  adultery.     Her  first  relapse  into  that  sin  was  attended  with 


■^  si 


t  !  ■*    ' 

UK 

"'I 

m 

A 

1^1  •■If'] 


420 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


a  conception^  which,  tho'  she  endeavoured  to  render  it  an  abortive,  the  holy- 
providence  of  God  would  not  suffer  it  to  be  so. 

She  did  with  much  obstinacy  deny  and  conceal  h  being  with  child; 
And  when  the  child  was  born,  she  smother'd  it.  But  the  neighbours  found 
it  out  immediately.  She  then  owned  the  matter,  but  made  the  usual  pre- 
tence, "That  the  child  was  dead  born:"  and  remain'd,  as  poor  sinners 
undone  by  the  sins  of  unchastity  use  to  be,  under  extream  hardness  of 
heart.  Mr.  Williams  rarely  visited  her,  but  found  her  guilty  of  new  lies; 
tho'  sometimes  violent  pangs  of  horror  would  come  upon  her,  wherein  slie 
detected  her  own  lying,  and  seem'd  greatly  to  bewail  it.  The  honourable 
judges  desired  Mr.  Williams  to  go  down  unto  Springfield  (which  was  the 
place)  at  the  time  of  her  execution ;  who  then  found  her  under  an  ast(m- 
ishing  stupidity  of  soul;  and  yet  not  pretending  to  hopes  of  happiness  in 
another  world.  He  found  her  guilty  of  more  lyes  I  which  afterward  she 
confessed  so  to  be.  She  slept  both  at  the  prayer  and  the  sermon  in  the 
publick  assembly  on  the  day  of  her  execution:  And  seem'd  the  most 
unconcern'd  of  any  in  the  assembly ;  professing  therewithal  that  she  could 
not  but  wonder  at  her  own  unconcernedness.  At  her  execution  she  said 
but  little,  only  that  she  desir'd  to  give  glory  unto  God,  and  to  take  shame 
unto  her  self,  and  that  she  would  warn  all  others  to  beware  of  the  sins 
that  had  brought  her  unto  this  miserable  end;  especially  stealing,  unclean- 
ness,  lying,  neglecting  to  read  the  Scriptures,  and  neglecting  to  pray  unto 
God.  She  had  absented  her  self  much  from  the  word  of  God  on  Lord's- 
days  and  lectuie  days;  and  staid  at  home,  till  she  had  fallen  into  this 
capital  transgression:  Then  she  would  come  unto  the  meetings,  with  some 
seeming  devotion.  She  had  sinned  away  great  convictions  and  awakenings ; 
and  Satan,  with  seven  more  unclean  spirits,  entered  into  her;  and  God 
seemed  then  to  with-hold  from  her  the  efficacy  of  the  means  of  grace  and 
good,  which  his  faithful  servants  in  the  neighbourhood  used  with  her. 

(XII.)  On  November  17,  1098,  there  was  executed  in  Boston  a  miser- 
able young  woman,  whose  extraordinary  circumstances  rung  throughout 
all  New-England.  On  this  day  of  her  execution,  was  preached  a  ser- 
mon: And  because  the  last  passages  of  that  sermon  gave  a  summary 
narrative  of  what  it  is  fit  the  publick  should  know  concerning  tliat 
criminal,  I  have  transferr'd  'em  into  this  place..  The  sermon  concluded 
in  these  words: 

"Be  iiatonish'd,  O  congregation  of  God!  Stand  nstonisliod  at  the  Iiorrible  spectnclo  tliat 
is  now  before  you.  This  house,  and  perhaps  this  land,  never  hud  in  it  a  more  astonishing 
spectiiclc. 

"Behold  a  young  woman,  but  an  old  sinner,  going  this  day  to  die  before  her  time,  for 
being  wicked  over-much!  Behold  one  just  nineteen  years  old,  and  yet  found  ripe  for  tho 
vengeance  of  a  capital  ojfccution.  Ah,  miserable  soul,  with  what  a  swift  progress  of  sin  and 
folly,  hast  thou  made  haute  unto  the  congregation  of  the  dead!  Beliold  a  person,  whose 
unchaste  conversation  appeared  by  one  base  born  child  many  months  ago!    God  then  gave 


rs 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


421 


her  a  space  to  repent,  and  she  repented  not:  She  repeated  her  whoredoms,  and  by  an  infatu> 
ation  from  God  upon  her,  she  so  managed  the  matter  of  her  next  buse  born,  that  she  is  found 
guilty  of  its  murder.  Thus  the  God  whose  eyes  are  like  a  flame  of  Are,  is  now  casting  her 
iuto  a  bed  of  burning  tribulation:  And,  ah,  Lord,  where  wilt  thou  cast  those  that  have  com- 
niitted  adultery  with  her,  except  they  repent!  Since  her  imprisonment,  she  has  declared 
that  she  believes  God  hath  left  her  unto  ...^  undoing  wickedness,  partly  for  her  staying  so 
prophanely  at  home  sometimes  on  Lord's  days,  when  she  should  have  been  hearing  tiie  word 
of  Christ,  and  much  more  for  her  not  minding  that  word,  when  she  heard  it 

"And  she  has  confessed  th.tt  she  was  much  given  to  rash  wishes  in  her  mad  passions,  par- 
ticularly using  often  that  ill  form  of  speaking,  'I'll  bo  hang'd,'  if  a  thing  be  not  thus  or  so; 
and,  'I'll  be  hang'd,'  if  I  do  not  this  or  that:  which  evil  now,  to  see  it  coming  upon  her,  it 
amazes  her!  But  this  chief  sin,  of  which  this  'chief  of  sinners'  now  cries  out,  in,  her  un- 
dutiful  carriage  towards  her  parents.  Her  language  and  her  carriage  towards  her  parents 
was  indeed  such  that  they  hardly  durst  speak  to  her;  but  when  they  durst,  they  often  told 
her,il  would  comb  to  this.  They,  indeed,  with  bleeding  hearts,  have  nowforgiven  thy  rebellions. 
Ah,  Sarah,  mayest  thuu  cry  unto  the  God  of  heaven  to  forgive  thee!  But  under  all  the 
doleful  circumstances  of  her  imprisonment,  and  her  impiety,  she  has  been  given  over,  to  be 
a  prodigy  o'  still  more  impenitent  impiety. 

"A  little  before  her  condemnation,  she  renewed  the  crimes  of  her  unchastity;  she  gave 
herself  up  to  the  filthy  debauches  of  a  villain  that  was  her  fellow-prisoner:  and  after  her 
condemnation,  her  falsehoods  and  her  furies  have  been  such,  as  to  proclaim  that  under  con- 
demnation she  has  not  feared  Ood,  Was  there  ever  seen  such  an  heighth  of  wickedness!  God 
seems  to  have  hang'd  her  up  in  chains  for  all  the  young  people  in  the  countiey  to  see  what 
prodigies  of  sin  and  wrath  it  may  render  them,  if  once  they  fall  themselves  thereunto. 

"Behold,  O  young  people,  what  it  is  to  vex  the  Holy  Spirit  of  God,  by  rebelling  against 
him.  This,  this  'tis  to  be  'given  over  of  God!'  And  yet,  after  all  this  hard-hearted  wicked- 
ness, is  it  not  possible  for  the  grace  of  Heaven  to  be  triumphantly  victorious  in  converting 
and  piu-doning  so  unparallel'd  a  criminal  1  Be  astonish'd,  miserable  Sarah,  and  let  it  now 
break  that  stony  heart  of  thine  to  hear:  it  is  possible !  it  is  possible!  But,  oh,  thou  Almighty 
Spirit  of  Grace,  do  thou  graciously  touch,  and  melt  this  obstinate  soul:  rtnd  once  at  last 
mould  her  heart  into  the  form  of  thy  glorious  gospel!  The  glorious  gospel  of  God  now 
utters  unto  thee,  undone  Sarah,  that  invitation:  'Tho' thou  hast  horribly  gone  a  whoring, 
yet  return  unto  me,  saith  the  Lord,  and  I  will  not  cause  my  anger  to  fall  upon  thee.'  The 
lessons  of  this  gospel  have  been  both  privately  and  publickly  set  before  thee  with  a  variety 
of  inculcation.  If  all  the  extraordinary  p-iins  that  have  been  taken  for  the  softening  of  thy 
stony  heart,  be  lost,  God  will  dispense  the  more  terrible  rebukes  unto  thee,  when  he  anon 
breaks  thee  between  the  mill  stones  of  his  wrath. 

"O,  give  now  a  great  attention  to  some  of  the  last  words  that  can  be  spoken  to  thee, 
before  tliy  passing  into  an  astonishing  eternity ! 

"Tho  blessed  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  been  made  a  curse  for  us:  there  h.ns  been  a  most 
acceptable  offering  and  sacrifice,  presented  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  God  for  all  his 
chosen;  there  is  a  fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  fur  uncleanness:  and  thou,  O  bloody  sinner, 
^rt  invited  unto  that  open  fountain.  Such  is  the  infinite  grace  of  God,  that  thou  mayest 
come  as  freely  to  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  forgiveness  of  thy  sins,  as  they 
that  have  never  sinned  with  a  thousandth  part  of  so  much  aggravation ;  come  and  welcome, 
snys  the  Lord,  who  receiveth  sinners.  If  God  enable  thee  now  to  lay  hold  on  the  rightcous- 
niss  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  tho'  thy  faults  are  infinite,  thoi;  wiii  yet  before  sunset  stand 
without  fault  'before  the  throne  of  God.'  Thy  soul  is  just  sinking  down  into  the  fiery  ocean 
of  the  'wrath  of  God;'  but  the  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  is  cast  forth  unto 
then  once  more  for  thee  to  lay  hold  upon.  O,  lay  hold  upon  it,  and  live!  If  God  help  theo 
to  do  so,  then  (vs  it  was  said)  the  Mary  whose  sins  are  many,  has  them  forgiven  her;  so  it 
Bhall  be  said,  the  Sarah  whose  sins  are  many,  has  them  forgiven  her!    Then  (as  it  was  said) 


% 


422 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


Rahab  the  harlot  peiL..ctJ  not;  so  it  shall  be  said,  Suruh  the  harlot  perislied  not!  The'  tlie 
blood  of  that  murdered  infant,  with  all  thy  other  bloody  crimes,  horribly  cry  to  Gud  n^niinMt 
thee,  yet  a  louder  and  better  cry,  from  the  blood  of  thy  Saviour,  shall  drown  that  fornud:il)lo 
cry.  Yea,  then  there  will  be  joy  in  heaven  this  afternoon  among  the  angels  of  tiud;  the 
angels  of  heaven  will  stand  amazed,  and  say,  'O  the  infinite  grace  that  can  bring  hucIi  u 
sinner  unto  glory!'  But  if  ever  the  blood  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  be  applied  unto  tiiy 
heart,  it  will  immediately  dissolve  that  heart  of  thine;  it  will  cause  thee  to  mourn  for  cvi>ry 
sin,  to  turn  from  every  sin,  to  give  thyself  entirely  unto  God.  It  will  be  impossible  for  tlii-u 
to  go  on  in  any  known  sin,  or  to  die  with  a  lye  in  thy  mouth.  No,  thou  wilt  rather  die  tiiwi 
commit  any  known  sin  in  the  world.  If  this  disposition  be  not  produced  in  thee  before  tlireu 
or  four  short  hours  more  are  expired,  thy  immortal  spirit  will  anon  pass  into  eternal  tortnt'iit. 
Thou  wilt  before  to-morrow  morning  be  a  companion  of  the  devils  and  the  damned.  The 
everlasting  'chains  of  darkness'  will  hold  thee  for  the  worm  that  never  dies,  and  the  fire  tluit 
never  shall  be  quenched;  thou  shalt  fall  into  the  hands  of  the  living  God;  and  become  us  n 
glowing  iron  possessed  by  his  burning  vengeance  throughout  eternal  ages;  the  God  tliut 
made  thee  will  not  have  mercy  on  thee;  and  he  that  formed  thee  will  shew  thee  no  favour. 
But  for  bis  mercy  and  favour,  while  there  is  yet  hope,  we  will  yet  cry  unto  him." 


been 

dtMltS 

fereni 

write! 

diver 

convi 

exprj 

these 

tage 


A   BRIEF   NARRATIVE 

or    TDB 

BirCCBSS  WHICH  THE  GOSPEL  HATH  HAD  AMONG  THE  INDIANS  OF  MARTHA'S  VINEYARD, 

AND  THE  PLACES   ADJACENT,  IN    NEW-ENGLAND : 

With  tome  Eemarkable  Curioiities,  coneernivg  the  Numbers,  the  Cuatomt,  and  the 

Preient  Circumstancee  of  the  Indiana  of  that  Island:  further  explaining 

and  confirming  the  Account  of  those  Matters  by  Mr.  Cotton 

Mather  in  the  Life  of  the  renowned  Mr.  John  Eliot. 

WKITTEN    BY    AN    INHABITANT    OF    MARTHA's    VINEYARD. 

WHERETO   IS   ADDED, 

AN  ACCOUNT  CONCERNING  THE  PRESENT  STATE  OF  CHRISTIANITY  AMONG  THE   INDIANS 

IN   THE   OTHER  PARTS  OF   NEW-ENGLAND ;    EXPRESSED   IN   THE   LETTERS  OF 

SEVERAL  WORTHY  PERSONS  BEST  ACQUAINTED  THEREWITHAL. 


CHAPTER   ?L 


SECTION  I.  » 

THE    TRIUMPHS   OF  ORJlCE. 

To  speak  more  of  the  original  of  this  people,  than  that  thoy  are 
descended  from  the  loins  of  their  great  grand-father  Adam,  however 
divers  worthy  men  have  their  sentiments,  I  shall  not  pretend;  but  tluit 
i*nru*e.  they  are  originally  of  one  language  is  most  evident:  nor  is  the 
admired  knowledge  of  those  a-cients  so  admirable  for  their  ready  sj)0!ik- 
ing  more  than  twenty  Xo.n^:.'''^'  c,  ^hich  may  rationally  be  supposed  to  have 


T^ 


OK,    THE    III8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


423 


been  but  one  originally ;  though  suffering  some  change,  by  occasional  acci- 
dents: we  know  the  diverse  pronouncing  of  the  same  words,  without  dif- 
ference in  dialect,  may  render  the  speaker  hardly  intelligible  to  him  that 
Nvrites  alike  with  him :  nor  do  I  think  the  speech  of  these  Americans  so 
divers,  but  what  an  Indian,  who  is  well  acquainted  with  his  own,  may,  by 
conversing  with  those  supposed  of  a  different  and  other  speech,  promptly 
express  himself  in  very  few  years,  so  as  to  be  well  understood  by  forty  of 
these  nations;  who,  by  reason  of  wars,  the  want  of  traffick,  and  the  advan- 
tage other  nations  have  had  by  literature,  have  severally  suffered  much 
alteration  of  that  language,  at  first  indifferently  spoken  by  all,  which  yet 
is  not  more  differing  than  the  present  language  of  the  English  from  their 
speech  not  many  hundred  years  since;  which,  altho'  it  would  not  readily 
be  understood  by  a  present  Londoner,  if  he  should  speak  with  his  great 
grand-father,  who  then  lived,  yet  hath  not  so  altered  but  no  long  converse 
might  render  them  mutually  intelligible.  Of  words  not  unlike  in  the 
Indian  tongue,  hardly  intelligible  without  customary  discourse  of  nation 
with  nation,  I  might  instance  in  above  an  hundred:  such  as  Nuppaw, 
Dupjjaw,  Buppaw,  the  Sun;  attik,  abtoque,  &c.,  a  deer;  winnit,  wirrit,  good; 
and  the  like;  pum,  pum-me,  pirn,  oil  or  fat;  these  and  the  like,  were 
doubtless  the  same  words,  little  altered.  Beside  which,  the  alone  differ- 
ence in  pronouncing  the  same  word  might  seem  a  great  difference  in  the 
speech  of  l.mguage.  For  example :  wirrit,  pronounced  short,  sounds  writ, 
and  might  be  not  less  readily  understood,  by  differently  accenting  the 
same  word ;  to  which  I  might  add  words,  as  such,  expressing  the  mind  of 
the  speaker,  being  compounded  of  other  words,  suitable  for  such  composi- 
tion, yet  as  such  might  be  called  new,  or  distinct  from  a  speech  in  former 
use :  of  which  words,  near  the  one  half  of  this  people's  language  is. 

I  have  been  the  larger  concerning  their  language,  that  such  English 
whose  hearts  may  incline  to  so  good  and  great  a  work,  may  be  encouraged 
to  go  among  those  who  yet  have  hardly  heard  the  name  of  the  Lord 
named  among  them. 

Their  government  was  purely  monarchial;  and  as  for  those  whose  Govemment. 
dominions  extended  further  than  would  well  admit  the  prince's  personal 
guidance,  it  was  committed  into  the  hands  of  lieutenants,  who  governed 
with  no  less  absoluteness  than  the  prince  himself — Notwithstanding,  in 
matters  of  difficulty,  the  prince  consulted  with  his  nobles  and  such  whom 
he  esteemed  for  wisdom;  in  which  it  was  admirable  to  see  the  majestick 
deportment  of  the  prince,  his  speech  to  his  council,  with  the  most  deliber- 
ate discussion  of  any  matter  proposed  for  their  advice:  after  which,  what 
was  by  him  resolved,  without  the  least  hesitation,  was  applauded,  and, 
with  at  least  a  seeming  alacrity,  attended. 

The  crown  (if  I  may  so  term  it)  always  descended  to  the  eldest  so/?,  suooMsion. 
(tho'  subject  to  usurpation)  not  to  the  female,  unless  in  defect  of  "  male  of 
the  blood;"  the  "blood  royal"  being  in  such  veneration  among  this  peo- 


1: 


'■'•'in 

s  1    • 


i    * 


i  MS: 


424 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEKICAXA; 


pie,  that  if  a  prince  had  issue  by  divers  wives,  such  succeeded  as  heir 
who  was  royally  descended,  by  the  mother,  although  the  youngest  esteem- 
ing his  issue  by  a  venter  of  less  quality  than  a  princess,  not  otherwise  than 
aachims  or  noblemen. 

Nobles.  Their  nobles  were  either  such  who  descended  from  the  "blood 
royal,"  or  such  on  whom  the  prince  bestowed  part  of  his  dominions  with 
the  royalties,  or  such  whose  descent  was  from  ancestors  who  had  time  out 
of  mind  been  esteemed  such. 

Yeomen.  Their  ycomeu  were  such  who,  having  no  stamp  of  gentility,  were 
yet  esteemed  as  having  a  natural  right  of  living  within  their  prince's  do- 
minion, and  a  common  use  of  the  land,  and  were  distinguished  by  two 
names  or  titles,  the  one  signifying  subjection,  the  other  tiller  of  the  land. 
vaiaiM.  Although  this  people  retain'd  nothing  of  record,  nor  use  of  let- 
ters, yet  there  lived  among  them  many  families,  who,  although  the  time 
of  their  fore-fathers  first  inhabiting  among  them  was  beyond  the  memory 
of  man,  yet  were  known  to  be  strangers  or  foreigners,  who  were  not  privi- 
leged with  common  right,  but  in  some  measure  subject  to  the  yeomanry, 
nor  were  dignified  in  attending  the  prince  in  hunting  or  like  exercise, 
unless  called  by  particular  favour. 

Revenue.  Thc  priuccs,  as  they  had  not  other  revenue,  than  the  presents  of 
their  subjects,  (which  yet  was  counted  due  debt,)  wrecks  of  the  sea,  with 
the  skins  of  beasts  killed  in  their  dominion,  and  many  like  things,  as  first- 
fruits,  &c.,  so  they  wanted  none:  for  in  case  of  war,  both  people  and  estate 
was  wholly  at  their  dispose ;  therefore  none  demanded  nor  expected  pay. 
If  we  respect  their  court,  it  was  doubtless  maintained  in  great  magnifi- 
cence, in  distinction  from  the  subject,  which  is  the  utmost  can  be  obtained 
by  the  greatest  monarch ;  their  families  and  attendants  being  well  cloathed, 
with  skins  of  moos,  bear,  deer,  beaver,  and  the  like:  The  provisions  for 
their  tables — as  flesh,  fish,  roots,  fruits,  berries,  corn,  beans,  in  great 
abundance  and  variety — was  always  brought  by  their  neighbouring  sub- 
jects; of  all  which  they  were  as  void  of  care,  as  the  most  potent  princes 
in  the  universe. 

Dominion  on  aeiu.  As  the  priuce  was  ackuowlcdg'd  absolute  lord  on  the  land, 
so  he  had  no  less  sovereignty  at.  sea:  for  as  all  belonged  to  him  which 
was  stranded  on  the  shore  of  his  sea  coast,  so  whatever  whales  or  other 
wreck  of  value,  floating  on  the  sea,  taken  up  on  the  seas  washing  his 
shores,  or  brought  and  landed  from  any  part  of  the  sea,  was  no  less  his  own. 


I  shall  conclude  this  brief  account  of  the  Indians  in  general  with  wliat 
long  since  passed  between  the  late  much  honour'd  Mr.  Thon  as  Mayliew, 
and  an  Indian  prince,  who  ruled  a  large  part  of  the  main  land: 
orandure.  This  priucc  comiug  to  Martha's  Vineyard  with  his  usual  attend- 
ants, being  about  eighty  persons  well  armed,  came  to  Mr.  Mayhew's  hou.'^e; 
and,  being  admitted,  sat  down.     Mr.  Mayhcw  entred  the  room,  but  being 


ir 


d 


OR,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m 


acquainted  with  their  customs,  took  no  notice  of  the  prince's  being  there 
(it  being  with  'em  in  point  of  honour  incumbent  on  the  inferior  to  salute 
the  superior):  A  considerable  time  being  past,  the  prince  broke  silence, 
and  said,  "Sachem,"  (a  word  importing  in  their  language  not  more  than 
noble  or  worshipful,)  "Mr.  May  hew,  are  you  well?"  to  which  having  a 
friendly  reply,  and  treating  of  several  things,  and  of  the  island  Martha's 
Vineyard  being  peopled  with  English;  the  prince  desiring  something 
wherein  the  English  were  concern'd,  Mr.  Mayhew  promising  to  effect 
what  he  desired,  immediately  subjoin'd,  that  he  must  "first  speak  with 
the  inhabitants."  The  prince  demanded  why  he  recalled  his  promise: 
For,  said  he  "what  /promise  or  speak,  is  always  true;  but  you  English 
governors  cannot  be  true ;  for  you  cannot  make  your  words  nor  intentions 
true;  but  mine  are  always  true,  for /make  them  true:"  greatly  disdaining 
the  popular  government  of  the  English  in  this  couutrey. 

Having  promised  an  account  of  the  conversion  of  many  Indians  inhab- 
iting these  parts  of  America  it  may  be  well  expected  I  should  say  some- 
thing of  their  religion  while  heathen: 

They  generally  acknowledg'd  and  worship'd  many  gods;  therefore  Religion, 
greatly  esteem'd  and  reverenc'd  their  priests,  powaws,  or  wizards,  who 
were  esteemed  as  having  immediate  converse  with  the  gods:  To  them 
therefore  they  address'd  themselves  in  all  difficult  cases:  yet  could  not 
all  that  desire  that  dignity  (as  they  esteem'd  it)  ohtain  familiar itg  with  the 
infernal  spirits;  nor  were  all  powaws  alike  successful  in  their  addresses; 
but  they*become  such,  either  by  immediate  revelation,  or  in  the  use  of 
certain  rites  and  ceremonies,  tradition  had  left  a  means  conducing  to  that 
end:  insomuch  that  parents  often  out  of  zeal  dedicated  their  children  to 
the  gods ;  and  educated  them  accordingly,  observing  certain  diet,  debarring 
sleep,  &c.;  yet  of  the  many  thus  design'd,  but  few  obtain'd  their  desire. 

Supposing  that  where  the  practice  o{ ivitchcraft  has  been  highly  esteemed, 
there  may  be  given  the  plainest  demonstration  of  mortals  having  familiarity 
with  infernal  spirits,  I  am  willing  to  let  my  reader  know  that  not  many 
years  since  died  here  one  of  the  powaws,  who  never  pretended  to  astrolo- 
gical knowledge,  yet  could  precisely  inform  such  who  desire  his  assistance 
from  whence  goods  stolen  from  them  were  taken,  and  whither  carried ;  with 
many  things  of  the  like  nature;  nor  was  he  ever  known  to  endeavour  the 
concealing  his  knowledge  to  be  immediately  from  a  god  subservient  to  Him^ 
that  the  English  xoorshipped.  This  powaw  being  by  an  Englishman  worthy 
of  credit,  (who  lately  inform'd  me  of  the  same)  desired  to  advise  him  who 
hud  stolen  certain  goods  which  he  had  lost,  having  formerly  been  an  eye 
witness  of  his  ability;  the  powaw,  after  a  little  pausing,  demanded  why 
he  requested  that  from  him,  since  himself  served  another  God,  that  there- 
fore he  could  not  help  him;  but  added,  "If  you  can  believe  that  my  god 
will  help  you,  I  will  try  what  I  can  do;"  which  diverted  the  man  from 


I  -  ? 


426 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


further  inquiry.  I  must  a  little  digress,  and  tell  my  reader  that  this 
powaw's  wife  was  accounted  a  godly  woman,  and  liv'd  in  the  practice  and 
profession  of  the  Christian  religion,  not  only  by  the  approbation,  but 
encouragement  of  her  husband.  She  constantly  prayed  in  the  family,  and 
attended  the  public  worship  on  the  Lord's-day.  He  declared  that  he 
could  not  blame  her,  for  that  she  served  a  God  that  was  above  his:  but 
that  as  to  himself,  his  god's  continu'd  kindness  oblig'd  him  not  to  forsake 
his  service. 

That  the  powaws,  by  the  infernal  spirits,  often  killed  persons,  caused 
lameness  and  impotency,  as  well  as  shew'd  their  art  in  performing  things 
beyond  humane,  by  diabolick  skill;  such  who  have  conversed  much 
among  them  have  had  no  reason  to  question. 

Their  practice  was,  either  by  desiring  the  spirit  to  them  appearing  to 
perform  what  mischief  they  intended,  or  to  form  a  piece  of  leather  like  an 
arrow-head,  tying  an  hair  thereto;  or  using  some  bone,  as  of  fish,  (that  it 
might  be  known  witchcraft,  to  the  bewitch'd)  and  over  which  they  per- 
form'd  certain  ceremonies;  and  dismiss'd  them  to  effect  their  desire. 

Such  inchanted  things  have  most  certainly  either  entred  the  bodies  of 
the  intended  to  be  by  them  wounded,  or  the  devil  hath  form'd  the  like 
within  their  flesh,  without  any  outward  breach  of  the  skin;  which  we 
have  good  reason  to  believe — the  powaws  acknowledging  that  practice, 
and  such  things  having  been  taken  out  of  the  flesh  of  the  supposed  to  be 
bewitch'd;  or,  by  their  seizing  something  of  the  spirit  (as  the  devil  made 
them  think)  of  such  they  intended  to  torment  or  kill,  while  it  wandred  in 
their  sleep.  This  they  kept,  being  in  form  of  a  fly,  closely  imprisdn'd ;  and 
accordingly  as  they  dealt  with  this,  so  it  fared  with  the  body  it  belong'd  to. 

Of  the  cures  perform'd  by  them  on  the  bewitched  I  could  give  many 
instances.    I  shall  briefly  hint  at  two: 

The  one,  of  an  Indian  on  Martha's  Vineyard,  called  afterward  George; 
who  having  been  sometime  greatly  tormented,  and  now  wholly  impotent, 
his  friends  advise  him  to  the  powaws,  concluding  him  to  be  bewitch'd. 
They  being  met,  and  dancing  round  a  great  lire,  the  sick  lying  by,  some 
of  the  neighbours  entred  the  house,  being  perswaded  that  a  great  powaw 
(now  call'd  to  cure)  had  bewitch'd  the  sick:  They  threaten  him  that,  as  he 
had  bewitch'd,  unless  he  would  cure  the  sick  man,  they  would  burn  him 
in  the  fire.  After  many  excuses,  too  long  here  to  relate,  they  took  him 
up,  resolving  at  least  to  a  little  singe  him;  who  no  sooner  felt  the  heat  of 
the  fire  near  him,  but  the  sick  immediately  recovered. — This  was  a  thing 
publickly  known  to  the  English,  as  well  as  Indians,  in  the  neighbourhood: 
there  can  be  no  doubt  of  it. 

The  other  I  shall  instance  in  was  a  relation  from  Capt.  Thoniiis  Daggct, 
Esq.,  now  deceased,  and  Richard  Sarson,  Esq.,  justices  of  the  peace;  who 
being  on  an  island,  where  a  bewitch'd  woman  lay  in  great  extremity,  and 
wholly  impotent — the  powaws  there  having  without  success  endeuvour'd 


powa> 

usual 

arden 

true 

issue 

tlie  w< 

in  the 

bewitc 

told  h 

sick; 


OK,    THE    HISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


427 


the  cure — the  related  sent  to  Martha's  vineyard  for  more  famous'd  powaws; 
the  said  gentlemen  were  admitted  to  be  present  on  certain  conditions;  the 
powaws  go  to  dancing,  who,  with  the  spectators,  used  certain  ceremonies 
usual  in  such  cases.  One  of  the  powaws  praying  to  his  god,  with  such 
I  ardent  desires  and  vervency,  that  Capt.  Dagget  told  me,  had  it  been  to  the 

true  God,  it  had  been  a  prayer  exceeding  most  that  he  had  heard.  The 
issue  was,  they  in  a  deer  skin  caught  the  spirit  (as  they  said)  which  entred 
the  woman.  This,  they  said,  was  the  spirit  of  an  English-man  drownM 
in  the  adjacent  sound:  Yet  it  was  then  supposed  the  powaw  was  by  which 
bewitch'd  her.  The  issue  was,  she  immediately  recover'd:  The  powaw 
told  her,  "unless  she  remov'd  to  Martha's  Vineyard,  she  would  iigain  be 
sick;  for,  being  an  English  spirit,  he  could  not  long  confine  it. 


SECTION  II. 

OF  THE  COJVFKRSrOJV  OF  THE  IJVDlJlJVS  fJVHjiSITIJVO  CERTJlW ISL^^rnS  JfE.IR  ADJOlJf- 

IJfO  TO  THE  COJ^T/JVEJfT  OF  JVElV'EJVO/.JlJVD ;  ^JfD  THE  PROP^O.ITIOJV  OF 

THE  OOSPEL  BY  SOME  SEJVT  TO  THE  MAIJf  LJIJ^I)  FROM  THEJVCE. 

The  worshipful  Thomas  Mayhew.  in  the  year  1641,  having  obtain'd  a 
grant  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  Ncntucket  and  Elizabeth  Isles,  to  make  u 
settlement,  his  son  Mr..TiiO'rias  Mayhew,  in  the  year  1642,  settl'd  at  Mar- 
tha's Vineyard,  with  a  few  other  inhabitants,  where  his  reputation  for 
piety,  his  natural  gifts,  beside  the  acquir'd  by  his  education,  (having 
attain'd  no  small  knowledge  in  the  Latin  and  Greek  tongues,  and  being 
not  wholly  a  stranger  to  the  Hebrew,)  soon  occasion'd  his  call  to  the  min- 
istry among  that  handful. 

Not  long  after,  viz:  in  the  year  1644,  God,  who  had  ordain'd  him  an 
evangelist  for  the  conversion  of  these  Gentiles,  stirr'd  him  up  with  an  holy 
zeal  and  resolution  to  assay  what  success  he  might  find  in  that  work ;  he 
takes  opportunity  to  insinuate  the  love  and  good  will  he  bore  to  that  peo- 
ple; and  soon  finds  occasion  to  let  them  know  their  "deplorable  condition," 
under  Satan,  who  as  he  had  kept  iliem  in  ignorance  of  those  bodily  and 
earthly  things,  which  might  render  their  lives  in  this  world  more  happy;  so 
of  those  that  related  to  their  future  happiness  in  that  to  come.  And 
whereas  he  could  not  be  in  hopes  of  being  heard  in  a  more  public,  ho 
treats  them  in  a  more  private  waj';  sometimes  going  to  some  particular 
houses  of  persons  whom  he  esteem'd  most  rational  and  well  qualified,  other 
while  discussing  with  particular  men. 

The  first  Indian  imbracing  the  motion  of  forsaking  their  gods,  and  pray- 
ing to  the  true  God,  was  called  I-a-coomes ;  esteemed  by  the  Indians  as  a 
contemptible  person  among  themselves:  unto  this  man  God,  who  ordereth 
all  things  for  his  own  glory,  gave  so  great  a  measure  o^ faith  and  confidence 
in  his  power,  that  he  is  soon  beyond  the  fear  of  concealing  his  contempt 
of  their  gods;  the  sachems  and  powaws  being  much  inraged,  threaten  hia 


1^ 


I  !| 


1 
I'  <  ' 


■m 


428 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


life ;  the  powaws  or  wizzards  told  him  (a  thing  publickly  known)  that  he 
could  not  be  ignorant  that  they  could  kill  such  as  displeas'd  them,  viz: 
by  witchcraft. 

He  answers  for  himself  before  the  sachems,  witches,  and  a  great  assem- 
bly;  acknowledges  the  god  they  worshipp'd  had  great  power,  but  limited, 
and  was  subservient  to  the  God  he  now  had  chdsen :  therefore,  although 
by  their  means  many  had  suffered  much,  and  some  were  killed,  he  de- 
spis'd  their  power,  as  being  himself  a  servant  of  "Him  whose  power  »  r 
ruled  all  powers,  and  ordered  all  things:"  the  expecting  multitude  wait 
the  event,  which,  while  they  concluded  to  be  sickness  or  death,  the  good 
man  remains  wholly  sound  to  their  astonishment. 

Mr.  May  hew  makes  use  of  this  advantage,  is  uncessant  in  his  labour, 
and  promises,  now  while  they  stumbled  in  doubt  of  their  own,  to  set  them 
in  the  right  path :  he  spares  not  his  body  by  night  nor  day ;  lodges  in 
their  houses,  proposes  such  things  to  their  consideration  he  thinks  firstly 
requisite,  solves  all  their  scruples  and  objections,  and  tells  them  they 
might  plainly  see  it  was  in  good  will  for  their  good,  from  whom  he  ex- 
pected no  reward,  that  he  sustained  so  much  loss  of  time,  and  endured 
wet  and  cold. 

It  pleas'd  God  to  give  such  success  to  these  endeavours,  that  it  was  not 
long  before  he  obtain'd  puhlick  audience  among  them,  when  generally  he 
spent  more  time  after  sermon  in  reasoning  with  them  than  in  sei-mon; 
whereby,  I  must  tell  my  reader,  it  came  to  pass  that  their  religion  was  as 
well  in  head  as  heart. 

This  worthy  servant  of  the  Lord  continued  his  painful  labours  among 
them  until  the  year  1657,  in  which  time  God  was  pleas'd  to  give  such 
success  to  his  faithful  and  unweary'd  labour,  that  many  himdred  men  and 
women  were  added  to  the  church ;  such  who  might  truly  be  said  to  be 
"holy  in  conversation,"  and  for  knowledge  such  "who  needed  not  to  be 
taught  the  first  principles  of  religion ;"  beside  the  many  hundred  looser 
professors  of  which,  that  such  worthy  Christians  whose  godly  zeal  for 
propagating  the  gospel  to  su^^h  who  sat  "in  darkness,  and  saw  no  light," 
provok'd  an  holy  emulation  to  compass  sea  and  land,  by  their  liberal  con- 
tributions for  proselyting  the  heathen  to  the  service  and  worship  of  the 
Lord  Jesus  (who  yet  survive)  might  rejoice,  since  that  God  gave  a  blessing 
to,  and  caused  a  plentiful  harvest  to  succeed  their  sowing  in  these  waters; 
and  that  the  successors  and  children  of  those  ever  to  be  honoured  doceas'd 
Ciiristians  might  rejoice  that  their  predecessors'  religious  intent,  in  giving 
freely  of  their  worldly  goods  to  advance  the  work  lor  the  salvation  of 
souls,  was  so  far  from  diminishing  their  estates,  that  they  thereby  left  an 
inheritance  to  their  children's  children. 

1  shall  give  a  true  relation  of  the  progress  and  present  state  of  tlio 
undertaking,  and  God's  blessing  following  the  endeavours  of  those  \\a 
called  for  converting  the  Indians  on  Martha's  Vineyard  and  adjacent 


OR,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


429 


islands ;  by  letting  the  world  know  who,  and  how  qualified  these  were,  who 
were  esteem'd  Christians. 

.  When  such  a  number  possessed  the  Christian  religion  as  gave  occasion 
to  the  Indians  in  general  to  esteem  them  a  sect  differing  from  themselves, 
and  by  the  denomination  of  "praying  men,"  to  signalize  that  difference; 
and  that  their  number  was  such  as  to  meet publickly  to  worship  God;  such 
who  forsook  their  heathenish  worship  and  idolatry,  professing  to  become 
Christians,  in  the  publick  assembly  declar'd  the  grounds  and  reasons  mov- 
ing them  to  embrace  the  one  and  forsake  the  other  way,  with  their  resolu- 
tion to  pray,  to  serve,  and  endeavour  to  obey  the  true  God  in  Jesus  Christ; 
how  this  resolution  was  wrought  in  them ;  what  temptations  had  obstructed, 
what  reason,  scripture  and  strength  from  God  had  encourag'd  them,  and 
enabl'd  'em  to  retain  such  resolution;  how  they  had  often  pray'd  to  God, 
and  yet  been  overcome  by  discouragements,  and  temptations,  &c.,  closing 
all  by  professing  a  resolution,  by  God's  assistance,  to  pray  to  and  serve 
him,  and  him  only;  begging  the  prayers  of  the  congregation  to  God  in 
their  behalf;  which  said,  many  of  the  congregation  took  them  by  the 
hand,  in  token  of  love  and  good  will. 

Ii'  such  after  public  profession,  any  was  observed  not  to  perform  the 
usi  hipping  of  God,  in  praying  with  their  families,  desiring  a  bless- 

ing ..;ir  food,  or  the  like,  (who  yet  in  their  public  meeting  constantly 

attended,)  they  were  publickly  examin'd  of  the  same:  of  which  let  me 
give  a  remarkable  instance. 

One  who,  after  his  admission  (if  I  may  so  term  it)  into  the  number  and 
society  of  the  "praying  Indians,"  being  present  at  a  great  assembly  afler 
the  exercise,  was  by  him  that  preach'd  inform'd  that  it  was  reported  he 
had  ceased  to  pray,  desir'd  him  to  let  the  congregation  know  what  grounds 
and  motives  occasioned  such  neglect:  the  man  answer'd,  "It  is  true,  he 
had  not  lately  used  publickly  to  pray,  yet  did  sometimes  pray  privately: 
that  he  did  not  in  his  judgment  disapprove  the  service  of  God,  but  ac- 
knowledged it  to  be  good;  but  found  himself  weak,  not  able  to  live  up  to 
the  rules  of  that  religion;  but  when  God  should  give  him  more  streiigih, 
he  hoped  he  should  be  again  a  praying  man." 

Thus  Mr.  Mayhew  continu'd  his  almost  inexpressible  labour  and  vigi- 
lant care  for  the  good  of  the  Indians,  whom  he  justly  esteemed  his  joy 
and  crown;  and  having  seen  so  great  a  blessing  on  his  faithful  endeavours 
in  the  making  known  the  name  of  his  Lord  among  these  Gentiles,  with 
indefatigable  pains,  expecting  no  reward  but  alone  from  Ilim,  who  said 
"go  teach  all  nations:  lo  I  am  with  you;"  God  moved  the  hearts  of  some 
godly  Christians  in  England  to  advance  a  considerable  sum  for  enco  o'ag- 
ing  the  propagating  and  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  Indians  in  New-Kng- 
land;  and  seeing  the  spirit  given  to  sundry  of  tlus  Imlians,  with  the  gifl 
oi 2*^'0}>hi'cyim — according  to  the  promise  given  bv  lliiii  who  "iiseeiided 
and  gave  gifts  unto  men" — an  able  godly  Knglishman,  namVl  LVtor  Foul- 


}y4 


1 


lOi  m 


r 


f  ' 

m 


'» «*i 


430 


MAGNALIA    CHKISTI    AMERICANA; 


ger,  who  was  imploy'd  in  teaching  the  youth  in  reading,  writing,  and  the 
principles  of  religion,  by  catechising;  and  being  well  learn'd  in  the  Scrip- 
ture, able  to  assist  them  in  what  might  be  needful,  his  honour'd  father  the 
governour,  well  skilled  in  their  language,  and  highly  honouring  the  work 
of  their  conversion ;  whereby,  if  in  his  absence  any  difficult  matter  might 
lappen,  they  might  find  suitable  assistance;  in  the  year  1647,  he  intended 
a  short  voyage  for  England;  but,  alas  I  the  ship  wherein  he  took  passage 
■\kras  never  heard  of. 

Thus  came  to  an  immature  death  Mr.  Mayhew,  who  was  so  afifection- 
jitely  esteem'd  of  by  the  Indians,  that  many  years  after  he  was  seldom 
:iamed  without  tears. 

Mr.  Thomas  Mayhew,  after  the  loss  of  his  son,  as  aforesaid,  seeing  no 
tuch  salary  probably  to  be  obtain'd  that  might  invite  a  minister  to  embrace 
the  work  among  the  Indians,  and  little  hopes  of  finding  any  of  the  spirit 
of  his  son  or  Mr.  Eliot  to  bear  the  burden  attending,  and  in  that  day  of 
necessity  to  be  undergone;  without  a  prospect  of  more  than  could  well  be 
expected  for  incouraging  so  (in  it  self  troublesome)  employ;  and  that  his 
onlv  son  had  spent  his  strength,  and  yet  rejoic'd  in  the  midst  of  those 
many  aches,  pains  and  distempers  contracted  by  his  often  lodging  in  their 
cold  houses,  and  induring  wet  and  cold,  in  faith  of  God's  acct'j)ting  of, 
and  prospering  him  in  that  whereunto  he  could  see  nothing  could  ration- 
ally move  him,  concludes  that  it  was  "of  God  and  not  of  man;"  he  there- 
fore resolves  to  visit  and  encourage  them  often :  he  goes  once  every  week 
to  some  of  their  plantations;  and,  with  the  assistance  of  godly  Indians, 
who  taught  and  instructed  their  neighbours  on  the  Lord's  days,  perswaded 
the  Indians  of  the  Gayhead,  who  many  years  were  obstinately  resolved 
not  to  admit  the  glad  tidings  of  the  gospel  among  them,  (bfing  animated 
by  the  sachems  of  the  continent,)  now  to  inibrace  it:  so  that  now  the 
Indians  on  the  Islands  of  Martha's  Vineyard  and  Nantucket,  might  justly 
bear  the  denomination  of  Christians;  the  number  of  adult  persons  on  both 
islands  being  about  three  thousand;  of  which  I  have  taken  the  more  par- 
ticular care  to  make  an  exact  computation,  that  I  might  vindicate  Mr. 
Cotton  Mather  from  the  imputation  of  over-reckoning,  when  in  the  Life 
of  Mr.  Eliot  he  reckons  the  number  supposed  on  Martha's  Vineyard, 
professing  the  Christian  religion,  to  be  sixteen  hundred. 

The  Indians  being  thus  brought  over  to  the  acknowledgment  and  pro- 
fession of  the  Christian  religion,  and  many  of  them  desiring  to  joyn  in 
Buch  communion,  whereby  they  might  enjoy  the  2>resc nee  of  God  in  al!  his 
ordinances,  Mr.  Mayhew  and  Mr.  John  Cotton,  now  pastor  of  the  clmrch 
of  New  Plimouth,  who,  having  been  sometime  preacher  to  the  English, 
had  attained  somo  knowledge  of  the  Indian  tongue,  and  preach'd  unto  them 
two  years;  being  well  satisfy'd  with  their  suitable  qnalilications,  after 
mature  consideration  and  advice,  concluded  to  give  their  help  and  assistance 
tU»  »'elo:  which  was  happily  acconiplish'd  to  the  good  satisfaction  of  tlio 


!  1 


i  I 


REV.  JOHN  MAYHEW. 


I' 


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A     • 


^\x:'i: 


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OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


431 


English  church,  and  godly  professors  of  the  island ;  who  by  advantage  of 
many  years  acquaintance  with  them,  had  great  experience  of  their  qualifi- 
cations. An  Indian  church  confederated  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  August 
22,  1670.  .  . 

Mr.  Mayhew,  by  Mr.  Cotton's  removing  from  the  island,  was  left  alone 
as  to  any  English  assistance:  but  Mr.  John  Mayhew,  his  grandson,  being 
call'd  to  preach  to  a  small  people,  by  the  urgent  and  ardent  desires  of  the 
Indians,  and  being  well  skill'd  in  their  language,  comply'd  with  them; 
and  once  every  week  preached  at  some  of  their  plantations.    His  "dili- 
gence" was  now  to  be  doubl'd,  especially  after  Mr.  Mayhew  his  grand- 
father's death  in  the  year  1681,  by  reason  of  certain  heterodox  opinions, 
likely  to  take  root  among  them;  ani  being  a  man  of  great  natural  parts, 
he  used  to  desire  such  who  had  imbib'd  any  of  those  principles,  to  produce 
their  reasons;  as  likewise  any  that  desir'd  to  be  resolv'd  in  any  matter,  to 
give  him  advantage  to  resolve  them  in  publick;  that  others  might  receive 
Batisfaction  and  instruction:   whereby  I  believe  and  know,  that  they 
receiv'd  more  conviction,  instruction,  and  satisfaction  than  in  the  ordinary 
vr&y  of  preacliing ;  which  always,  nowithstanding,  preceded  </ia^-  insomuch 
that  none  of  those  erroneous  opinions  spread  to  the  disturbance  or  unsettle- 
ment  of  the  church  nor  generality  of  professors  among  them.    But  having 
finish'd  what  God  in  his  all-wise  providence  saw  good  to  improve  him  in, 
he  deceas'd  in  the  year  1688,  leaving  the  Indians  (if  I  might  now  so  term 
them)  in  an  orderly  way  of  religiously  congregating  in  their  assemblies  on 
the  Lord's  day,  and  hearing  their  several  teachers,  who  usually  began  with 
prayer,  sang  part  of  a  psalm;  thert  from  some  portion  of  Scripture  spake 
for  the  conversion  and  edification  of  his  hearers;  as  also  a  church  which 
then  or  soon  after  consisted  of  at  least  one  hundred  communicants,  being 
according  to  the  most  strict  order  of  the  congregational  ivay:  which  leads 
me  to  say  something  of  the  discipline  us'd  among  them. 

The  church  then  are  a  "selected  company  of  professing  believers,"  in 
covenant  according  to  the  congregational  practice,  having  officers  accord- 
ingly ;  and  keeping  up  the  exercise  of  »severe  discipline  by  publick  admo- 
nition in  case  of  the  disorderly  walking  of  any  member  of  their  society: 
and  if,  after  the  reproof  and  admonition  of  the  church,  any  proceed  in 
their  evil  courses,  such  are  proceeded  with  by  excommunication. 

I  would  then  willingly  know  of  those  detractors  who  either  publickly 
or  more  privately  have  endeavour'd  to  scandalize  so  great  a  work,  what 
kind  of  people  they  expect  to  see  a  church  consist  of;  or  when  it  will 
come  to  pass  that  some  shall  not  be  retain'd  in  churches  (who  yet  may  be 
deem'd  an  "holy  people")  whose  conversation  may  be  grievous  to  the 
church,  tho'  the  church  can  find  no  expedient  for  their  excommunication? 
I  know  that  many  who  are  in  no  measure  qualified  for  church-fellowship, 
think  it  no  small  disparagement  to  themselves  that  Indians  should  be 
accounted  worthy  of  what  themselves  cannot  be  admitted  to.    How  it  is 


\f    y 

',!   ,      'I 

M 

'."  r! 

i  .'la.  J 
•-  'Ml 

,1    .1.1 


ft' 


r 


mm 


482 


MAONALIA   CHBISTI   AMERICANA; 


in  other  places  I  know  not:  but  here  some  whose  religious  pretences  liave 
gain'd  credit  abroad,  and  have  not  scrupl'd  to  stigmatize  the  Indians  with 
greatest  opprobry,  in  particular  cases  of  their  complaint  the  Indians  have 
been  found  wholly  innocent,  and  themselves  sordidly  villainous.  IJut 
when  shall  it  be  that  the  "seed  of  the  serpent"  shall  cease  to  hiss  at,  and 
open  their  mouths  against  the  "seed  of  the  woman?"  which  yet  I  could 
demonstrate  hath,  in  several  cases  which  have  occurr'd  here  against  the 
Indians,  broken  the  serpents  head  in  his  children,  and,  if  It  were  possible, 
fill'd  them  with  shame  and  confusion, — however  the  sober  religious  people 
here  have  done  and  do  esteem  ^em  as  Christians  indeed.  And  although  the 
building  be  not  all  of  "living  stones,"  yet  as  it  is  an  house,  is  so  far 
esteemed  an  house  of  God ;  insomuch  that  I  have  heard  some  Godly  Eng- 
lish, their  neighbours,  members  of  churches,  profess  they  were  troubl'd 
that  their  unacquaintedness  in  *heir  language  was  such,  that  they  could 
not  well  (but  otherwise  would  gladly)  partake  with  them  in  the  ordinance 
of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

I  must  acknowledge  that,  as  the  number  of  the  Indians  are  greatly 
decreas'd,  so  especially  of  the  Godly  and  religious;  it  being  a  thing  so 
obvious,  that  in  the  year  1690,  of  the  Indians  of  Martha's  Vineyard  alone, 
of  the  number  of  more  than  one  hundred  adult  persons  that  died,  not  less 
than  tliree-fourths  were  of  the  sober  religious  professors;  that  it  was  by  the 
English  inhabitants  vulgarly  taken  notice  of;  the  which  notwithstanding, 
in  the  year  1692,  of  the  before  mention'd  church,  were  remaining  more 
than  one  hundred ;  without  mentioning  those  many  confessors  before  men- 
tion'd, whose  publick  declarations  of  their  several  convictions,  temptations 
and  resolutions  to  endeavour  to  sei-ve  the  true  God,  would  have  drawn 
tears  from  the  eyes  of  any  who  had  but  in  the  serious  retirements  of  con- 
sideration acknowledg'd  a  deity. 

I  must  not  conclude  before  I  tell  the  reader  that,  as  in  the  apostolick 
times,  the  church  sent  forth  from  among  themselves,  for  the  conversion 
of  the  nations,  so  these  Indians  on  Martha's  Vineyard  did:  not  only  to 
the  island  of  Nantucket,  being  a^ont  loOO  adult  persons,  but  likewise  to 
the  main  land. 

Of  those  of  Nantucket  I  shall  subjoin  a  letter  from  Mr.  John  Gardner, 
who  is  well  acquainted  with  them,  having  divers  years  assisted  them  in 
their  government,  by  instructing  them  in  the  laws  of  England,  and  deciding 
difficult  cases  among  them.. 


THE  letteh. 

"Worshipful  Sir:  I  have  reoeiv'd  yours  of  April  the  8th,  '94,  with  your  desire  to  bo 
informed  cf  the  present  stiite  of  our  Indians,  aa  to  their  number,  worship  and  government: 
an  answer  to  your  desires,  t^lto  briefly. 

"Their  rfpciy  is  great,  cliiefly  in  luimber,  tlierc  being  now  but  about  five  hundred  grown 
persons:  as  to  their  worship,  there  nro  three  societies  or  churches:  two  Congregational, one 
of  tiie  Baptists,  but  their  number  is  small ;  but  tlicre  are  five  constant  assemblies  or  meet- 


OB,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


433 


ings;  two  amongst  them  that  went  by  the  name  of  the  Ante-peatames  or  PounUoms;  and 
that  I  may  now  say,  there  is  not  known  a  Powaw  amongst  them;  and  although  it  is  true 
there  is  a  great  decay  in  reh'gion  among  the  firsf  societies,  many  of  their  best  men,  and  I 
may  say  good  men,  arc  dead:  yet  amongst  the  now  'praying  Indians,'  there  is  an  increase; 
God  raising  up  some  even  of  themselves  preachers,  and  serious  men,  too,  some  of  them; 
which  is  cause  of  thankfulness.  But  that  there  is  a  decay  with  many,  is  to  be  lamented;  the 
cause  I  take  to  be  their  'not  preserving  the  truth  in  the  love  of  it;'  their  love  to  Jn'nfc;  tlieir 
being  more  mindful  of  form  than  mbstance,  which  puts  me  upon  endeavour  to  make  them 
sensible  that  it  is  neither  circumcision  nor  uncircumcision  is  any  thing,  but  the  'keeping  the 
commandments  of  God;'  'faith  that  works  by  love,'  'the  new  creature,'  and  things  of 
that  nature. 

"As  to  their  government,  they  are  wholly  under  their  Majesty's  or  the  English  govern- 
ment:  the  method  is,  they  have  three  distinct  or  town-courts,  with  power  to  hear  and 
determine  to  forty  shillings;  the  magistrates  they  chuse  themselves  yearly;  and  when  chosen 
and  approved  of,  they  have  commissions,  with  liberty  of  appeal  to  the  Engh'sh,  which  they 
make  much  use  of;  greater  matters  come  to  the  English.  This,  in  short,  is  the  truth  of 
their  present  state.  "I  am  your  real  friend  and  servant, 

"John  Gardiner. 

"A'on(«c4e«,  May  17, 1694." 

Here  we  must  take  notice  of  God's  giving  success  to  tbe  ministry  of 
the  Indians;  and  acknowledge  that,  although  there  has  been  some  decay, 
yet  on  that  island  there  is  not  only  a  form,  but  in  some  measure  the  power 
of  Godliness. 

So  likewise  on  the  main  land :  by  the  alone  ministry  of  the  Martha's 
Vineyard  Indians,  was  the  civiliz'ng  and  conversion  of  the  Indians  on  the 
main  land,  at  a  place  call'd  Succonet,  and  parts  acyacent;  who,  as  they 
were  converted  by  the  ministry  sent,  from  the  church  of  Martha's  Vine- 
yard, so  the  officers  were  by  them  (as  likewise  were  those  of  Nantucket) 
ordain'd  by  laying  on  the  hands  of  their  presbytery;  of  these,  although  I 
have  been  no  eye-witness,  yet  I  have  receiv'd  account  from  even  such  who 
bare  no  great  respect  to  religion,  that  they  are  as  beyond  comparison, 
exceeding  the  other  Indians  in  moral  vertue;  so  likewise  from  other 
judicious  persons,  their  neighbours,  of  whom  I  shall  name  Mr.  William 
Vobes,  a  person  now  representing  the  freeholders  of  those  parts  in  the 
great  and  general  assembly  of  the  province  of  the  Massachuset-bay  in 
New-England:  nor  have  these  people  as  yet  dependance  on  nor  expectation 
from  any  other  than  their  mother,  the  church  of  Martha's  Vineyard. 

SECTION    III. 
OF  TIIK  IJyDI^JVS'  OOyKHJ^MF.XT   trHF.fk'  CURISTIAXS. 

I  have  already  told  my  reader,  that  the  government  of  this  people  was 
the  best  (of  all  governments)  monarchy;  and  it  has  been  judg'd,.  not 
without  reason,  that  a  main  obstruction  in  the  progress  of  the  gospel  in 
the  American  plantations  was,  if  not  yet  is,  the  jealousie  the  princes  con- 
ceiv'd  of  the  invasion  of  their  government  through  the  pretences  of  religion, 
and  the  eclipsing  their  monarchical  dignity. 
Vol.  II.— 28 


484 


MAONALIA    GHBISTI    AMERICANA: 


Mr.  Thomas  Mayhew  therefore  finding  that  the  princes  on  these  islands, 
who,  although  they  maintain 'd  their  absolute  power  and  jurisdiction  as 
kings,  were  yet  bound  to  do  certain  homage  to  a  potent  prince  on  the  con- 
tinent; and  although  they  were  no  great  people,  yet  had  been  wasted  by 
Indian  wars,  wherein  the  great  princes  on  the  continent  (not  unlike 
European  princes  for  like  reasons  of  state)  were  not  unassisting,  whereby 
they  were  necessitated  to  make  these  princes  the  balance  to  decide  their 
controversies,  and  several  jurisdictions,  by  presents  annually  sent,  whereby 
obliging  the  princes  to  give  their  several  assistance  as  occasion  requirVl; 
and  seeing  his  son  as  aforesaid,  in  a  zealous  endeavour  for  their  conversion, 
he  judg'd  it  meet  that  Moses  and  Aaron  joyn  hands:  he  therefore  pru- 
dently lets  them  know  that,  by  order  from  his  master  the  king  of  England, 
he  was  to  govern  the  English  which  should  inhabit  these  islands;  that  his 
master  was  in  power  far  above  any  of  the  Indian  monarchs;  but  that,  as 
he  was  powerful,  so  was  he  a  great  lover  of  justice:  that  therefore  he 
would  in  no  measure  invade  their  Jurisdictions;  but,  on  the  contrary,  assist 
them  as  need  requir'd;  that  religion  and  government  were  distinct  things. 
Thus  in  no  long  time  they  conceiv'd  no  ill  opinion  of  the  Christian  religion. 

"When  afterwards  the  number  of  the  Christian  Indians  were  increa.sM 
among  them,  he  perswaded  them  to  admit  of  the  counsels  of  the  judicious 
Christians  among  themselves;  and  in  cases  of  more  than  ordinary  conse- 
quence, of  a  jury  for  trial ;  when  likewise  he  promis'd  his  assistance  and 
direction  with  the  prince;  when  notwithstanding  the  prince's  assent  was  to 
be  obtain'd,  tho'  he  were  no  Christian. 

Thus  within  a  few  years  there  was  a  happy  government  settl'd  among 
them,  and  records  kept  of  all  actions  and  acts  passed  in  their  several 
courts,  by  such  who,  having  learn 'd  to  write  fairly,  were  appointed  thereto. 
The  princes  with  their  sachems  (or  nobles)  made  public  acknowledgment 
of  their  subjection  to  the  king  of  England,  being  notwithstanding  mindful 
to  be  understood  as  subordinate  princes,  to  govern  according  to  the  laws 
of  God  and  the  king.    Here  I  shall  take  leave  to  insert  two  remarkables : 

During  the  late  unhappy  war  between  the  English  and  the  Indians  in 
New-England,  about  nineteen  years  since,  an  evil  spirit  possess'd  too  many 
of  our  English,  whereby  they  suffer'd  themselves  to  be  unreasonably  exas- 
perated against  all  Indians:  of  such,  there  were  some  on  these  islands  who 
could  hardly  be  so  moderated  by  Mr.  Mayhew,  and  others  in  government 
with  him,  as  to  be  restrain'd  from  rising  to  assay  the  disarming  of  the 
Indians:  for  whose  satisfaction  Captain  Richard  Sarson,  Esq.,  was  ordered 
with  a  small  party  (the  Indians  being  on  these  islands  <  wenty  to  one, 
having  arms)  to  treat  the  Indians  on  the  west  end  of  Martha's  Vineyard, 
who  were  mostly  to  be  doubted.-  He  returns  with  the  ensuing  answer: 
that  the  delivering  their  arms  would  expose  them  to  the  will  of  the  In- 
dians ingag'd  in  the  present  war,  who  were  not  less  theirs  than  the  enemies 
of  the  English ;  that  they  had  never  given  occasion  of  the  distrust  inti- 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


mated:  if  in  any  thing  not  hazarding  their  safety,  they  could  give  any 
satisfaction  for  the  proof  of  their  fidelity,  they  would  willingly  attend 
what  should  reasonably  be  demanded  of  them;  but  they  were  unwilling 
to  deliver  their  arms,  unless  the  English  would  propose  some  mean  for 
their  safety  and  livelihood.  With  this  return,  they  drew  a  writing  in  their 
own  language,  which  I  have  often  read,  and  would  have  verbatim  irtserted, 
but  can't  at  present  find  it.  The  substance  was,  that  as  they  had  submit- 
ted to  the  crown  of  England,  so  they  resolved  to  assist  the  English  on 
these  islands  against  their  enemies,  which  they  esteem'd  in  the  same 
respect  equally  their  own,  as  subjects  to  the  same  king:  which  was 
subscrib'd  by  the  persons  of  the  greatest  note  among  them. 

Having  this  answer,  the  government  resolv'd,  and  accordingly  improv'd 
them  as  a  guard,  furnishing  them  with  suitable  ammunition,  and  found 
them  so  faithful,  that  even  some  nearly  related,  in  observance  of  "general 
instructions"  given  them,  so  soon  as  they  landed  from  the  continent,  were 
immediately  brought  before  the  governour  to  attend  his  pleasure:  inso- 
much that  the  English  (although  the  war,  with  respect  to  the  multitude 
of  Indians,  inhabiting  the  continent,  and  their  advantage  by  the  nearness 
to  the  French  had  no  good  aspect)  took  no  care,  but  left  the  whole  to  the 
Indians;  nothing  doubting  to  be  advertised  by  them  of  any  danger  from 
the  enemy.  This  was  the  effect  of  the  bringing  the  gospel  of  peace  among 
them,  viz:  a  peace  bringing  gospel. 

The  other  observable  I  shall  add  to  shew  as  their  loyalty,  so  their  observ- 
ance of  the  laws  of  England. 

In  the  time  of  the  late  revolution,  when  many,  in  hopes  there  was  "no 
king  in  Israel,"  expected  to  have  done  what  they  saw  good  in  their  own 
eyes,  several  of  our  English,  threatning  to  fetch  certain  sheep  in  posses- 
sion of  the  Indians  inhabiting  a  small  island  adjacent  to  Martha's  Vine- 
yard— which  sheep  they  asserted  were  stolen  from  'em,  who  met  with 
repulse — the  sachem,  lest  there  should  happen  any  misunderstanding  of 
that  matter,  immediately  makes  his  report  to  me  in  these  words,  viz: 

"Several  of  our  English  have  been  on  my  island,  and  would  have  forcibly  taken  sheep 
from  thence;  and  wc  uro  much  threatned  therewith:  I  am  doubtful,  if  they  persist  in  that 
resolution,  it  may  occasion  bloodshed :  you  know  that  while  your  grandfather  and  my  father 
liv'd,  there  never  happened  any  difference  in  such  things,  nor  hope  will  be  occasion  given  by 
me.  I  desire  the  same  amity  may  be  continued :  nor  can  the  English  say  that  we  have  not 
manifested  our  allegiance  to  the  king  by  a  continued  subjection. 

"And  although  'tia  true  wo  have  desired  your  order  should  come  to  us,  rather  than  your 
officer,  which  hath  generally  been  observ'd ;  yet  we  are  willing,  in  case  the  English  prct^'nd 
any  thing  ours  have  injur'd  them  in,  let  an  officer  by  writ  from  authority  do  his  duty;  then 
we  shall  know  how  in  an  orderly  way  to  be  reliev'd :  yet  shall  the  least  boy  bringing  your 
order,  as  in  your  grandfather's  time,  command  any  thing:  and  if  you  see  cause  on  any  com- 
plaint about  our  sheep,  you  may  command  all  of  them ;  hoping  to  find,  as  hitherto,  a  decision 
by  the  rules  of  justice:  wo  hope  we  shall  not  see  (as  is  too  much  practis'd  in  other  phices) 
nn  Eglishman  pretending  nn  Indian  to  be  in  his  debt,  to  come  to  our  houses  and  pny  him- 
self: or,  in  other  cases,  beat  our  people;  but  as  hitherto  wo  may  have  equal  justice,  being 


fm 


U 


■'  I,  ■ 
1",  t  ■ 

III 


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■  1 ' 


486 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


the  king's  subjects;  and  violence,  and  riot  committed  on  our  people  by  the  Enpflish  may  bo 
steem'd  of  the  same  nature  and  quality  as  ours  against  them:  of  which,  with  the  justices, 
wc  pray  you  would  consider,  and  take  speedy  cure." 

I  shall,  as  to  their  government,  only  add,  that  in  their  several  planta- 
tions, or  townships,  they  elect  three  or  more  to  joyn  with  the  sachems  (or 
lords  of  the  place)  who  hold  courts  for  issuing  such  controversies  as  hap- 
pen among  them,  the  sachem  presiding  in  such  courts;  or  in  case  he 
decline  that  office,  another  is  elected  in  his  place.  If  either  party  dislike 
the  judgiTient  given,  he  appeals  to  a  superior  court,  which  consists  of  some 
of  the  most  esteem'd  of  each  place,  being  some  of  their  magistrates,  where 
some  principal  sachem  is  elected  to  preside  for  one  year:  and  from  this 
court  an  appeal  lies  to  the  English  court. 

In  giving  judgment,  they  observe  such  rules  and  orders  made  and 
recorded  among  themselves,  and  the  English  law,  the  knowledge  whereof 
they  much  aspire  unto.  They  have  likewise  some  among  them,  whom 
the  less  able  to  declare  or  defend  their  own  cases,  improve  as  attornies ; 
some  of  which  are,  to  admiration,  critical  in  their  pleadings. 

I  shall  close  the  whole,  when  I  have  told  the  reader  that  their  children 
are  generally  taught  to  read,  and  many  to  write. 

In  one  oif  their  towns  the  last  winter,  viz:  1693,  thirty  children  were 
at  school ;  twenty  more  of  the  same  place,  at  the  same  time,  accidental]  y 
being  not  supplied  with  books,  could  not  attend  it.  Such  who  are  too  far 
distant  from  any  school,  are  often  taught  by  some  of  their  neighbours;  in 
divers  places  are  lesser  schools. 

The  Post-script. — Having,  among  many  things  worth}''  of  notice  in 
the  precedent  discourse,  omitted  some  remarkables  of  the  Indian  converse 
with  infernal  spirits,  I  thought  meet  to  briefly  touch  some  things  therein 
remarkable,  and  to  insert  a  narrative  of  the  decease  of  a  prince,  memor- 
able for  his  forsaking  his  people  for  the  sake  of  Christ,  and  his  return  with 
happy  success  in  proselyting  his  subjects  to  the  worship  of  God  in  Christ. 

This  I  find  written  on  the  out-side  of  a  book,  in  the  library  of  Mr.  John 
Mayhew,  deceased;  which  please  to  take  as  followeth: 

"  MiTARK,  Sachem  (rather  Prince)  of  the  Gay-liead,  on  Martha^s  Vineyard,  deceased  Jami- 
ary,  IGSS.^This  prince's  subjects  being  resolv'd  to  continue  in  heathenism,  notwithstandiiijT 
his  embracing  the  gospel,  grew  so  disaffected  to  him,  that  he  for  a  time  remov'd  to  the  east 
end  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  whithi'r,  after  three  years  abode  at  the  said  place,  he  again  return'd, 
having  perswaded  his  people  into  a  willingness  that  such  who  would  might  attend  the  glad 
tidings  he  pretended  to  bring;  whereupon  he  himself  open'd  to  them  the  mysteries  of  tli'- 
gospel,  dispensing  the  word  to  such  as  came  to  hear  him;  insomuch  that  at  this  day  thai 
people  are  all  Christians  by  profession. 

,  "The  day  before  his  death,  I  being  with  him,  inquired  of  him  concerning  his  hope,  who, 
after  he  had  treated  some  time  of  the  mutability  of  an  earthly  life,  said,  'I  have  hope  in 
God,  that  when  my  soul  dcparteth  out  of  this  body,  God  will  send  his  messengers,  who  shall 
conduct  it  to  himself,  to  bo  with  Jesus  Christ,'  (and  then  with  great  earnestness  pronounced 


the 
ha^ 
tho 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


437 


i 


these  words:)  'where  that  everlasting  glory  is!  As  for  my  reasons  [said  he]  I  my  self 
have  hnd  many  wrongs  of  enemies,  of  whom  I  have  sought  no  revenge,  nor  retain'd  evil  in 
thought,  word,  nor  deed ;  and  I  also  expect  the  same  from  God.' 

"'But  [said  he]  I  proceed  no  further;  for  God  is  very  merciful.'  Then  I  ask'd  him  of  his 
wiUingnesa  to  die.  He  replied, '  It  is  now  seven  nights  since  I  was  taken  sick,  and  I  have 
not  yet  ask'd  of  God  to  live  longer  in  the  world.  In  this  world  are  some  benefits  to  be 
enjoyed;  also,  many  troubles  to  be  endured;  but  with  respect  to  the  hope  I  have  in  God,  I 
am  willing  to  die:  here  I  am  in  pain;  there  I  shall  be  freed  from  all  pain,  and  enjoy  that 
rest  that  never  endeth.' 

"Then  pointing  to  his  daughters,  he  said,  'There  be  my  three  daughters,'  (relating  how 

they  were  disposed  of.)    'And  you,  my  daughters,  if  you  lose  your  father,  mourn  not  for 

>  me,  but  mourn  for  your  selves,  and  for  your  sins:  mourn  not  for  me;  for  though  yon  are 

unwilling  to  spare  me,  and  I  might  be  helpful  to  you  if  I  should  live  longer  in  this  world, 

yet  to  die  is  better  for  me.' "  ,        .    „ 

Of  Powaws,  or  persons  improving  the  inferna;  spirits  to  effect  their 
intended  malicious  harms,  I  can  inform  of  a  converted  sachim,  who,  in  his 
publick  protestation,  said  as  followeth,  viz:  - 

"That  he  having  often  employ'd  his  god,  which  appear'd  to  him  in  form  o;  .i  snake,  t<>  •  ill, 
wound,  and  lame  such  whom  he  intended  mischief  to,  he  employ'd  the  said  snake  t'l  '  'll; 
and  that  failing  to  wound  or  lame  Hiacooms,  the  first  convert  on  Martha's  Vine)  no — all 
which  proved  ineffectual — and  having  seriously  considered  the  snid  Hi.ncoom's  assertion,  that 
none  of  the  powaws  could  hurt  him,  since  his  God  whom  he  now  serv'd  '  is  ci.e  great  God, 
to  whom  theirs  was  subservient — he  resolv'd  to  worship  the  true  God.  fronj  which  time, 
during  seven  years,  the  snid  snake  gave  him  great  disturbance;  but  that  he  never,  after  his 
praying  to  God  in  Christ,  imploy'd  that  said  snake  in  any  thing,  which  about  that  time  ceas'd 
to  appear  to  him. 

A  FURTHEK    ACCOUNT   CONCERNING   THE    PRESENT   STATE    OF    CHRISTIANITY   AMONG 
THE    INDIANS    IN    OTHER    PARTS   OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 

Concerning  the  further  progress  of  the  gospel  among  the  Indians  in 
America,  the  reader  may  take  this  following  account,  which  is  extracted 
out  of  several  letters  sent  to  the  Reverend  Increase  Mather,  president  of 
the  College  at  Cambridge  in  New-England. 

Mr.  Samuel  Treat,  pastor  of  the  church  in  JThStham,  in  a  letter  bearing 
date  August  23,  writeth  as  followeth : 

"Reverend  and  Worthy  Sir:  I  being  advertised  that  it  would  not  be  unseasonable 
or  unserviceable,  at  this  juncture,  to  give  your  self  p  'rue  and  impartial  account  both  of  the 
number,  as  also  of  the  present  stiite  of  our  Indians,  and  acceptiition  and  entertainment  of  the 
gospel  among  them,  and  their  profess'd  suljecuon  thereunto;  sir,  you  may  be  assur'd  as 
followeth: 

"That  there  are  five  hundred  and  five  adult  persons  of  Indians  within  the  limits  of  our 
township,  unto  whom,  these  many  years  past,  I  have  from  time  to  time  imparted  the  gospel 
of  our  Lord  Jesus  in  their  own  language,  (and  I  truly  hope  not  without  success,)  and  yet  I 
continue  in  the  same  service,  earnestly  imploring,  and  not  without  hopes,  expecting  and 
waiting  for  a  more  plentiful  down-pouriiig  of  the  spirit  from  on  high  among  them:  and  I 
verily  do  not  know  of,  nor  can  I  learn  that  there  is  so  much  as  one  of  these  five  hundred 
Indians  that  does  obstinately  absent  from,  but  do  jointly  frequent  and  attend  on  the  prciuh- 
itig  of  the  word,  and  countenance  of  the  same,  not  only  frequenting  and  attending  seasons  of 


H 


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438 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEKIUANA; 


worship  of  a  divine  sanction,  but  also  nil  other  occwiontil  oppurtunitieM,  when  the  gospel  is 
dispens'd  to  them;  and  when  our  congregations  solemnize  publivk  days  of  pniycr  witii  t'iist 
ing,  or  of  praises,  (I  usually  giving  them  advertisement  thereof,)  they  readily  comply  there 
with,  in  their  respective  assemblies. 

"They  have  four  distinct  assemblies  in  four  villages  belonging  to  our  township,  in  which 
four  assemblies  they  have  four  teachers  of  their  own  choice,  of  the  more  sober,  well-aJJ'et'led, 
and  understanding  persons  among  them,  who  duly  preach  to  them,  when  I  am  not  with  them ; 
these  Induin  teachers  repair  to  my  house  once  a  week,  to  be  further  instructed  (pro  Muduh 
meti*)  in  the  concemmen/s  proper  for  their  service  and  station. 

"There  are  in  the  four  abovesaid  villages  four  schoolmasters  (of  the  best  accomplishtMl 
for  that  service)  who  teach  their  youth  to  read  and  write  their  own  language. 

"There  are  also  six  justices  of  the  peace  (or  magistrates)  in  the  four  abovesaid  villages, 
who  regulate  their  civil  affairs,  and  punish  criminals  and  transgressors  of  the  civil  law ;  they 
have  their  stated  courts  and  other  inferiour  officers  in  a  subserviency  to  their  civil  good  order. 

"There  are  among  them  many  of  a  serious,  sober,  civilized  conversation  and  deportment, 
who  are  making  essays  towards  a  further  progressive  step  of  obedience  and  conformity  to  tliu 
rules  of  the  gospel,  viz:  an  'ecclesiastical  combination,'  having  a  great  desire  to  be  biiptiz'd. 

"They  are  very  serviceable  by  their  labour  in  the  English  vicinity,  and  have  all  along  sIl-c 
our  wars  with  their  nation  been  very  friendly  to  the  English,  and  forward  to  serve  them  in 
that  quarrel.  Their  deportment,  and  converse,  and  garb,  being  more  manly  and  laudublo 
than  any  other  Indians  that  I  have  observed  in  the  province. 

"  But,  sir,  I  would  not  be  tedious,  only  craving  your  interest  at  the  throne  of  grace  for  un, 
tliut  we  may  be  serviceable  to  the  name  and  kingdom  of  our  Lord  Jesus.    So  I  subscribe, 

"Sir,  yours  willingly,  "SAMUEL  TREAT. 

M/Cafaum,  Aug.  33,  l(n3.» 

Mr.  James  Noyce,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Stonington,  in  a  letter  dated 
the  fifteenth  of  March  last,  writeth  thus: 

"  Reverend  Sir  :  Yours  I  received,  and  rejoice  that  God  hath  stirr'd  up  any  that  doth 
take  care  and  contribute  towards  advancing  Christ's  kingdom  amongst  the  poor  heathen ; 
and  do  and  did  formerly  believe,  that  where  God  sends  light,  ho  intends  love;  and  where 
God  gives  little,  he  expects  less;  and  therefore  the  labours  of  the  reverend  Mr.  Eliot, 
Mr.  Mayhew,  &c.,  have  not  been  lost,  they  have  not  nm  in  vain,  but  that  many  have 
gone  to  heaven  of  their  deceased  hearers.  And  I  should  count  it  my  joy  and  crown  to 
win  one  soul  of  them  to  Christ.  And  am  in  hope  that  some  one  or  two  of  the  Pequots, 
that  were  my  friends,  and  liv'd  on  my  land,  upon  my  endeavour  have  obtain'd  mercy  now 
dead,  who  dy'd  praying,  renounc'd  wholly  the  way  of  the  heathen  worship,  &c. 

"  Also,  some  of  our  captive  servants,  professing  the  faith,  with  many  tears,  are  baptiz'd, 
and  give  good  testimony  in  their  knowledge,  conve>se  and  conversation  of  a  real  gracious 
work  upon  them. 

"I  have  in  my  house  a  witty  hopeful  sachem's  son,  one  of  the  chiefest  quality  in  these 
parts,  bound  fast  to  me  to  bo  instructed  to  read  and  write,  and  in  the  way  of  life,  which 
hltiicrto  gives  great  hopes  and  no  discoumgemcnt;  he  is  about  thirteen  years  of  nge.  And 
once  I  had  the  advantage  to  astonish  many  of  the  heathen;  and  of  tlie  chief  of  them,  by 
God's  answering  prayers  in  the  presence  of  many  heathen,  by  raising  a  very  siek  Indinn  lad, 
(English  also  present)  at\er  the  lad  was  given  over  by  Indians  and  English,  and  was  speeclu 
less;  and  several  Powaws  had  powawed,  and  given  that  sentence  that  the  lad  would  die;  but 
he  is  alive  to  this  day:  the  story  is  too  large  to  write,  but  I  believe  God  did  glorifiu  himself 
in  the  sight  of  the  heathen, 'according  to  the  humble  and  earnest  petitions  mode  in  the 
presence  of  about  thirty  heathen:  all  secm'd  to  be  much  confounded  and  awakened.  One 
very  witty  and  wise  sachem,  there  present,  told  me  he  would  bo  a  Christian,  but  he  wus 

*  AocurdUiR  to  my  uwn  •yitom. 


BfH 

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OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


489 


afriid  his  hmirt  would  not  be  right,  without  wiiich,  profession  would  be  in  vain,  and  he  was 
niVaid  wine  and  women  would  be  his  ruine,  he  should  not  forbear;  but  he  own'd,  and  almost 
all  present,  when  I  pray'd,  our  God  was  the  great  and  true  God,  but  they  were  poor  Indians, 
and  they  did  not  know  him.  Of  these  things,  and  much  more,  many  English  witnesses 
aie  alive,  but  some  are  dead. 

"  I  have  heard  also  the  reverend  Mr.  Fitch  did,  at  the  request  of  the  Mohegs,  keep  a  fast 
for  rain,  in  the  time  of  a  great  drouth,  at  the  request  of  the  heathen,  when  their  Powaws  had 
lung  cried  for  rain;  and  God  answer'd  by  sending  rain  the  same  day,  to  the  great  astonish- 
ment of  the  heathen.  ** Yours  to  serve,  ''James  Noyce. 

"  Stonington,  Mar.  15, 93^." 

Mr.  Rowiand  Cotton,  minister  at  Sandwich,  in  a  letter  of  June  27, 1693, 
writeth  thus: 

"Reverend  Sir:  I  have  endeavour'd  to  take  an  exact  account  of  those  Indians,  adult 
persons,  who  do  constantly  attend  upon  the  dispensation  of  the  gospel  in  the  place  that  at 
present  I  am  concern'd  for.  And  we  do  find  that  in  Mashipau,  Sanctuit,  and  Cortuit,  villages 
bordering  on  each  other,  and  all  belonging  to  the  same  assembly,  there  are  no  less  than  two 
hundred  and  fourteen,  besides  several  straglers  that  have  no  settled  place,  do  repair  thither. 
To  carry  on  the  work  of  the  Lord's  day,  there  is  appointed  one  Simon  Papomint;  and  at 
other  times  I  shall  diligently  intend  their  good  according  to  my  capacity. 

"Ruvcrend  sir,  I  desire  your  blessing  on  your  servant,  "RowL.  Cottor. 

«  Sandtoich,  June  37,  l(i03." 

Mr.  Thomas  Tupper  also  has  given  an  account  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty  Indians,  unto  whom  he  does  dispense  the  word,  concerning  whom 
he  has  charitable  hopes  that  they  do  (and  that  with  zeal  and  sincerity) 
embrace  the  gospel.  There  are  moreover  in  Plimouth  colony  about  five 
hundred  Indians,  amongst  whom  Mr.  John  Cotton  (pastor  of  the  church 
in  Plimouth,  and  son  to  the  famous  Cotton  of  Boston)  hath  and  doth 
preach  the  gospel. 

Likewise  Mr.  Peter  Thatcher,  pastor  of  the  church  in  Milton,  is  a  faith- 
ful labourer  among  the  Indians  at  Punkepaog.  So  is  Mr.  Grir.dnl  Rawson, 
pastor  of  the  church  in  Mendham,  among  the  Indians  in  those  parts;  and 
Mr.  Bondet,  who  is  minister  to  the  French  congregation  at  Oxford,  in  the 
Nipmug  country. 

The  Indian  church  at  Natick  (which  was  the  first  Indian  church  in 
America)  is,  since  blessed  Eliot's  death,  much  diminish'd  and  dwindl'd 
away.    But  Mr.  Daniel  Gookin  hath  bestow'd  his  pious  cares  upon  it. 

Besides  the  labours  of  the  English  in  New-England,  Mr.  Dellius  (a 
Dutch  minister)  at  Albany  has  learn'd  the  language  of  the  Indians  in  those 
parts;  God  has  graciously  smil'd  on  his  endeavours,  so  as  that  considerable 
numbers  of  them  are  converted  to  the  faith  of  Christ,  and  there  is  reason 
to  hope  that  what  is  done,  is  but  the  first  fruits  of  a  great  harvest  to  follow. 

Take  the  account  which  himself  giveth  in  a  letter  bearing  date  the  16th 
of  January  last.     His  words  are  these: 

"Reverend  Sir:  I  have  this  to  add  to  my  former,  that  a  Jesuit  call'd  Milet,  whom  the 
Oneydes  took  prisoner  about  four  years  ago,  and  who  is  now  in  that  Castle  a  great  mua 


I ''hi 


W    I 


440 


MAONALIA    GHRISTI    AMEBICANA. 


i     » 


li 

i 


among  them,  uses  all  his  subtilty  to  frastrate  my  labours,  by  making  false  impressions  upon 
the  Indians  concerning  our  religion;  yet  Almighty  God  is  pleased  to  strengthen  my  prose- 
lytes in  that  way  I  teach  them,  more  and  more.  Sometimes  there  happens  difference  and 
disputes  between  my  proselytes  and  his,  concerning  the  points  of  religion;  but  ours  nlledge 
they  confute  the  others.  This  I  must  say  for  them,  that  they  take  a  great  deal  of  pains,  and 
are  very  zealous  to  learn,  and  very  devout  in  their  practice.  I  am,  under  favour,  of  opinion, 
that  the  Jesuit  catechism,  with  the  cases  of  conscience  added  thereto,  writ  by  their  own 
hands,  which  they  learn  the  Indians,  which  is  either  in  your  or  your  reverend  son,  Mr.  Cotton 
Mather's  possession,  may  be  serviceable  to  convince  our  proselytes  and  others,  French  that 
come  here,  of  tiielr  pernicious  principles;  and  wish  the  sjxme  might  be  sent  me. 

"I  had  put  six  or  seven  psalms  in  their  native  language  upon  our  notes,  but  were  not 
perfected;  now  they  are  finish'd,  and  the  ten  commandments  also. 

"The  new  infant  church  among  the  heathen  increases,  there  being  seventeen  last  com> 
munion  day,  the  thirty-first  of  December  last,  who  took  the  sacrament  with  us,  and  four 
others  baptiz'd  the  same  day.  'Thus  God  is  sought  of  them  that  asked  not  for  him,  and  is 
found  of  them  that  sought  him  not.'  I  think  that  God  has  a  great  people  of  them  yet:  the 
Lord  sending  a  blessing  to  those  means  that  arc  us'd  for  the  enlargement  of  his  kingdom 
among  them;  and  bless  you,  and  all  that  labour  in  his  vineyard;  which  shall  ever  be  the 
prayers  of  him,  who  is,  Reverend  sir, 

"  Your  most  faithful  and  obedient  servant  in  our  Lord  Jesus, 

"GODEFK.   DeLLIUS. 
'^Mbany,  Jan.  10, 16934." 

AN  APPENDIX, 

Belating  Things  Greatly  Hemarkable,  fetch'd  from  one  Little  Island  of  Christianized  Indians. 

It  is  not  among  the  English  only,  but  among  the  Indians  also,  that  our 
glorious  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  been  glorify'd  in  "doing  of  wonders." 
And  altho'  some  of  those  wonders  have  been  mention'd  elsewhere,  but  more 
of  'em  have  been  faultily  bury'd  in  such  oblivion  that  they  are  never  like 
to  have  any  mention  at  all  in  this  world,  yet  I  am  able  to  furnish  one  con- 
siderable part  of  a  chapter  in  our  church  history,  with  a  collection  of 
remarkables,  fetch'd  from  no  more  than  one  little  party  of  Christianiz'd 
Indians;  even  those  upon  the  one  little  island  of  Martha's  Vineyard.  It  is 
possible  that  some  of  the  Americans  may  be  the  postertti/  of  those  Canaaiiites, 
who  after  the  wars  of  Canaan,  set  up  their  pillars  in  Africa,  with  that  inscrip- 
tion, "We  are  of  those  that  fled  from  the  face  of  Joshua  the  robber!" 

But  behold  how  Jesus  the  Saviour  has  foUow'd  them,  and  conqucr'd 
them  with  his  glorious  grace  I 

Reader,  "stand  still,  and  consider  the  wondrous  works  of  God  I"  v 

(I.)  The  "Unknown  God"  ivonda-fully  mahng  Himself  Known  to  a 
Poor  Pagan. — How  far  our  sovereign  and  gracious  God  may  in  an  caira- 
ordinary  manner  discover  of  himself  unto  some  cmong  the  poor  P.-tgana 
that  have  not  enjoy'd  the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  who  can  particularly 
determine? — Wonderful  is  the  story  which  we  have  in  Aquinas,  of  a 
corpse  taken  up  out  of  a  sepulchre  in  the  days  of  Constantino  and  Iroiie, 
which  had  on  it  a  plate  of  gold,  whereon  these  words  were  engrav'd: 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


4il 


"Christus  nascetur  ex  Virgine,  Ego  credo  in  ilium:  0  Sol,  sub  Irenes  et  Con- 
stantini  Temporibus  iterum  me  videbis*  A  story  so  wonderful  will  not 
engage  me  to  write  pro  Salute  Aristotelis  ;\  or  to  defend  a  problem  advanc'd 
even  by  some  of  our  own  great  reformers,  de  Animabus  Paganorum;X  lest 
I  incur  the  censure  paased  by  one  of  the  ancients,  on  those  who  endeavour 
to  prove  Plato  a  Christian,  till  they  prove  themselves  little  better  than 
heathen.  It  is  indeed  a  principle  in  the  Alcoran  of  Mahomet,  that  "let  a 
man's  religion  be  what  it  will,  he  shall  be  sav'd  if  he  conscientiously  live 
up  to  the  rules  of  it."  And  it  is  fitter  for  Mahometans  than  for  Chris- 
tians to  maintain  a  principle  so  derogatory  unto  the  vertue  of  the  gospel, 
which,  "if  it  be  fc'd,  it  is  hid  unto  them  that  be  lost."  None  more  sin- 
cerely than  we  non-conformists,  do  subscribe  unto  that  article  of  the  church 
of  England,  they  "are  to  be  held- accursed,  who  presume  to  say,  that  every 
man  shall  be  sav'd  by  the  law  or  sect  which  he  professeth,  so  that  he  be 
diligent  to  frame  his  life  according  to  that  law  and  light  of  nature :  for  holy 
Scripture  doth  set  out  unto  us  only  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  whereby 
men  must  be  sav'd." 

But  I  will  wholly  leave  my  reader  to  his  own  judgment  on  another 
Btory  somewhat  wonderful. 

Pammehanuit,  an  Indian  of  prime  quality  on  Martha's  Vineyard,  and 
his  wife,  having  buried  their  five  first  children  successively,  every  one  of 
them  within  ten  days  of  their  birth,  notwithstanding  all  their  use  of  povvawa 
and  of  medicines  to  preserve  them,  they  had  a  sixth  child  (a  son)  born 
about  the  year  1638,  which  was  a  few  years  before  the  English  first  settled 
on  that  Vineyard.  The  mother  was  greatly  perplexed  with  fear  that  she 
should  lose  this  child,  like  the  former:  and  utterly  despairing  of  any  help 
from  such  means  as  had  been  formerly  tried  with  so  little  success,  as  soon 
as  she  was  able,  (which  among  the  Indians  is  quickly  and  tvithin  less  than 
ten  days)  with  a  sorrowful  heart,  she  took  her  child,  and  went  out  into  the 
field,  that  she  might  there  weep  out  her  sorrows.  While  she  was  here 
musing  on  the  insufficiency  of  all  humane  help,  she  felt  it  powerfully  sug- 
gested unto  her  mind,  that  "there  is  one  Almighty  God  who  is  to  be  pray'd 
unto;"  that  "this  God  hath  created  all  the  things  that  we  see;"  and  that 
"the  God  who  had  given  being  to  her  self  and  all  other  people,  and  given 
her  child  unto  her,  was  easily  able  to  continue  the  life  of  her  child." 

Hereupon  this  poor  blind  Pagan  resolv'd  that  she  would  seek  unto  this 
God  for  that  mercy,  and  she  did  accordingly.  The  issue  was,  that  her 
child  liv'd;  and  her  faith  (such  as  it  was)  in  Ilim  who  thus  answcr'd  her 
prayer,  was  wonderfully  strengthen'd:  The  consideration  whereof  caus'd 
her  to  dedicate  this  child  unto  the  service  of  that  God  who  had  prt'scrv'd 
his  life;  and  educate  hitn,  as  far  as  might  be,  to  become  the  servant  of  God. 
Not  long  after  this,  the  English  came  to  settle  on  Martha's  Vineyard; 

*  Clii'lHt  aliiin  bo  born  iif  n  virgin ;  I  bulluvo  In  lllin!  OaonI  lliiiii  hIiiiII  n^n  mo  iikiiIii  in  Uki  tliiica  oI' Oin- 
ItmiUiiu  uiid  Irune.  t  In  (bvor  of  the  DUlvutlon  of  Arlnlutlu.  i  CoiicumliiK  Ilit'  nouln  nf  ttiu  liuulhen. 


r):-^ 


r> 


;V' 


'•!. 


4 


||     Hi 


;.  ^'*3 


412 


UAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


and  the  Indians,  who  had  been  present  at  some  of  the  English  devotions, 
reported  that  they  assembled  frequently  together;  and  that  the  man  who 
spoke  among  'em  often  look'd  upwards.  This  woman,  from  this  report, 
presently  concluded  that  their  assemblies  were  for  prayers;  and  that  their 
prayers  were  unto  that  very  God  whom  she  had  addressed  for  the  life  of 
her  child.  She  was  confirm 'd  in  this,  w-ien  the  gospel  was  not  long  after 
preached  by  Mr.  May  hew  to  the  Indians  there ;  which  gospel  she  readily, 
and  cheerfully,  and  heartily  ;.mbrac'd.  And  in  the  confession  that  she 
made  publickly  at  her  admi:  sic-  \  into  the  church,  she  gave  a  relation  of 
the  preparation  for  the  kno  -^di.  of  Christy  wherewith  God  in  this  wonder- 
ful way  had  favour'd  her.  But  that  which  adds  to  this  wonder  is,  that 
this  very  child  has  prov'd  an  eminent  preacher  of  Christ  unto  the  other 
Indians.  He  is  living  at  this  time  (1698)  a  very  religious  Christian  and  a 
laborious  minister,  and  one  who  not  only  is  pastor  to  an  Indian  church 
on  Martha's  Vineyard,  consisting  of  some  scores  of  regenerate  souls,  but 
also  has  taken  pains  to  carry  tbe  gospel  unto  otljer  Indians  on  the  main 
land  with  a  nouible  effect  thereof.    His  name  is  Japhet. 

(II.)  A  Miracle. — A.  Christian  Indian,  living  at  Martha's  Vineyard, 
had  his  arm  so  wither'd,  that  he  could  make  no  use  of  it.  Upon  which 
occasion  he  went  unto  divers  of  his  relations,  desiring  them  to  join  with 
him  in  prayer  for  the  recovery  of  his  arm.  He  could  find  no  faith  in  any 
of  'em  about  the  matter,  except  some  little  in  his  wife ;  with  whom  there- 
fore he  set  apart  a  time  solemnly  to  seek  after  Christ  in  the  case  which 
thus  distress'd  him:  And  behold,  he  was  quickly  after  this  perfectly 
restor'd,  unto  the  astonishment  of  all  his  neighbours. 

It  is  a  remarkable  passage  which  Mr.  Daniel  Rogers  hath  (in  his  ^'Nha- 
ma7i^')  about  our  New-English  plantations,  "Who  can  or  dare  deny  but 
that  the  calling  of  those  Americans  to  the  knowledge  of  the  truth,  may 
seem  a  weighty  occasion  to  expect  from  God  the  gift  of  miracles?"  Behold, 
reader,  the  expectation  remarkably  accommodated  1 


1 


out 

eigl 

dyv 

lift 

was 

ing, 

his 


ill 


(III.)  Wondrous  Answers  of  Devout  Prayers  among  the  Chris- 
tian Indians. — Our  Christian  Indians  are  distinguish'd  by  the  name  of 
"praying  Indians:"  And  when  they  have  become  Christians,  the}'  have 
been  favour'd  by  Heaven  with  notable  successes  of  their  praying.  There 
liv'd  at  Martha's  Vineyard  a  godly  Indian,  call'd  William  Lay,  who  was 
both  a  magistrate  and  a  minister  among  his  countreymen.  Tiiis  man  was 
in  the  year  1690  visited  with  a  sore  fit  of  sickness,  which  prevail'd  upon 
him  so  far,  that  he  lay  speechless,  in  the  last  conflict  with  death,  as  his 
friends  apprehended,  for  several  days  together.  At  length  his  wife,  sup- 
posing his  end  very  near,  desired  Japhet,  the  pastor  of  the  Indian  church, 
to  pray  with  him,  who,  coming  to  the  house,  could  scarce  perceive  any 
life  now  left  in  him.    However,  Japhet  would  not  pray  at  this  time  with- 


J 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


443 


out  first  singing  a  psalm ;  and  particularly  the  eleven  first  verses  of  the 
eighty  eighth  psalm.  Now,  they  had  hardly  sung  two  verses  before  the 
dying  man  began  to  revive,  and  stir  up  his  eyes,  and  move  his  lips,  and 
lift  his  hands;  and  then  he  began  to  sing  with  them,  and  quickly  his  v(>ice 
was  as  high,  if  not  higher,  than  any  of  theirs.  Thus  he  continu'd  sing- 
ing, with  his  hands  lifted  up,  until  they  concluded ;  and  then,  laying  down 
his  hands,  he  seem'd  again  fallen  into  his  dying  posture.  Japhet  then 
goes  to  prayer,  and  soon  after  prayer  was  begun,  the  sick  man  began  once 
more  to  revive:  And  lifting  up  his  hand,  he  got  Japhet  by  the  hand,  and 
held  him  till  prayer  was  ended;  and  then  he  immediately  openM  his 
mouth  in  the  praises  of  God,  who,  he  said,  "had  heard  prayer  on  his 
behalf,  and  graciously  restor'd  him  from  the  mouth  of  the  grave,  that  he 
might  see  his  goodness  in  this  world;  and  he  believ'd  would  bestow  life 
eternal  upon  him  in  the  world  to  come." — The  man  recover'd,  and  walk'd 
abroad :  But  about  half  a  year  after  this,  he  fell  into  another  sickness, 
whereof  he  dy'd. 

Another  very  notable  answer  of  prayer  did  Abel  Aosoowe,  an  elder 
of  the  Indian  church  at  Martha's  Vineyard,  couni  himself  oblig'd  unto 
Heaven  for.  In  the  month  of  January,  1685,  he  with  his  wife  undertook 
to  pass  over  Monument  Bay,  about  five  leagues,  in  a  little  canoo;  but 
when  they  were  got  a  little  more  than  half  way,  the  ice  came  so  upon 
them,  as  to  enclose  them  on  evejry  side,  and  cover  the  water  as  far  as  ever 
they  could  see.  They  were  now  in  extream  distress,  and  cry'd  unto  God 
with  earnest  prayers  for  deliverance;  but  especially  for  the  salvation  of 
tlu'ir  souls,  which  they  thought  was  all  they  had  now  to  hope  for.  In 
this  distress  they  continued  for  several  hours;  but  at  length,  immediately 
after  one  of  their  prayers,  the  ice  open 'd  just  at  the  head  of  their  canoo, 
and  went  on  opening  to  them;  so  that  they  had  a  free,  though  a  streight 
passage  to  the  shore,  for  divers  miles  together;  the  ice  closing  still  to- 
gether again  just  as  the  canoo  had  passed  it.  Their  friends  on  the  shore, 
beholding  some  of  their  distress,  but  unable  to  help  thorn  in  it,  beheld 
also  with  astonishment  the  relief  thus  granted  them,  and  gave  them  a 
joyful  welcome. 


air 


I  i 


'i" 


t 


(IV.)  A  Notable  Conversion  of  an  Obstinate  Infidel. — Reader, 
behold  "one  saved  as  by  'jrc!"  No  longer  ago  than  the  year  1695,  about 
the  beginning  of  Octob*  r,  the  Spirit  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  mov'd  the 
heart  of  Japhet  for  to  carry  his  gospel  unto  the  Indians  in  a  plantation 
which  hitherto  were  without  the  knowledge  of  the  "gieat  salvation." 
These  Indians  were,  by  the  blessing  of  Heaven  on  the  preaching  of  Japhet, 
brought  genernlly  to  subject  themselves  unto  the  gop^)el  Yet  there  was 
one  man  among  them  at  first  very  obstinate;  w'lo  nevertheless,  after 
much  obstinacy,  promised  at  length  to  forsake  his  I'eathenism,  and  embrace 
the  religion  of  Christ.    But  when  Japhet  was  gone  oft',  this  man  goes  to 


1^1 


^'*ti! 


I  hi 

it  4>. 

'•U    "*' 

■'ft'  •  1 
'-   *| 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8T1    AMERICANA; 

Ills  brother,  and  expresses  his  dislike  of  the  Christian  religion,  and  signi- 
fies that  he  would  return  to  his  old  heathenish  customs.  His  brother  dis- 
Bwaded  him  from  this  apostacv,  and  reminded  him  of  his  promises ;  but 
withal  told  him,  "that  if  he  did  forsake  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he 
might  expect  some  dreadful  judgment  from  that  glorious  Lord  upon  him." 
— He  took  not  his  brother's  council;  and  within  a  few  ilavs  tie  awful 
judgment  of  God  overtook  him.  His  house  was  consumed  by  lire;  and 
his  three  children,  which  were  all  he  had,  consum'd  in  it:  bit  hv  wli  I 
means  the  fire  was  kindled,  it  covdd  never  be  known.  The  man  was  gone 
from  home;  and  at  his  return,  seeing  so  horrid  a  sp(?ctacle  ts  his  family 
in  ashes,  he  fell  horribly  distracted,  continuing  in  his  diairaction  a  whole 
day  together.  But  then  he  came  to  himself,  and  immediately  acknowl- 
edged, "that  what  had  befallen  him,  was  a  just  hand  of  Ciod  upon  him 
for  his  unbelief"  He  professed  his  nr  feign'd  sorrow  for  his  lnlpiot3^  ind 
renewed  his  promises  to  yield  obedience  unto  the  g"spcl;  and  hath  t\or 
since  conformed  liis  life  according  to  those  promises. 

(V.)  An  HoRiiiD  jMu:aoER  S'riiANGELY  Detected  and  Repented. — The 
most  barbarous  poop  I  o;  in  the  world  cannot  forbear  observing,  "that  a 
murderer,  veiogeanct^  ;>»u<fereth  not  to  live."  Those  children  of  Cain  often 
promise  to  theinselves  a  concealment  of  their  villainy:  lUit  a  Bessus  will 
find  the  very  swallows  to  chirrup  out  hit  murder  of  his  fother.  A  bar- 
barous people  become  Christian,  shall  bring  in  one  to  increase  the  num- 
ber of  the  (Examples  which  verifie  that  observation. 

About  the  year  1668,  an  Indian  squaw  was  found  murdered  at  Martha's 
Vineyard,  and  the  neighbourhood  suspected  an  Indian  man,  whose  name 
was  Pamahtuk,  to  be  the  author  of  the  murder.  Nevertheless,  upon  his 
examination,  he  deny'd  that  fact;  and  because  the  fact  could  not  be 
proved  against  him,  he  was  left  at  liberty.  More  than  twenty  years  after 
this  there  was  another  Indian  jquaw  found  murdered,  and  this  Pamahtuk, 
with  some  others,  were  thereupon  questioned,  who  all  denied  the  murder; 
nor  was  there  any  evidence  to  convict  them  of  it.  Hereupon  an  Indian 
present  moved  that  Ptanahtuk  might  be  again  interrogated  concerning  the 
murder  committed  so  many  years  ago;  and  behold  the  poor  creature 
immediately  confessed  himself  guilty  of  that  old  murder;  and,  after  a  fair 
trial,  was  executed  for  it.  He  confessed  that  he  killed  the  squaw  to  hide 
her  being  with  child  by  him  (a  crime  severely  punished  among  the  Ohris- 
tian  Indians).  But  now,  instead  of  his  hiding  his  sin,  he  said,  "his  sin 
had  found  him  out."  lie  seemed  very  penitent;  and  when  he  came  to 
the  place  of  execution,  he  declared  "that  as  he  justly  deserved,  so  he  was 
freely  willing  to  die ;  and  that  he Jiad  enjoyed  more  peace  of  conscience 
in  a  few  days,  now  since  he  confessed  his  crime,  than  he  had  for  many 
years  before."  Several  of  the  Indian  preachers,  and  others,  did  seriously 
apply  themselves  to  him  with  such  advice  as  they  judg'd  suitable  for  him; 


OR,    TUE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLANU. 


445 


■ 


and  particularly  one  of  them  told  him,  "that  though  he  had  been  standing 
idle  till  the  eleventh  hour,  yet,  if  he  would  now  at  last  believe  on  the 
,Lord  Jesus  Christ,  he  should  certainly  be  accepted."  Whereupon  he 
earnestly  desired  the  spectators  to  take  special  notice  of  his  end,  and  be 
warned  thereby  to  take  heed  of  the  sins  which  had  brought  him  there- 
unto; beseeching  their  prayers  for  him,  and  professing  their  hopes  of 
mercy  from  God  through  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  In  fine,  being  asked 
concerning  the  latter  murder,  he  answer'd  that  he  was,  as  to  that,  wholly 
innocent;  adding,  that  he  was  now  going  to  die,  and  he  knew  no  reason, 
why  he  should  not  confess  Uiat^  as  well  as  the  other,  if  he  had  been 
guilty  of  it. 

(VI.)  Sadducismus  Triumphatus.* — Come  hither,  ye  prophane  Sad- 
ducees,  that  will  not  believe  the  being  of  a  devil,  for  fear  lest  you  must 
thence  infer  the  being  of  a  God.  We  will  relate  some  things  well  known 
to  prudent  and  honest  witnesses:  And  when  you  have  read  this  relation, 
mock  on! 

The  Indians  of  Martha's  Vineyard,  who  are  now  serious  Christians,  will, 
upon  their  own  too  certain  knowledge,  abundance  of  them  acknowledge 
the  witchcrafts  wherein  they  had  actual  conversations,  and  explicit  con- 
federacies with  devils,  while  they  were  yet  Pagans.  They  know  that 
many  persons  among  them  have  been,  by  the  zeal  of  their  parents,  dedi- 
cated unto  their  infernal  gods,  and  educated  for  the  special  service  of  those 
gods;  but  that  the  dcenions  accept  only  some  hero  nnd  there,  to  make  dan- 
gerous poivaws  or  wizzards  of  them.  They  know  tliut  these  powaws  often 
imploy  their  daamons  to  smite  their  neighbours  with  blindness  and  lameness, 
and  other  mischiefs,  and  sometimes  to  kill  them,  and  sometimes  to  cure 
their  maladies.  They  know  that  their  manner  is,  to  form  a  piece  of 
leather  like  an  arrow-head,  and  then  tie  an  hair  unto  it;  or  take  a  bone 
of  some  dead  creature:  Over  these  things  they  use  magical  ceremonies, 
whereupon  a  daemon  presently  snatches  them  away,  and  conveys  them  into 
the  bodies  of  the  persons  to  be  afllicted;  or,  sometimes  the  diemon  pretends 
unto  them  that  he  brings  a  portion  of  the  spirit  of  the  person  closely 
imprisoned  in  a  fly ;  and  as  they  deal  with  the  fly,  so  it  fares  with  the 
body  of  the  person  intended. 

It  would  fill  a  volume  to  recite  the  incontestable  instances  which  that 
island  hath  had  of  these  witchcrafts;  but  before  the  gospel,  and  power, 
and  spirit  of  Christ,  they  have  been  happily  extiiiguish'd. 

One  well  known  powaw,  whose  faculty  chiefly  lay  in  discovering  and 
recovering  of  stolen  goods,  by  the  help  of  a  "Gud  subservient  [he  said] 
unto  Him  whom  the  English  worshipped,"  had  a  wif*'  who  was  a  Godly 
Christian;  and  this  not  only  with  the  approbation,  but  by  the  encourage- 
ment of  her  husband.     She  constantly  pray'd  in  hor  husband's  fainil}', 

*  (^adducUm  vtiiiquislii'd. 


r 


h 


■Ml 

I :,  r 


^i 


m 


tm 


W^ 


I   :  r, !  .y  f  I 


mm 

■  *■;,  ;i;lSit 


m 


kH 


446 


MAGKALIA    CHSISTI    AMEBICANA; 


: 


and  attended  the  publick  worship  on  the  Lord's-days:  he  declaring  "that 
he  could  not  blame  her,  for  she  serv'da  God  that  was  above  his:  but,  aa 
for  himself,  he  could  not  forsake  the  service  of  his  own  lesser  god,  being, 
so  much  oblig'd  by  his  kindnesses." 

Another  well  known  powaw,  designing  to  kill  an  Indian,  who  accident- 
ally lodg'd  in  the  house  with  him  and  his  brother,  went  forth  to  iuchant 
an  hair.  While  he  was  abroad,  his  brother  alter 'd  his  place  about  the 
fire,  where  they  slept,  and  the  strange  Indian  came  into  his  place.  The 
conjurer  coming  in  with  his  devilish  implement,  gave  it  a  direction  to  the 
back  of  his  enemy,  which  by  his  mistake  proved  his  brother,  and  the 
devil  therewith  immediately  kill'd  him.  Afterwards  he  would  on  all 
occasions  grievously  lament  unto  the  English  the  disaster  of  this  mis- 
application. 

There  was  a  prince  on  this  island,  who,  upon  his  conversion  to  God, 
made  this  confession  unto  the  church  whereto  he  joined  himself:  That 
being  a  powaw,  he  had  often  employed  his  god,  who  appear'd  unto  hiin 
still  in  the  form  of  a  snake,  to  kill,  wound,  and  lame,  such  as  he  design'd 
mischief  unto.  But,  that  employing  the  said  snake  to  hurt  the  first  Indian 
that  became  a  Christian  on  this  island,  all  prov'd  ineffectual,  according  to 
the  assertion  of  that  memorable  Indian,  "that  none  of  the  powaws  could 
hurt  him,  for  his  God  was  greater  than  any  of  theirs."  Hereupon  he 
resolved  himself  to  become  a  Christian,  and  worship  the  true  God :  from 
>frhich  time,  for  seven  years  together,  that  snake  often  annoyed  him  with 
sore  disturbances. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THAUMATOGRAPHIA  PNEUHIATICA;* 

RELATING  THE  WONDERS  OP  THE  INVISIBf.E  WORLD  IN  PRETERNATURAL  OCCURRENCES. 
Miranda  eano,  aed  sunt  credendaA^—' 

When  two  goats  were  offered  unto  the  Lord  (and  only  unto  the  Lord) 
on  the  day  of  expiation,  among  the  ancient  Israelites,  we  read  that  one 
of  them  was  to  fall  by  lot  unto  Azazel.  Azazel  cannot,  without  some 
hardship  on  the  sense,  be  taken  for  the  name  of  the  scape-goat  it  self:  But 
it  is  no  other  ihan  the  name  of  the  Devil  himself,  as  might  easily  be  proved 
from  the  monuments  of  the  greatest  (both  Jewish  and  Christian)  antiquities. 

In  the  signification  of  the  word  Azazel,  there  is  indeed  a  notable 
declaration  of  those  two  properties  that  have  signalized  the  devil;  his 
being  first  a  powerful,  and  then  an  apostate  spirit,  [ly]  Fortis,X  [Sin] 
Aliens^  fugie.ns.%    The  scape-goat,  presented  as  a  sacrifice  unto  the  holy 

*  Wondcn  of  the  spirit  world.      f  Tho  thomus  I  dIiik  iiru  murnlluU!^,  yd  irue.      |  llriivu.      g  Fluoliig. 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


447 


God,  was  order'd  by  him  to  be  deliver'd  up  unto  Azazel  upon  these  two 
intentions.  One  design  hereof  might  be  to  intimate  unto  the  people  what 
would  be  the  miserable  condition  of  them  who  did  not  by  faith  in  the 
Messiah  get  the  guilt  of  their  sins  removed.  They  that  have  their  sins 
lying  upon  them,  and  are  "led  forth  with  the  workers  of  iniquity,"  must 
become  a  prey  to  Azazel,  even  to  Satan,  unto  whose  temptation  they  did 
in  their  sinning  yield  obedience.  And  indeed  our  Lord  has  expressly 
told  us  (perhaps  not  without  some  allusion  to  this  levitical  goat)  that  !j'3 
will  send  the  goats  which  have  their  sins  upon  them  to  be  with  the  "Devil 
and  his  angels." 

But  another  and  a  greater  design  of  it,  might  be  to  represent  a  main 
article  in  the  dreadful  sufferings  which  were  to  befal  our  Lord  Messiah 
when  he  should  come  to  suffer  for  our  sins.  When  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
underwent  his  humiliation  for  us,  this  point  was  very  considerable  in  it; 
he  was  carried  into  the  wilderness,  and  there  he  was  exposed  unto  the 
buffetings  and  outrages  of  Azazel.  The  assaults  that  Satan  then  and  after- 
wards made  on  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  producing  a  most  horrible  anguish 
in  his  mind,  made  such  a  figure  in  his  conflicts  for  us,  that  they  were  well 
worthy  of  a  most  particular  prefiguration.  And  one  thing  in  the  prefig- 
uration  must  be,  that  the  goat  for  Azazel  must  be  sent  into  the  desart. 
In  the  days  of  Moses,  it  seems,  desarts  were  counted  very  much  an 
habitation  of  devils:  Yea,  they  really  were  what  they  were  counted; 
and  for  that  cau3e  the  names  of  Shedim  and  Zijim  were  put  upon  them ; 
and  when  tha  Scriptures  foretel  desolations  to  such  and  such  places,  they 
still  make  the  devils  to  be  their  inhabitants. 

Who  can  tell  whether  the  envy  of  the  devils  at  the  favour  of  God  unto 
men,  may  not  provoke  them  to  affect  retirement  from  the  sight  of  popu- 
lous and  prosperous  regions,  except  so  far  as  they  reckon  their  work  of 
tempting  mankind  necessary  to  be  carry'd  on?  Or,  perhaps,  it  is  not  every 
countrey  before  which  the  devils  prefer  the  desarts.  Regions  in  which 
the  devils  are  much  served  by  those  usages,  either  in  worship  or  manners, 
which  are  pleasing  to  them,  are  by  those  doleful  creatures  enough  resorted 
unto.  Yea,  if  sin  much  abound  any  where,  some  devils  entreat  that  they 
may  "not  be  sent  from  thence  into  the  wilderness."  But  regions  like  the 
land  of  Israel,  where  the  true  God  is  continually  prayed  unto,  and  where 
the  word  of  God  is  continually  sounding,  are  filled  with  such  things  as 
are  very  uneasie  unto  the  devils:  The  devils  often  recede  much  from 
thence  into  the  wilderness,  as  the  devil  of  Mascon  would  say  to  Mr.  Per- 
reaud,  the  minister  that  lived  in  the  haunted  house,  "While  you  go  to 
prayer,  I'll  take  a  turn  in  the  street." 

Thus  to  omit  what  Alexander  Hales  reports  of  one  retiring  ad  loca  des- 
tituta  omni  Ilabitatore,*  where  spirits  taught  him  the  things  which  he  wrote 
in  his  book  "i?e  Magicis',^^f  we  know  that  in  Lucian  the  famous  Magician 


iJM 


it,,:. 


*  Unlnhabitablo  placet. 


t  On  Magic. 


t  r  %-i' 

m 


448 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


f! 


II 


■i:i 


Mithrobarzancs,  with  his  companions,  betook  themselves  ee  "  x'^P'"''  ^pii^ov. 
xa»  \i\u6ss,  xa(  aviiXjov — "into  a  desart,  woody,  shady  region" — for  a  conver- 
sation with  spirits. 

Whatever  becomes  of  the  observation  which  we  have  hitherto  been 
making,  there  has  been  too  much  cause  to  observe,  that  the  Christians 
who  were  driven  into  the  American  desart,  which  is  now  call'd  New- 
England,  have  to  their  sorrow  seen  Azazel  dwelling  and  raging  there  in 
very  tragical  instances.  The  devils  have  doubtless  felt  a  more  than  ordi- 
nary vexation,  from  the  arrival  of  those  Christians  with  their  sacred  exer- 
cises of  Christianity  in  this  wilderness :  But  the  sovereignty  of  Heaven 
has  permitted  them  still  to  remain  in  the  wilderness,  for  our  vexation,  as 
well  as  their  own. 

Molestations  from  evil  spirits,  in  more  sensible  and  surprising  operations, 
than  those  finer  methods,  wherein  they  commonly  work  upon  the  minds  of 
all  men,  but  especially  of  iV^  men,  have  so  abounded  in  this  countrey,  that 
I  question  whether  any  one  town  has  been  free  from  sad  examples  of  them. 
The  neighbours  have  not  been  careful  enough  to  record  and  attest  the  pro- 
digious occurrences  of  this  importance,  which  have  been  among  us.  Many 
true  and  strange  occurrences  from  the  invisible  world,  in  these  parts  of  the 
world,  are  faultily  buried  in  oblivion.  But  son  >  of  these  very  stupendous 
things  have  had  their  memory  preserv'd  in  the  written  memorials  of  honest, 
prudent,  and  faithful  men ;  whose  veracity  in  the  relations  cannot  without 
great  injury  be  question'd. 

Of  these  I  will  now  oft'er  the  publick  some  remarkable  histories;  for 
every  one  of  which  we  have  had  such  a  sufficient  evidence,  that  no  reason- 
able man  in  this  whole  countrc}'  ever  did  question  them;  and  it  will  bo 
unreasonable  to  do  it  in  any  other.  For  my  own  part,  I  would  be  as 
exceedingly  afraid  of  writing  a  false  thing,  as  of  doing  an  ill  thing:  but 
have  my  pen  always  move  in  the  fear  of  God. 

The  First  Example. — Ann  Cole,  a  })erson  of  serious  piety,  living  in 
the  house  of  her  godly  father  at  Hertford  i,  in  the  year  l(j()2,  was  taken 
with  very  strange  fits,  wherein  her  tongue  was  improv'd  by  a  dionion,  to 
express  things  unknown  to  her  self.  The  general  purpose  of  the  di.'^counso, 
which  held  sometimes  for  a  considerable  while,  was,  that  such  and  such 
persons  (named  in  the  discourse)  were  consulting  how  they  might  carry  on 
mischievous  designs  against  her  and  several  others,  by  afllicting  their  bodies 
or  destroying  their  good  names;  upon  all  which,  the  general  answer  heard 
among  these  invisible  speakers,  was,  "Ah!  she  runs  to  the  rocUl"  Afler 
such  an  entertainment  had  held  for  some  hours,  the  diemons  were  heaid 
saying,  "Let  us  confound  her  language,  that  she  may  tell  no  more  talcs." 
Whereupon  the  conference  became  iinintelligible  to  the  standers  by ;  and 
I  lien  it  pass'd  in  a  Dutch  tone,  giving  therein  an  account  of  mischiels  thiit 
had  befallen  divers  persons,  and,  amongst  the  rest,  what  had  bet'ullen  to  a 


wol 

whi 

wv\ 

anc 

spc 

of 

i"g| 
the! 

hat 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


4i9 


woman  that  liv'd  next  neighbour  to  a  Dutch  family  then  iu  the  town, 
which  woman  had  been  prematurely  indispos'd.  Several  eminent  ministers 
wrote  the  speeches  of  the  spirits,  thus  heard  in  the  mouth  of  this  Ann  Cole; 
and  one  of  the  persons  therein  mentioned,  as  active  in  the  matter  then 
spoken  of,  (whose  name  was  Grgensmith,)  being  then  in  prison  on  suspicion 
of  witchcraft,  was  brought  before  the  magistrates.  The  ministers  now  read- 
ing to  her  what  they  had  written,  she  with  astonishment  confessed  that 
the  things  were  so,  and  that  she  with  other  persons,  named  in  the  papers, 
had  familiarity  with  a  devil.  She  said  that  she  had  not  yet  made  a,  formal 
covenant  with  her  devil,  but  only  promised  that  she  would  go  with  him 
when  he  called  her,  which  she  had  sundry  times  done  accordingly ;  and 
that  he  told  her  that  at  Christmas  they  would  have  a  meri-y  meeting,  and 
then  the  agreement  between  them  should  be  subscribed.  She  acknowl- 
edged, the  day  following,  that  when  the  ministers  began  to  read  what  they 
did,  she  was  in  such  a  rage  that  she  could  have  torn  them  to  pieces;  and 
she  was  resolved  upon  the  denial  of  her  guilt:  but  after  they  had  read  a 
while,  she  was  as  if  her  flesh  were  puU'd  fi-om  her  bones,  and  she  could 
no  longer  deny  what  they  charged  upon  her. 

She  declared  that  her  devil  appear'd  unto  her  first  in  the  shape  of  deer, 
skipping  about  her,  and  at  last  proceeded  so  far  as  in  that  shape  to  talk 
with  her;  and  that  the  devil  had  frequently  carnal  knowledge  of  her. 

Upon  this  v^,onfession,  with  other  concurrent  evidence,  the  woman  was 
executed,  and  other  persons  accused  made  their  escape ;  whereupon  Ann 
Cole  was  happily  deliver'd  from  the  extraordinary  troubles  wherewith  she 
had  been  exercis'd. 

The  Second  Example. — In  the  town  of  Groton,  one  Elizabeth  Knap 
(October,  1671,)  was  taken  after  a  very  strange  manner;  sometimes  weep- 
ing, sometimes  laughing,  sometimes  roaring,  with  violent  agitations,  crying 
out  "Money I  money!"  Her  tongue  would  be  for  many  hours  together 
drawn  like  a  semi-circle  up  to  the  roof  of  her  mouth;  so  that  no  fingers 
apply'd  unto  it  could  remove  it.  Six  men  were  scarce  able  to  hold  her 
in  some  of  her  fits;  but  she  would  skip  about  the  house,  yelling  and  howl- 
ing, and  looking  hideously. 

On  December  17,  her  tongue  being  drawn  out  of  her  mouth  to  an  extra- 
ordinary length,  a  da3mon  began  manifestly  to  speak  in  her;  for  many 
words  were  distinctly  uttered,  wherein  are  the  Labial  letters,  without  any 
motion  of  her  lips  at  all:  words  also  were  utter'd  from  her  throat  some- 
times when  her  mouth  was  wholly  shut;  and  sometimes  words  were 
utter'd  when  her  mouth  was  wide  open;  but  no  organs  of  speech  us'd 
therein.  The  chief  things  that  the  daemon  spoke,  were  horrid  railings 
against  the  godly  minister  of  the  town :  but  sometimes  he  likewise  belch'd 
out  most  nefandous  blasphemies  against  the  God  of  heaven.  And  one 
thing  about  this  young  woman  was  yet  more  particularly  remarkable:  she 
Vol.  II.— 29 


1  <   I 


''i: 


I  \ 


,1,- 


v  iv; 


II 


450 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMERICANA; 


cry'd  out  in  her  fits  that  a  certain  woman  in  the  neighbourhood  upjoar'd 
unto  her,  and  was  the  only  cause  of  her  affliction.  The  woman  thus  cry'd 
out  upon  was  doubtless  an  holy,  a  devout,  a  vertuous  person ;  and  she,  by 
the  advice  of  her  friends,  visited  the  afflicted.  The  possess 'd  creature, 
tbo'  she  was  in  one  of  her  fits,  and  had  her  eyes  wholly  shut,  yet  when 
this  innocent  woman  was  coming,  she  discover'd  herself  wonderfully  sen- 
sible of  it,  and  was  in  grievous  agonies  at  her  approaches. 

But  this  innocent  woman,  thus  accus'd  and  abus'd  by  a  malicious  devil, 
pray'd  earnestly  with  as  well  sis  for  this  possess'd  creature;  whereupon, 
coming  to  herself,  she  confess'd  that  she  had  been  deluded  by  Satan,  and 
compell'd  by  him  unreasonably  to  think  and  speak  evil  of  a  good  neigh- 
bour without  a  cause.  After  this,  there  was  no  further  complaint  of  such 
an  one's  apparition;  but  she  said  some  devil,  in  the  shape  of  divers,  did 
very  diversly  and  cruelly  torment  her,  and  then  told  her,  it  was  not  he, 
but  they  J  that  were  her  tormentors. 

The  Third  Example. — In  the  year  1679  the  house  of  William  Morse, 
at  Newberry,  was  infested  with  daemons  after  a  most  horrid  manner,  not 
altogether  unlike  the  daemons  of  Tedworth.  It  would  fill  many  pages  to 
relate  all  the  infestations;  but  the  chief  of  'em  were  such  as  these : 

Bricks,  and  sticks^  and  stones,  were  often  by  some  invisible  hand  thrown 
at  the  house,  and  so  were  many  pieces  of  wood:  a  cat  was«thrown  at  the 
woman  of  the  house,  and  a  long  staff  danc'd  up  and  down  in  the  chimney ; 
and  afterwards  the  same  long  staff  was  hang'd  by  a  line,  and  swung  to  and 
fro;  and  when  two  persons  laid  it  on  the  fire  to  burn  it,  it  was  as  much 
as  they  were  able  to  do  with  their  joint  strength  to  hold  it  there.  An 
iron  crook  was  violently  by  an  invisible  hand  hurl'd  about;  and  a  chair 
flew  about  the  room  until  at  last  it  litt  upon  the  table,  where  the  meat 
stood  ready  to  be  eaten,  and  had  spoil'd  all,  if  the  people  had  not  with 
much  ado  saved  a  little.  A  chest  was  by  an  invisible  hand  carry'd  from 
one  place  to  another,  and  the  doors  barricado'd,  and  the  keys  of  the 
family  taken,  some  of  them  from  the  bunch  where  they  were  ty'd,  and  the 
rest  flying  about  with  a  loud  noise  of  their  knocking  against  one  another. 
For  one  while  the  folks  of  the  house  could  not  sap  quietly,  but  ashes 
would  be  thrown  into  their  suppers,  and  on  their  heads,  and  their  cloaths; 
and  the  shooes  of  the  man  being  left  below,  one  of  them  was  fiU'd  with 
ashes  and  coals,  and  thrown  up  after  him.  When  they  were  a-bed,  a  stone 
weighing  about  three  pounds  was  divers  times  thrown  upon  them.  A  box 
and  a  board  was  likewise  thrown  upon  them ;  and  a  bag  of  hops  being 
taken  out  of  a  chest,  they  were  by  the  invisible  hand  beaten  therewith,  till 
some  of  the  hops  were  scatter'd  on  the  floor,  where  the  bag  was  then  laid 
and  left.  The  man  was  ofl«n  struck  by  that  hand  with  several  instru- 
ments; and  the  same  hand  cast  their  good  things  into  the  fire:  yea,  while 
the  man  was  at  prayer  with  his  household,  a  heesom  gave  him  a  blow  on 


hi 
in 
bi 
sii 


bt 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


451 


his  head  behind,  and  fell  down  before  his  face.  When  they  were  winnow- 
ing their  barley,  dirt  was  thrown  at  them;  and  assaying  to  fill  their  half 
bushel  with  corn,  the/owZ  coryi  would  be  thrown  in  with  the  cleariy  so  irre- 
sistibly, that  they  were  forc'd  thereby  to  give  over  what  they  were  about. 

While  the  man  was  writing,  his  inkhorn  was  by  the  invisible  hand 
Bnatch'd  from  him ;  and  being  able  no  where  to  find  it,  he  saw  it  at  length 
drop  out  of  the  air  down  by  the  fire.  A  shooe  was  laid  upon  his  shoulder; 
but  when  he  would  have  catch'd  it,  it  was  rapt  from  him;  it  was  then  clapt 
upon  his  head,  and  there  he  held  it  so  fast,  that  the  unseen  fury  pull'd 
him  with  it  backward  on  the  floor.  He  had  his  cap  torn  off  his  head, 
and  in  the  night  he  was  pull'd  by  the  hair,  and  pinch 'd,  and  scratch'd ;  and 
the  invisible  hand  prick'd  him  with  some  of  his  awls,  and  with  needles,  and 
bodkins;  and  blows  that  fetched  blood  were  sometimes  given  him.  Frozen 
clods  of  cow  dung  were  often  thrown  at  the  man ;  and  his  wife  going  to 
milk  the  cows,  they  could  by  no  means  preserve  the  vessels  of  milk  from 
the  like  annoyances,  which  made  it  fit  only  for  the  hogs. 

She  going  down  into  the  cellar,  the  trap-door  was  immediately  by  an 
invisible  hand  shut  upon  her,  and  a  table  brought,  and  laid  upon  the  door, 
which  kept  her  there  till  the  man  remov'd  it.  When  he  was  writing 
another  time,  a  dish  went  and  leapt  into  a  pail,  and  cast  water  on  the  man, 
and  on  all  the  concerns  before  him,  so  as  to  defeat  what  he  was  then  upon. 
His  cap  jump'd  off  his  head,  and  on  again;  and  the  pot  lid  went  off  the 
•pot  into  the  kettle,  then  over  the  fire  together. 

A  little  boy  belonging  to  the  family  was  a  principal  sufferer  in  these 
molestations;  for  he  was  flung  about  at  such  a  rate,  that  they  fear'd  his 
brains  would  have  been  beaten  out :  nor  did  they  find  it  possible  to  hold 
him.  His  bed  cloathes  would  be  pull'd  from  him,  his  bed  shaken,  and  his 
bed-staff  leap  forward  and  backward.  The  man  took  him  to  keep  him  in 
a  chair;  but  the  chair  fell  a  dancing,  and  both  of' them  were  very  near 
being  thrown  into  the  fire. 

These,  and  a  thousand  such  vexations  befalling  the  boy  at  home,  they 
carry'd  him  to  live  abroad  at  a  doctor's.  There  he  was  quiet;  but  return- 
ing home,  he  suddenly  cry'd  out,  "he  was  prick'd  on  the  back;"  where 
they  found  strangely  sticking  a  three-loi'd  fork,  which  belong'd  unto  the 
doctor,  and  had  been  seen  at  his  house  after  the  boy's  departure.  After- 
wards his  troublers  found  him  out  at  the  doctor's  also;  where,  crying  out 
again  "he  was  prick'd  on  the  back,"  they  found  an  vvn  spindle  stuck  into 
him;  and  on  the  like  out  cry  again,  they  found  pins  in  a  paper  stuck  into 
him ;  and  once  more,  a  long  iron,  a  bowl  of  a  spoon,  and  a  piece  of  a  pan- 
shred,  in  like  sort  stuck  upon  him.  He  was  taken  out  of  his  bed,  and 
thrown  under  it;  and  all  the  knives  belonging  to  the  house  were  one  after 
another  stuck  into  his  back,  which  the  spectators  pull'd  out:  only  one  of 
them  seem'd  unto  the  spectators  to  come  out  of  his  mouth.  The  poor 
boy  was  divers  times  thrown  into  the  fire,  and  preserv'd  from  scorching 


m 


I -I 


M:. 


mm 


il 


'.:i 


;l    I 


1*1 


l|:(i!' 


452 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


there  with  much  ado.  For  a  long  while  he  bark'd  like  a  dog,  and  tlion 
he  chequed  like  an  hen ;  and  could  not  speak  rationally.  His  tongue  would 
be  puU'd  out  of  his  mouth;  but  when  he  could  recover  it  so  far  as  to 

speak,  he  complain'd  that  a  man  call'd  P 1,  appeared  unto  him  as  the 

cause  of  all. 

Once  in  the  day-time  he  was  transported  where  none  could  find  him,  till 
at  last  they  found  him  creeping  on  one  side,  and  sadly  dumb  and  lame. 

When  he  was  able  to  express  himself,  he  said,  "that  P 1  had  carried 

him  over  the  top  of  the  house,  and  hurled  him  against  a  cart-wheel  in  the 
barn;"  and  accordingly  they  found  some  remainders  of  the  thresh'd 
barley,  which  was  on  the  barn  floor,  hanging  about  his  garments. 

The  spectre  wouM  make  all  his  meat,  when  he  was  going  to  eat,  fly  out 
of  his  mouth ;  and  instead  thereof,  make  him  fall  to  eating  of  ashes,  and 
sticks,  and  yarn.  The  man  and  his  wife,  taking  the  boy  to  bed  with  them, 
a  chamber  pot  with  its  contents  was  thrown  upon  them ;  they  were  severely 
pinch'd  and  pull'd  out  of  the  bed;  and  many  other  fruits  of  devilish  spite 
were  they  dogg'd  withal,  until  it  pleas'd  God  mercifully  to  shorten  the 
chain  of  the  devil.  But  before  the  devil  was  chain'd  up  the  invisible  hnnrl, 
which  did  all  these  things,  began  to  put  on  an  astonishing  visibility/. 

They  often  thought  they  felt  the  hand  that  scratch'd  them,  while  yet 
they  saw  it  not;  but  when  they  thought  they  had  hold  of  it,  it  would  give 
them  the  slip. 

Once  the  fist  beating  the  man,  was  discernible,  but  they  could  not  catch 
hold  of  it.  At  length  an  apparition  of  a  Blackamoor  child  shew'd  itself 
plainly  to  them.  And  another  time  a  drumming  on  the  boards  was  heard, 
which  was  follow'd  with  a  voice  that  sang,  "Revenge!  revenge!  sweet  is 
revenge !"  At  this  the  people,  being  terrify'd,  call'd  upon  God :  whereupon 
there  follow'd  a  mournful  note,  several  times  uttering  these  expressions: 
"Alas!  alas!  we  knock  no  more,  we  knock  no  more!"  and  there  was  au 
end  of  all. 

The  Fourth  Example. — In  the  year  1683,  the  house  of  Nicholas  Dcs- 
borough,  at  Hartford,  was  very  strangely  molested  by  stones,  by  pieces  of 
earth,  by  cobs  of  Indian  corn,  and  other  such  things,  from  an  invisible 
hand,  thrown  at  him,  sometimes  thro'  the  door,  sometimes  thro'  tlie  win- 
dow, sometimes  down  the  chimney,  and  sometimes  from  the  'floor  of  the 
room  (tho'  very  close)  over  his  head;  and  sometimes  he  met  with  them  in 
the  shop,  tho  yard,  the  barn,  and  in  the  field.  There  was  no  violonc(j  in 
the  motion  of  the  things  thus  thrown  by  the  invisible  hand ;  a  id  tho'  others 
besides  the  man  happen'd  sometimes  to  bo  hit,  they  were  never  hurt  with 
them;  only  the  man  himself  once  hal  pain  given  to  his  arm,  nnd  once 
blood  fetch'd  from  his  leg,  by  these  annoyances;  and  a  fire,  in  an  unknown 
way  kindled,  eonsum'd  no  little  part  of  his  estate.  This  trouble  Ih'umu 
a  controversio  between  Desborough  and  another  person  about  a  chest 


upon 


I 


of 
De 

tht 

un 
vo 


II  i 


OR,    THE    HISTOEY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


'453 


of  cloaths,  which  the  man  apprehended  to  be  unrighteously  detain'd  by 
Desborough ;  and  it  endur'd  for  divers  months ;  but  upon  the  restoring  of 
the  cloaths  thus  detain'd,  the  trouble  ceased. 

At  Brightling  in  Sussex,  in  England,  there  happened  a  tragedy  not 
unlike  to  this,  in  the  year  1659.  'Tis  recorded  by  Clark  in  the  second 
volume  of  his  ^^Examples.'" 

The  Fifth  Example. — On  June  11, 1682,  showers  of  stones  were  thrown 
by  an  invisible  hand  upon  the  house  of  George  Walton  at  Portsmouth. 
Whereupon  the  people  going  out,  found  the  gate  wrung  off  the  hinges, 
and  stones  flying  and  falling  thick  about  them,  and  striking  of  them 
seemingly  with  a  great  force;  but  really  affecting  'em  no  more  than  if  a 
soft  touch  were  given  them.  The  glass  windows  were  broken  to  pieces  by 
stones  that  came  not  from  ivithout,  but  from  tvithin;  and  other  instruments 
were  in  like  manner  hurl'd  about.  Nine  of  the  stones  they  took  up, 
whereof  some  were  as  hot  as  if  they  came  out  of  the  fire;  and,  marking 
them,  they  laid  them  on  the  table;  but  in  a  little  while  they  found  some 
of  them  again  flying  about.  The  spit  was  carry'd  up  the  chimney;  and 
coming  down  with  the  point  forward,  stuck  in  the  back-log;  from  whence 
one  of  the  company  removing  it,  it  was  by  an  invisible  hand  thrown  out 
at  the  window.  This  disturbance  continu'd  from  day  to  day ;  and  some- 
times a  dismal  hollow  ivhistUnrj  would  be  heard,  and  sometimes  the  trotting 
and  snorting  of  an  horse,  but  nothing  to  be  seen.  The  man  went  up  the 
great  bay  in  a  boat  unto  a  farm  he  had  there :  but  there  the  stones  found 
him  out;  and  carrying  from  the  house  to  the  boat  a  stirrup-iron,  the  iron 
came  jingling  after  him  through  the  woods  as  far  as  liis  house;  and  at  last 
went  away,  and  was  heard  of  no  more.  The  anchor  leap'd  overboard  sev- 
eral times  and  stopt  the  boat.  A  cheese  was  taken  out  of  the  press,  and 
crumbl'd  all  over  the  floor:  a  piece  of  iron  ^uck  into  the  wall,  and  a  kettle 
hung  thereupon.  Several  cocks  of  hay,  mow'd  near  the  house,  were  taken 
u|)  and  hung  upon  trees,  and  others  made  into  small  whisps,  and  scattered 
about  the  house.  The  man  was  much  hurt  by  some  of  the  stones:  he  was 
a  Quaker,  and  suspected  that  a  wonuin,  who  charg'd  him  with  injustice 
in  detaining  some  land  from  her,  did  by  nvitchcraft  occasion  these  preter- 
natural occurrences.     However,  at  last,  they  came  unto  an  end. 

The  Sixth  Example. — In  Juno,  1682,  Mary  the  wife  of  Antonio  Ilor- 
tado,  'dwelling  near  the  Salmon-falls,  heard  a  voice  at  the  door  of  her 
house,  calling,  "What  do  you  here?"  and  about  an  hour  after  had  a  l)low 
on  her  eye,  that  almost  spoil'd  her,  Two  or  three  days  after,  a  great  stone 
was  thrown  along  the  house;  which  the  people  going  to  take  up,  was 
unaccountably  gone.  Afri/ing  pan  then  in  the  chinniey  rang  so  loud,  that 
the  people  at  an  hundred  rods  distance  heard  it;  and  the  said  ^(ary  with 
her  husband,  going  over  the  river  in  a  canoo,  they  saw  the  head  of  a  rnau^ 


'M 


'  '  r!| 


■  il 

i    I' 
I 


il 


il 


454 


MAGNALIA    CHRIST  I    AMERICANA; 


and,  about  three  foot  off,  the  tail  of  a  cut,  swimming  before  the  canoo,  but 
no  body  to  join  them;  and  the  same  apparition  again  follow'd  the  eaiioo 
when  they  return'd:  but  at  their  landing  it  first  disappear'd.  A  stone 
thrown  by  an  invisible  hand  after  this,  caus'd  a  swelling  and  a  soreness 
in  her  head;  and  she  was  bitten  on  both  arms  black  ard  blue,  and  her 
breast  scratch'd;  the  impression  of  the  teeth,  which  were  like  a  man's  teeth, 
being  seen  by  many. 

They  deserted  their  house  on  these  occasions,  and  tho'  at  a  neigliboni's 
house,  they  were  at  first  haunted  with  apparitions^  the  satanical  molestadims 
quickly  ceas'd.  When  Antonio  return'd  unto  his  own  house,  at  his 
entrance  there,  he  heard  one  walking  in  his  chamber,  and  saw  the  boards 
buckle  under  the  feet  of  the  walker;  and  yet  there  was  no  body  there. 
For  this  cause  he  went  back  to  dwell  on  the  other  side  of  the  river;  but 
thinking  he  might  plant  his  ground,  tho'  he  left  his  house,  he  had  five 
rods  of  good  log-fence  thrown  down  at  once,  and  the  footing  of  neat  cattle 
plainly  to  be  seen  almost  between  every  row  of  corn  in  the  field ;  yet  no 
cattle  seen  there,  nor  any  damage  done  to  his  corn,  or  so  much  as  a  lea\e 
of  it  cropt. 

The  Seventh  Example. — Mr.  Philip  Smith,  aged  about  fifty  years,  a 
son  of  eminently  vertuous  parents,  a  deacon  of  a  church  in  Iladley,  a  mem- 
ber of  the  General  Court,  a  justice  in  the  countrey  Court,  a  select  man  for 
the  affairs  of  the  town,  a  lieutenant  of  the  troop,  and,  wliich  crowns  all,  a 
man  for  devotion,  sanctity,  gravity,  and  all  that  was  honest,  exceeding 
exemplary.  Sucli  a  man  was.  in  the  winter  of  the  year  1684,  munler'd 
with  an  hideous  witchcraft,  that  fiU'd  all  those  parts  of  New-England, 
with  astonishment.  He  was,  by  his  office,  concern'd  about  relieving  tli«? 
indigences  of  a  wretched  woman  in  the  town ;  who  being  dissatisfy'd  at 
some  of  his  just  cares  about  her,  express'd  her  self  unto  him  in  such  a 
manner,  that  he  declur'd  himself  thenceforward  apprehensive  of  receiving 
mischief  at  her  hands. 

About  the  beginning  of  January  he  began  to  be  very  valetudinarious, 
labouring  under  pains  that  seem'd  Ischiatich,  The  stand^rs  by  could  now 
see  in  him  one  ripeninrj  apace  for  another  world,  and  fiU'd  with  grace  and 
joy  to  an  high  degree,  lie  shcw'd  such  wcanedncss  from  and  weariness  of 
the  world,  that  he  knew  not  (he  said)  whether  he  might  pray  for  his  con- 
tinuance  here:  and  such  assurance  he  had  of  the  Divine  love  unto  him, 
that  in  raptures  he  would  cry  out,  "Lord,  stay  thy  hand!  it  is  enough,  it 
is  more  than  thy  frail  servant  can  bear!"  But  in  tho  midst  of  these  things 
he  still  utter'd  an  hard  suspicion  that  the  ill  woman  who  had  threatmd 
him,  had  made  impressions  with  inchantments  upon  him.  While  ho 
reniain'd  yet  of  a  sound  mind,  he  very  sedately,  but  very  solemnly  chnrg'd 
his  brother  to  look  well  after  him.  Tho',  he  said,  ho  now  understood 
himself,  yet  ho  knew  not  how  ho  might  bo.     "But  bo  sure,"  said  he,  "to 


haj 
wcJ 

vA 

wlJ 

laiJ 
hiij 

otlj 
bo  J 


JKifir: 


. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


455 


but 


> 

n<>-,s 

tiicd 

ho 

1(1(1 
'to 


have  a  care  of  me;  for  3'ou  shall  see  strange  things.  There  shall  be  a 
wonder  in  Hadleyl  I  shall  not  be  dead,  when  'tis  thought  I  ami"  He 
press'd  this  charge  over  and  over;  and  afterwards  became  delirious;  upon 
which  he  had  a  speech  incessant  and  voluble,  and  (as  was  judg'd)  in  various 
hmguages.  He  cry'd  out  not  only  of  pains,  but  also  of  jiins,  tormenting 
him  in  several  parts  of  his  body;  and  the  attendants  found  one  of  them. 

In  his  distresses  he  exclaim'd  much  upon  the  woman  ^foresaid,  and 
others,  as  being  seen  by  him  in  the  room;  and  there  was  divers  times, 
Ixjth  in  that  room  and  over  the  whole  house,  a  strong  smell  of  something 
like  musk,  which  once  particularly  so  scented  an  apple  roasting  at  the  fire, 
that  it  forc'd  them  to  throw  it  away.  Some  of  the  young  men  in  the  town 
being  out  of  their  wits  at  the  strange  calamities  thus  upon  one  of  their 
most  belov'd '  neighbours,  went  three  or  four  times  to  give  disturbance 
unto  the  woman  thus  complain'd  of:  and  all  the  while  they  were  disturb- 
ing of  her,  he  was  at  ease,  and  slept  as  a  weary  man:  yea,  these  were  the 
only  times  that  they  perceiv'd  him  to  take  any  sleep  in  all  his  illness. 
Gaily  pots  of  medicines,  provided  for  the  sick  man,  were  unaccountably 
enipty'd:  audible  scratchings  were  made  about  the  bed,  when  iiis  hands 
and  feet  lay  wholly  still,  and  were  held  by  others.  They  beheld  fire 
sometimes  on  the  bed;  and  when  the  beholders  began  to  discourse  of  it, 
it  vanish'd  away.  Divers  people  actually  felt  something  often  stir  in  the 
bed,  at  a  considerable  distance  from  the  man ;  it  seem'd  as  big  as  a  cat, 
but  they  could  never  grasp  it.  Several  trying  to  lean  on  the  bed's  head, 
tho'  the  sick  man  lay  wholly  still,  the  bed  would  shake  so  as  to  knock 
their  heads  uncomfortably.  A  very  strong  man  could  not  lift  the  sick 
man  to  make  him  lie  more  easily,  tho'  he  apply'd  his  utmost  strength  imto 
it;  and  yet  he  could  go  presently  and  lift  a  bed-st':>d  and  a  bed,  and  a  man 
lying  on  it,  without  any  strain  to  himself  at  all.  .v.r.  Smith  dies;  the  jury 
that  view'd  his  corpse  found  a  swelling  on  one  breast,  h\s  priuadcs  wounded 
or  burn'd)  his  back  full  of  bruises,  and  several  holes  that  seem'd  made  with 
awls.  After  the  o2)i)iion  of  all  had  pro)iounc\l  him  dead,  his  countenance 
continu'd  as  lively  as  if  he  had  been  alive;  Lis  eyes  closed  as  in  a  slumber, 
and  his  nether  jaw  not  falling  down. 

Thus  he  remain'd  from  Saturday  morning  about  sun  rise,  till  Sabbath- 
day  in  the  afternoon ;  when  those  who  took  him  out  of  the  bed  found  him 
still  warm,  tho'  the  season  was  as  cold  as  had  almost  been  known  in  any 
ago:  and  a  New-English  winter  does  not  want  for  cold.  On  the  night  fol- 
lowing, his  countenance  was  yet  fresh  as  before;  but  on  Monday  morning 
they  found  the  I'ace  extreamly  lumifi/d  and  diseolour'd.  It  was  black  and 
blue,  and  fresh  blood  seem'd  running  down  his  cheek  upon  the  hairs. 
Divers  noises  were  also  heard  in  tho  room  where  the  corpse  lay ;  as  the 
clattering  of  chairs  and  stools,  whereof  no  account  could  bo  given.  Thia 
was  tho  end  of  so  good  a  man. 

And  I  could  with  unquestionable  evidence  i-clate  the  tragical  deaths  of 


- 


I  i 


!  I 


!!!! 


m 


i'XVt 


456 


MA6NALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


several  good  men  in  this  land,  attended  with  such  prseternatural  circum- 
stances, which  have  loudly  called  upon  us  all  to  "  work  out  our  own 
salvation  with  fear  and  trembling." 

Eighth  Example. — There  was  one  Mary  Johnson  try'd  at  Hartford  in 
this  countrey,  upon  an  indictment  of  "familiarity  with  the  devil,"  and  was 
found  guilty  thereof,  chiefly  upon  her  own  confession.  Her  confession  was 
attended  with  such  convictive  circumstances,  that  it  could  not  be  slighted. 
Very  mq,ny  material  passages  relating  to  this  matter  are  now  lost;  but  so 
much  as  is  well  known,  and  can  still  be  prov'd,  shall  be  inserted : 

She  said  her  first  familiarity  with  the  devil  came  through  discontent,  and 
wishing  the  devil  to  take  this  and  that,  and  the  devil  to  do  that  and  t'other 
thing:  whereupon  a  devil  appear'd  unto  her,  tendring  her  what  services 
might  best  content  her.  A  devil  accordingly  did  for  her  many  services. 
Her  master  blam'd  her  for  not  carrying  out  the  ashes,  and  a  devil  after- 
wards would  clear  the  hearth  of  ashes  for  her.  Her  master  sending  her 
to  drive  out  the  hogs  that  sometimes  broke  into  their  field,  a  devil  would 
scowre  the  hogs  away,  and  make  her  laugh  to  see  how  he  feaz'd  them. 
She  confess'd  that  she  had  murder'd  a  child,  and  committed  uncleanness 
both  with  men  and  with  devils.  In  the  time  of  her  imprisonment,  the 
famous  Mr.  Stone  was  at  great  pains  to  promote  her  conversion  from  the 
devil  to  God;  and  she  was  by  the  best  observers  judged  very  penitent, 
both  before  her  execution  and  at  it;  and  she  went  out  of  the  world  with 
comfortable  hopes  of  mercy  from  God  through  the  merit  of  our  Saviour. 
Being  ask'd  what  she  built  her  hopes  upon,  she  answer'd,  "Upon  these 
words:  'Come  unto  me,  all  ye  that  labour  and  are  heavy  laden,  and  I  will 
give  you  rest;'  and  these:  'There  is  a  fountain  set  open  for  sin  and  un- 
cleanness.' "  And  she  dy'd  in  a  frame  extreamly  to  the  satisfaction  of 
them  that  were  spectators  of  it. 

The  Ninth  Example. — TIac  ipse  viiserrima  vidi* — Four  children  of 
John  Goodwin,  in  Boston,  which  had  enjoy'd  a  religious  education,  and 
answer'd  it  with  a  towardly  ingenuity — children,  indeed,  of  an  exemplary 
temper  and  carriage,  and  an  example  to  all  about  them  for  piety,  honesty, 
and  industry — these  were,  it\  the  year  1688,  arrested  by  a  very  stupendous 
witchcraft.  The  eldest  of  tie  children,  a  daughter  of  about  thirteen  years 
old,  saw  cause  to  examine  their  luundrcss,  the  daughter  of  a  scandalous 
Irish  woman  in  the  neighbourhood,  about  some  linen  that  was  missing; 
and  the  woman  bestowing  very  bud  language  on  the  child,  in  her  daugh- 
ter's defence,  the  child  was  immediately  taken  with  odd  fits,  that  cairit'd 
in  them  something  diabolical,  h  was  not  long  before  ojic  of  \wr  sisters, 
with  two  of  her  brothers,  were  horribly  taken  with  the  like  fits,  which  the 
most  ca;/)e/'H'»c''t/ physicians  pronounced  extraordinary  and  preternatural: 

•  Tliiiso  tliitiijii  (h(^Hu  wrt'lclitid  »')■««  bi'hulil. 


4 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


457 


nil 


mid  ono«thing  that  the  moic  confirmed  them  in  this  opinion  was,  that  all 
the  children  were  tormented  still  just  the  same  part  of  their  bodies,  at  the 
same  iime^  tho'  their  pains  flew  like  swift  lightning  from  one  part  unto  an- 
other, and  they  were  kept  so  far  asunder,  that  they  neither  saw  nor  heard 
one  another's  complaints.  At  9  or  10  a-clock  at  night,,  they  biill  had  a 
release  from  their  miseries,  and  dlept  all  night  pretty  comfortably.  But 
when  the  day  came,  they  weie  most  miserably  handled.  Sometimes  they 
were  c?m/  sometimes  dtimb,  sometimes  blindy  and  often,  all  this  at  once. 
TliL'ir  tongues  would  be  drawn  down  their  throats,  and  then  pull'd  out 
ujion  their  chins,  to  a  prodigious  length.  Their  mouths  were  forc'd  open 
to  such  a  wideness,  that  the'r  jaws  went  out  of  joint;  and  anon  clap  to- 
gether again,  with  a  force  lik  e  that  of  a  spring  lock ;  and  the  like  would 
happen  to  their  shoulder-blades  and  their  elbows,  and  hand  wrists,  and 
several  of  their  joints.  They  would  lie  in  a  benumb'd  condition,  and  be 
drawn  together  like  those  that  are  ty'd  neck  and  heels ;  and  presently  be 
strotch'd  out — yea,  drawn  bach  enormously.  They  made  piteous  out-cries, 
that  ti\ey  were  cut  with  knives,  and  struck  with  blows;  and  the  plain  prints 
of  the  umoids  were  seen  upon  them.  Their  necks  would  be  broken,  so 
that  their  neck-bone  would  seem  dissolv'd  unto  them  that  felt  after  it; 
and  yet  on  the  sudden  it  would  become  again  so  stiff,  that  there  was  no 
siiniiig  of  their  heads;  yea,  their  heads  would  be  twisted  almost  round; 
and  if  the  main  force  of  their  friends  at  any  time  obstructed  a  dangerous 
motion  which  they  seem'd  upon,  they  would  roar  exceedingly :  and  when 
devotions  wore  performed  with  them,  their  hearing  was  utterly  taken  from 
them.  The  ministers  of  Boston  and  Charles' own,  keeping  a  day  of  prayer 
with  fasting,  on  this  occasion,  at  the  troubled  house,  the  youngest  of  the 
four  children  v/as  immediately,  happily,  finally  delivered  from  all  its 
trouble.  But  the  magistrates  being  awakened  by  the  noise  of  these 
grievous  and  horrid  occurrences,  examined  the  person  who  was  under 
the  suspicion  of  having  employ'd  these  troublesome  daamons;  and  she 
gave  such  a  wretched  account  of  herself,  that  she  was  committed  unto  the 
gaoler's  custody. 

It  was  not  long  before  this  woman  (whose  name  was  Glover)  was  brought 
upon  her  trial;  but  then  the  court  could  have  no  answers  from  her  but 
in  the  Irish,  which  was  her  native  language,  altliongh  she  understood 
English  very  well,  and  had  accustom'd  her  whole  family  to  none  but  Eng- 
lish in  her  former  conversation.  When  she  pleaded  to  her  indictment,  it 
was  with  owniiKj,  and  braggiwj,  rather  than  denial  of  her  guilt.  And  the 
interpreters,  by  whom  the  communication  between  the  bench  and  the  barr 
was  managed,  w<!re  made  sensible  that  a  S2)ell  had  been  laid  by  another 
witeh  on  this,  to  ju'cvent  her  telling  tales,  by  eonlining  her  to  a  language 
whioh  'twas  lioped  nobotly  would  understand.  The  woman's  house  being 
senrehetl,  several  inunjcs,  or pojtjwts,  or  babies,  made  of  raggs,  and  stult'od 
with  yoats'  hair,  were  thence  produced;  and  the  vile  woman  coiill'ssed 


■■"N(  . 


1 

1 

Ij 

\i 

I 

1 

458 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


that  her  way  to  torment  the  objects  of  her  malice,  vas  by  wettiyg  of  her 
finger  with  her  spittle,  and  stroaking  of  those  little  images.  The  abus'd 
children  were  then  present  in  the  court;  the  woman  kept  still  stooping 
and  shrinking,  as  one  that  was  almost  prest  unto  death  with  a  mighty 
weight  upon  her.  But  one  of  the  images  being  brought  unto  her,  she 
odly  and  swiftly  started  up,  and  snatch'd  it  into  her  hand:  but  she  had 
no  sooner  snatch'd  it,  than  one  of  the  children  fell  into  sad  fits  before  the 
whole  assen  bly.  The  judges  had  their  just  apprehension  at  this,  and 
carefully  causing  a  repetition  of  the  experiment,  they  still  found  the  same 
event  of  it,  tho'  the  children  saw  not  when  the  hand  of  the  witch  was  laid 
upon  the  images.  They  ask'd  her  "whether  she  had  any  to  stand  by 
her?"  She  reply 'd,  "she  had:"  and  looking  very  pertly  into  the  air,  she 
added,  "No,  he's  gone!"  and  she  i.hen  acknowledg'd  that  she  had  one,  who 
v,as  her  prince;  with  whom  she  mention 'd  I  know  not  what  communion. 
For  which  cause,  the  night  after,  she  was  heard  expostulating  with  a  devil 
fur  his  thus  deserting  her,  telling  him  that  "because  he  had  served  her  so 
b.isely  and  falsely,  she  had  confessed  all." 

However,  to  make  all  clear,  the  court  appointed  five  or  six  physicians 
to  examine  her  very  strictly,  whether  she  was  no  way  craz'd  in  her  intel- 
>e<  uals.  Divers  hours  did  they  spend  with  her;  and  in  all  that  while  no 
di:scourse  came  from  her  but  what  was  agreeahle;  particularly  when  they 
ask'd  her  what  she  thought  would  become  of  her  soul,  she  reply'd,  "You 
ask  me  a  very  solemn  question,  rnid  I  cannot  tell  what  to  say  to  it."  She 
profest  herself  a  Roman  Cathoiick,  and  could  recite  her  Pater-noster  in 
Latin  very  readily;  but  there  was  one  clause  or  two  always  too  hard  for 
her,  whereof,  she  said,  "she  could  not  repeat  it,  if  she  might  have  all 
the  world." 

In  the  upshot,  the  doctors  return'd  uer  compos  mentis,  and  sentence  of 
dciitli  was  past  uj»on  her.  Divers  days  past  between  her  being  arraign'd 
and  condemn'd;  and  in  this  time  one  Hughes  testify'd  that  her  neighbour, 
(call'd  Ilowen)  who  was  cruelly  bewitch'd  unto  death  about  six  years 
before,  laid  her  death  to  the  charge  of  this  woman,  and  bid  her  (the  said 
Hughes)  to  remember  this;  for  within  six  years  there  would  be  occasion 
to  nu'ntion  it.  One  of  Hughes"  children  was  presently  taken  ill  in  the 
same  wofiil  manner  that  C  odwi.  s  was;  and  particularly  the  boy,  in  the 
night  cry'd  out,  that  a  black  person  with  a  'ue  cap  in  the  room  tortur'd 
him,  and  that  they  try'd  with  their  hand  in  the  bed  for  to  pull  out  his 
bowels.  The  mother  of  the  boy  went  unto  Glover  the  day  following,  and 
asked  her,  "Why  she  tortured  her  poor  lad  at  such  a  rate?"  Glover 
answered,  "Because  of  the  wrong  she  had  receiv'd  from  her;  and  boasted, 
"that  she  had  come  at  him  as  a  black  person  with  a  blue  cap;  and  with 
her  hand  in  the  bed,  would  have  pulled  his  bowels  out  but  could  not." 
Hughes  denied  that  she  had  wronged  her;  -nd  Glover,  then  desiring  to 
see  the  boy,  wished  him  well;  ujkju  which  he  had  no  mure  of  his  indis- 


4 


positi 
\  isit^^ 
wher 


I!1 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


459 


positions.  After  the  condemnation  of  the  woman,  I  did  myself  give  divers 
visits  unto  her;  wherein  she  told  me  that  she  did  use  to  be  at  meetings, 
where  her  prince  with  four  more  were  present.  She  told  me  who  the  four 
were,  and  plainly  said,  "that  her  prince  was  the  devil."  When  I  told  her 
that  and  how  her  prince  had  cheated  her,  she  reply'd,  *'  If  it  be  so,  I  am 
Borry  for  that!"  And  when  she  declin'd  answering  some  things  that  I 
ask'd  her,  she  told  me,  "she  would  fain  give  me  a  full  answer,  but  her 
spirits  would  not  give  her  leave;"  nor  could  she  consent,  she  said,  without 
tlieir  leave,  "that  I  should  pray  for  hei."  At  her  execution,  she  said  the 
afflicted  children  should  not  be  reliev'd  by  her  dea^h,  for  others  liesides 
she  had  a  hand  in  their  affliction.  Accordingly  t  le  three  child ivn  con- 
tinu'd  in  their  furnace  as  before;  and  it  grew  rather  "seven  times  hotter" 
than  it  was.  In  their  fits  they  cry'd  out  [they]  and  [them]  as  the  authors 
of  all  their  miseries;  but  who  that  [they]  and  [them]  were,  they  were 
unable  to  declare:  yet,  at  last,  one  of  the  children  was  able  to  discern 
their  shapes,  and  utter  their  names.  A  blow  at  the  place  where  they  saw 
the  spectre,  was  always  felt  by  the  boy  himself,  in  that  part  of  his  body 
that  answer 'd  what  might  be  stricken  at:  and  this,  tho'  his  back  were 
turn'd,  and  the  thing  so  done,  that  there  could  be  no  collusion  in  it.  But 
as  a  blow  at  the  spectre  always  hurt  him,  so  it  always  help'd  him  too:  for 
after  the  agonies  to  which  a  push  or  stab  at  that  had  put  him,  were  over 
(as  in  a  minute  or  two  they  would  be)  he  would  have  a  respite  from  his 
ails  a  considerable  while,  and  the  spectre  would  be  gone:  yea,  'twas  very 
credibly  affirmed  that  a  dangerous  woman  or  two  in  the  town  receiv'd 
wounds  by  the  blows  thus  given  to  their  spectres.  The  calamities  of  the 
children  went  on  till  they  barked  at  one  another  like  dogs,  and  then  purred 
like  so  many  cats.  They  would  complain  that  they  were  in  a  red-hot  oven, 
and  sweat  and  pant  as  much  as  if  they  had  been  really  so.  Anon  they 
would  say  that  cold  water  was  thrown  on  them,  at  which  they  would 
shiver  very  much. 

They  would  complain  of  blows  with  great  cudgels  laid  upon  them,  and 
we  that  stood  by,  though  we  could  see  no  cudgels,  yet  could  see  the  marks 
of  the  blows  in  red  streaks  upon  their  flesh. 

They  would  complain  of  being  roasted  on  an  invisible  spit;  and  lie  and 
roll  and  groan  as  if  it  had  been  most  sensibly  so;  and  by  and  by  shriek 
that  knives  were  cutting  of  them.  They  would  complain  that  their  heads 
were  naiM  unto  the  floor,  and  it  was  beyond  an  ordinary  strength  to  pull 
them  from  thence.  They  would  be  so  limber  sometimes,  that  it  was 
judg'd  every  bone  they  had  might  be  bent;  and  anon  so  stiffs,  that  not  a 
joint  of  them  could  be  stirr'd. 

One  of  them  dreamt  that  something  was  growing  within  his  skin,  cross 
one  of  his  ribs.  An  expert  chirurgeon  searclit  the  phice,  and  found  tliere 
a  brass  pin,  which  could  not  possibly  come  to  lie  thei'c  as  it  did  without  a 
prestigious  and  mysterious  conveyance.    Sometimes  they  would  be  vcvy 


:■   i, 


II  !1 
ll 

m 


ill 


460 


MAONALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


mad;  and  then  they  would  climb  over  high  fences;  yea,  they  would  fly 
like  geese,  and  be  carried  with  an  incredible  swiftness  through  the  air,  hav- 
ing but  just  their  toes  now  and  then  upon  the  ground,  (sometimes  not  once 
in  twenty  foot)  and  their  arms  wav^d  like  the  wings  of  a  bird.  They  were 
often  very  near  drowning  or  burning  of  themselves;  and  they  often 
strangled  themselves  with  their  neckclothes;  but  the  providence  of  God 
still  order'd  the  seasonable  succours  of  them  that  look'd  after  them.  If 
there  happened  any  mischief  to  be  done  where  they  were,  as  the  dirtying 
of  a  garment,  or  spilling  of  a  cup,  or  breaking  of  a  glass,  they  would 
laugh  excessively. 

But  upon  the  least  reproof  of  their  ^ar  ^nts,  they  were  thrown  into  inex- 
pressible anguish,  and  roar  as  excessively .  It  usually  took  up  abundance 
of  time  to  dress  them  or  undress  them,  through  the  strange  postures  into 
which  they  would  be  twisted,  on  purpose  to  hinder  it;  and  yet  the 
daemons  did  not  know  our  thoughts :  for  if  we  us'd  a  jargon,  and  said, 
"  Untie  his  neckcloth,"  but  the  party  bidden  understood  our  meaning  to 
be  "untie  his  shooe;"  the  neckcloth,  and  not  the  shooe,  has  been  by  ivrithen 
postures  rendred  strangely  inacces'\b(e.  In  their  beds  they  would  be  some- 
times treated  so,  that  no  cloatlis  could  for  an  hour  or  two  be  laid  upon 
them.  If  they  were  bidden  tc  do  a  needless  thing  (as  to  rub  a  clean  table) 
they  were  able  to  do  it  unmolested ;  but  if  to  do  any  use/id  thing  (as  to  rub 
a  dirty  table)  they  would  presently,  with  many  torments,  be  made  uncajiable. 

They  were  sometimes  hindred  from  eating  their  meals,  by  having  their 
teeth  set,  when  any  thing  was  carrying  unto  their  mouths.  If  there  were 
any  discourse  of  God,  or  Christ,  or  any  of  the  "things  which  are  not  seen, 
and  are  eternal,"  they  would  be  cast  into  ijitolerahle  anr/uishes.  All  pray- 
ing to  God,  and  reading  of  his  word,  would  occasion  'em  a  very  terrible 
vexation.  Their  own  ears  would  then  be  stopt  with  their  oivn  hands,  and 
they  would  roar,  and  howl,  and  shriek,  and  hollow,  to  drown  the  voice 
of  the  devotions;  yea,  if  any  one  in  the  room  took  up  a  Bible,  to  look 
into  it,  though  the  children  could  see  nothing  of  it,  as  being  in  a  crowd 
of  spectators,  or  having  their  fixces  another  way,  yet  would  they  be  in 
vonderfnl  torments  till  the  Bible  was  laid  aside.  Briefly,  No  good  tiling 
might  then  be  endur'd  near  those  children,  which,  while  they  were  them- 
sdvi-s,  lov'd  every  good  thing,  in  a  measure  that  proclaiinM  in  them  the 
fear  of  God.  If  I  said  unto  them,  "Child,  cry  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  I" 
their  teeth  wore  instantly  set.  If  I  said,  'Yet,  child,  look  unto  him!"  their 
eves  were  instantly  pull'd  so  far  into  their  heads,  that  we  fear'd  they  could 
never  have  us'd  them  any  more. 

It  was  the  eldest  of  these  children  th",t  foil  chiefly  under  my  own  obser- 
vation: for  I  took  her  home  to  my  own  flunily,  })artly  out  of  compassion  to 
her  parents,  but  chiefly  that  I  might  be  a  critical  eye-witness  of  things 
that  would  enable  me  to  confute  the  suddncism  of  this  dobauch'd  ago. 
Here  she  continu'd  well  for  some  days;  applying  herself  to  actions  of 


ind| 

ha\ 

oftel 

thef 

and! 

cve/J 
pull 
worl 

ingi 
dy'c 
she 


iige. 
us  of 


I 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


461 


industry  and  piety:  But  November  20,  1688,  she  cry'd  out,  "Ah,  they 
have  found  me  out!"  and  immediately  she  fell  into  her  fits;  wherein  we 
often  observ'd  that  she  would  cough  up  a  ball  as  big  as  a  small  egg  into 
the  side  of  her  wind-pipe,  that  would  near  choak  her,  till  by  stroaking 
and  by  drinking  it  was  again  carry'd  down. 

When  I  pray'd  in  the  room,  first  her  hands  were  with  a  strong,  tho'  not 
even  force,  clapt  upon  her  ears:  and  when  her  hands  were  by  our  force 
pull'd  away,  she  cry'd  out,  "They  make  such  a  noise,  I  cannot  hear  a 
word!""  She  complain'd  that  Glover's  chain  was  upon  her  leg;  and,  assay- 
ing to  go,  her  gait  was  exactly  such  as  the  chairHd  witch  had  before  she 
dy'd.  When  her  tortures  pass'd  over,  still  frolicks  would  succeed,  wherein 
she  would  continue  hours — yea,  days  together — talking  perhaps  never 
wickedly,  but  always  wittily  beyond  herself:  and  at  certain  provocations 
her  torments  would  renew  upon  her,  till  we  had  left  off  to  give  them ;  yet 
she  frequently  told  us  in  these  frolicks,  "That  if  she  might  but  steal  or  be 
drunk,  she  should  be  well  immediately."  She  told  us,  "that  she  must  go 
down  to  the  bottom  of  our  well,"  (and  we  had  much  ado  to  hinder  it,)  "for 
they  said  there  was  plate  there,  and  they  would  bring  her  up  safely  again." 

We  wonder'd  at  this ;  for  she  had  never  heard  of  any  plate  there ;  and 
we  our  selves,  who  had  newly  bought  the  house,  were  ignorant  of  it;  but 
the  former  owner  of  the  house  just  then  coming  in,  told  us  "There  had 
been  plate  for  many  years  lost  at  the  bottom  of  the  well."  Moreover,  one 
singular  passion  that  frequently  attended  her,  was  this: 

An  invisible  chain  would  be  clapt  about  her,  and  she,  in  much  pain  and 
fear,  cry  out  when  [they]  began  to  put  it  on.  Sometimes  we  could  with 
our  hands  knock  it  off",  as  it  began  to  be  fasten'd :  But  ordinarily,  when 
it  was  on,  she  would  be  pull'd  out  of  her  seat  with  such  violence  towards 
the  fire,  that  it  was  as  much  as  one  or  two  of  us  could  do  to  keep  her  out. 
Her  eyes  were  not  brought  to  be  perpendicular  to  her  feet,  when  she  rose 
out  of  her  seat,  as  the  mechanism  of  an  humane  body  requires  in  them 
that  rise ;  but  she  was  dragg'd  ivholly  by  other  hands.  And  if  we  stamp'd 
on  the  hearth,  just  between  her  and  the  fire,  she  scream'd  out,  "That  by 
jarring  the  chain,  we  hurt  her." 

I  may  add,  that  [they]  put  an  unseen  rope,  with  a  cruel  noose,  about 
her  neck,  whereby  she  was  choak'd  until  she  was  black  in  the  face:  and 
tho'  it  was  got  off  before  it  had  kill'd  her,  yet  there  were  the  red  marks 
of  it,  and  of  a  finger  and  a  thumb  near  it,  remaining  to  be  seen  for  some 
while  afterwards.  Furthermore,  not  only  upon  her  own  looking  into  the 
Bible,  but  if  any  one  else  in  the  room  did  it,  loholly  unhnoivn  to  hei-,  she 
would  fall  into  unsufferable  torments. 

A  Quaker's  book  being  brought  her,  she  could  quietly  read  whole  pages 
of  it;  only  the  name  of  God  and  Christ,  she  still  skipp'd  over,  being 
unable  to  pronounce  it,  except  sometimes,  stammering  a  minute  or  two  or 
more  upon  it:  and  when  we  urg'd  her  to  tell  what  tlic  word  was  that  she 


i1  f^ 


w 


''ill 

m 


\-^    ,-: 


mm 


402 


MAQNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


miss'd,  she  would  say,  "I  must  not  speak  it:  they  say  I  must  not  You 
know  what  it  is:  'Tis  G,  and  0,  and  D."  But  a  book  against  Quakerism 
[they]  would  not  ft  How  her  to  meddle  with.  Such  books  as  it  might  have 
been  profitable  and  edifying  for  her  to  read,  and  especially  hov  catechisms, 
if  she  did  but  otVer  to  read  a  line  in  them,  she  would  be  cast  into  hideous 
convulsions,  and  be  tost  about  the  house  like  a  foot  bail:  But  books  of 
jests  being  shown  her,  she  could  reail  them  well  enough,  and  have  cun- 
ning descants  upon  them.  Popish  books  [they]  would  not  hinder  h^r  from 
reading;  but  [they]  would  from  reading  books  against  Popery.  A  book 
which  pretends  to  prove  "that  there  are  no  witches,"  was  easily  read  by 
her;  only  the  name  devils  and  witches  might  not  be  utter'd.  A  book 
which  proves  "that  there  are  witches,"  being  exhibited  unto  her,  she 
might  not  read  it;  and  that  expression  in  the  story  of  Ann  Cole,  about 
running  to  the  rock,  always  threw  her  into  sore  convulsions. 

Divers  of  these  trials  were  made  by  many  witnesses:  but  I,  considering 
that  there  might  be  a  snare  in  it,  put  a  seasonable  stop  to  this  fanciful 
business.  Only  I  coiiid  not  but  be  amaz'd  at  one  thing:  A  certain  Prayer- 
book  being  brought  her,  she  not  only  could  ovcd  it  very  well,  but  also  did 
read  a  large  part  of  it  over,  calling  it  her  Bible,  and  putting  a  more  than 
ordinary  respect  upon  it.  If  she  were  going  into  her  tortures,  at  the 
tender  of  this  book,  she  would  recover  her  self  to  read  it:  Only  when 
she  came  to  the  Lord's  Prayer,  now  and  then  occurring  in  that  book,  she 
would  have  her  eyes  put  out;  so  that  she  must  turn  over  a  new  leaf  J  and 
then  she  could  read  again.  Whereas  also  there  are  scriptures  in  that  book, 
she  could  read  them  there:  but  if  any  shew'd  her  the  very  same  scriptures 
in  the  Bible  it  aexi]  she  should  sooner  die  than  read  them:  and  she  was 
likewise  inrnle  unable  to  read  the  Psalms  in  an  ancient  metro,  which  this 
Prayer-book  had  in  the  same  volume  with  it. 

Besides  these,  there  was  another  inexplicable  thing  in  her  condition. 
Ever  now  and  then,  an  invisible  horse  would  be  brought  unto  her  by  those 
whom'  she  only  call'd  [them]  and  [her  company^]  upon  the  approach  of 
which,  her  eyes  would  be  still  clos'd  up:  For  (said  she)  "they  say  I  am  a 
tell-tale,  and  therefore  they  will  not  let  me  see  them."  Hereupon  she 
would  give  a  spring  as  one  mounting  an  horse,  and  setling  her  self  in  a 
riding  posture,  she  would  in  her  cliair  be  agitated,  as  one  sometimes 
ambling,  sometimes  trotting,  and  sometimes  galloping  very  furiously.  In 
these  motions  we  could  not  perceive  that  she  was  mov'd  by  the  stress  of 
her  feet  upon  the  ground,  for  often  she  touch'd  it  not.  When  she  had 
rode  a  minute  or  two,  she  would  seem  to  be  at  a  rendezvous  with  [them] 
that  were  [her  company,]  and  there  she  would  maintain  a  discourse  with 
them,  asking  them  many  questions  concerning  her  self,  [we  gave  her  none 
of  ours]  and  have  answers  from  them,  which  indeed  none  but  her  self 
perceiv'd.  Then  would  she  return,  and  inform  us  "How  [thev]  did  intend 
to  handle  her  for  a  day  or  two  afterwards,"  and  some  other  thiiijis  th;!t  she 


* 


are 


OK,    THE   HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


463 


inquir'd.  Her  horse  would  sometimes  throw  her  with  much  violence; 
especially  if  any  one  stabb'd  or  cut  the  air  under  her.  But  she  would 
briskly  mount  again,  and  perform  her  fantastick  journies,  mostly  in  her 
chair;  but  sometimes  also  she  would  be  carry'd  from  her  chair,  out  of  one 
room  into  another,  very  odly,  in  the  postures  of  a  riding  woman.  At 
length,  she  pretended  that  her  horse  could  ride  up  the  stairs;  and  unto 
admiration  she  rode  (that  is,  was  toss'd  as  one  that  rode)  up  the  stairs. 
There  then  stood  open  the  study  of  one  belonging  to  the  family;  into 
which  entring,  she  stood  immediately  on  her  feet,  and  cry'd  out,  "They 
are  gone!  they  are  gone!     They  say  that  tlu  v  cannot God  won't  let 


X'!l. 


I'h  the  owner  of  the  study 

'    and  perfectly  came  to 

;  was  alter'd  unto  the 

.idiiig  of  the  Bible  and  other 

Her  affairs  calling  her  anon 


'em  come  here!"  Adding  a  reason  for  i* 
thought  more  kind  than  true.  And  shi 
her  self,  so  that  her  whole  discourse  a 
greatest  "  measure  of  sobriety ;"  and  she  s. 
good  books  for  a  good  part  of  the  afternot 
to  go  down  again,  the  daemons  were  in  a  quarter  of  a  minute  as  bad  upon 
her  as  before ;  and  her  horse  was  loaiting  for  her.  Some  then,  to  see  whether 
there  had  not  been  a  fallacy  in  what  had  newly  hapned,  resolv'd  for  to 
have  her  up  unto  the  study,  where  she  had  been  at  ease  before;  but  she 
was  then  so  strangely  distorted,  that  it  was  an  extream  dijjicxdty  to  drag 
her  up  stairs.  The  daemons  would  pull  her  out  of  the  people's  hands, 
and  make  her  heavier  than  perhaps  three  of  her  self.  With  incredible  toil, 
(tho'  she  kept  screaming,  "They  say  I  must  not  go  in,")  she  was  pull'd  in; 
where  she  was  no  sooner  got,  but  she  could  stand  on  her  feet,  and,  with  an 
alter'd  note,  say,  "Now  I  am  well." 

She  would  be  faint  at  first,  and  say,  "She  felt  something  to  go  out  of 
her!"  (the  noises  whereof  toe  sometimes  heard,  like  those  of  a  mouse)  but 
in  a  minute  or  two  she  could  apply  her  self  to  devotion,  and  express  her 
self  with  discretion,  as  ivell  as  ever  in  her  life. 

To  satisfie  some  strangers,  the  experiment  was  divers  times,  with  the 
same  success,  repeated;  until  my  lothness  to  have  any  thing  done  like 
making  a  charm  of  a  room,  caus'd  me  to  forbid  the  repetition  of  it.  But 
enough  of  this.  The  ministers  of  Boston  and  Charlestown  kept  another 
day  of  prayer  with  fasting,  for  Goodwin's  afflicted  family:  after  which, 
the  children  had  a  sensible,  but  a  gradual  abatement  of  their  sorrows, 
until  perfect  ease  was  at  length  restor'd  unto  them.  The  young  woman 
dwelt  at  my  house  the  rest  of  the  winter;  having  by  a  vertuous- conversa- 
tion made  her  self  enough  welcome  to  the  family.  But  ere  long,  I  thought 
it  convenient  for  me  to  entertain  my  congregation  with  a  sermon  on  the 
"memorable  providences"  wherein  these  children  had  been  concern'd, 
[afterwards  publish'd.]  When  I  had  begun  to  study  my  sermon,  her  tor- 
mentors again  seiz'd  upon  her,  and  manag'd  her  with  a  special  design,  as 
was  plain,  to  disturb  me  in  what  I  was  then  about. 

In  the  worst  of  her  extravagancies  formerly,  she  was  more  dutiful  to 


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UAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA 


myself  than  1  had  reason  to  expect.  But  now  her  whole  carriage  to  me 
was  with  a  sawcinessj  which  I  was  not  used  any  where  to  be  treated  withal. 
She  would  knock  at  my  stud}-  door,  affirming  "that  some  below  would 
be  glad  to  see  me,"  though  there  was  none  that  ask'd  for  me.  And  when 
I  chid  her  for  telling  what  was  false,  her  answer  was,  "Mrs.  Mather  is 
always  glad  to  see  you!"  She  would  call  to  me  with  numberless  imper- 
tinences: And  when  I  came  down,  she  would  throw  things  at  me,  though 
none  of  them  could  ever  hurt  me:  and  she  would  hecter  me  at  a  strange 
rate  for  something  I  was  doing  above,  and  threaten  me  with  mischief  and 
reproach,  that  should  revenge  it.  Few  tortures  now  attended  her,  but 
such  as  were  provok'd.  Her  frolicks  were  numberless,  if  we  may  call 
them  hers.  I  was  in  Latin  telling  some  young  gentlemen,  that  if  I  should 
bid  her  look  to  God,  her  eyes  would  be  put  out:  upon  which  her  eyes 
were  presently  serv'd  so.  Perceiving  that  her  troublers  understood  Latin, 
some  trials  were  thereupon  made  whether  they  understood  Greek  and 
Hebrew,  which  it  seems  they  also  did ;  but  the  Indian  languages  they  dia 
seem  not  so  well  to  understand. 

When  we  went  unto  prayer,  the  daemons  would  throw  her  on  the  floor 
at  the  feet  of  him  that  pray'd,  where  she  would  whistle,  and  sing,  and  yell, 
to  drown  the  voice  of  prayer,  and  she  would  fetch  blows  with  her  fist, 
and  kicks  with  her  foot,  at  the  man  that  pray'd :  But  still  her  fist  and 
foot  would  always  recoyl,  when  they  came  within  an  inch  or  two  of  him, 
as  if  rebounding  against  a  wall:  and  then  she  v/^ould  beg  hard  of  other 
people  to  strike  him,  which  (you  may  bo  sure)  not  being  done,  she  cry'd 
out,  "He  has  wounded  me  in  the  head."  But  before  the  prayer  was  over, 
she  would  be  laid  for  dead,  wholly  senseless,  and  (unto  appearance)  breath- 
less, with  her  belly  swell'd  like  a  drum;  and  sometimes  with  croaking 
noises  in  her.  Thus  would  she  lie,  most  exactly  with  the  stiffness  and 
posture  of  one  that  had  been  two  days  laid  out  for  dead.  Once  lying 
thus,  as  he  that  was  praying,  was  alluding  to  the  words  of  the  Canaanites, 
and  saying,  "Lord,  have  mercy  on  a  daughter  vex't  with  a  devil,"  there 
came  a  big,  but  low  voice  from  her,  in  which  the  spectators  did  not  see 
her  mouth  to  move,  "There's  two  or  three  of  us."  When  prayer  was 
ended,  she  would  revive  in  a  minute  or  two,  and  continue  as  frolicksome 
as  before. 

She  thus  continu'd  until  Saturday  towards  the  evening;  when  she 
ussay'd  with  as  nimble,  and  various,  and  pleasant  an  application,  as  could 
easily  be  us'd,  for  to  divert  the  young  folks  in  the  family  from  such 
exercises  as  it  was  proper  to  meet  the  Sabbath  withal:  But  they  rcGising 
to  bo  diverted,  she  fell  fast  asleep,  and  in  two  or  three  hours  waked  per- 
fectly herself,  weeping  bitterly  to  remember  what  had  befallen  her.  When 
Christmas  arrived,  both  she  at  my  house,  and  her  sister  at  home,  were  by 
the  dicmons  made  very  drunk,  though  wo  are  fully  satisfied  they  had  no 
utrong  drink  to  make  them  so;  nor  would  they  willingly  have  been  so  to 


OB,    THE   HISTOBT    OF   NEW-ENGLAND. 


465 


lyin< 


have  gained  the  world.  When  she  began  to  feel  her  self  drunk,  she  com- 
plained, "Ohl  they  say  they  will  have  me  to  keep  Christmas  with  them. 
They  will  disgrace  me  when  they  can  do  nothing  else."  And  immediately 
the  ridiculous  behaviours  of  one  drunk  were,  with  a  wondrous  exactness, 
represented  in  her  speaking,  and  reeling,  and  spewing,  and  anon  sleeping, 
till  she  was  well  again.  At  last  ihe  daemons  put  her  upon  saying  that  she 
was  djing,  and  the  matter  proved  such  that  we  fear'd  she  really  was;  for 
she  lay,  she  toss'd,  she  puU'd,  just  like  one  dying,  and  urg'd  hard  for  some 
one  to  die  with  her,  seeming  loth  to  die  ahne.  She  argu'd  concerning 
death,  with  a  paraphrase  on  the  thirty-first  Psalm,  in  strains  that  quite 
amaz'd  us:  And  concluded  that  tho'  she  was  "loth  to  die,"  yet,  if  God 
said  she  must,  she  must/  Adding,  that  the  Indians  would  quickly  shed 
much  blood  in  the  country,  and  horrible  tragedies  would  be  acted  in  the 
land.    Thus  the  vexations  of  the  children  ended. 

But  after  a  while,  they  began  again ;  and  then  one  particular  minister, 
taking  a  particular  compassion  on  the  family,  set  himself  to  serve  them  in 
the  methods  prescribed  by  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Accordingly,  the  Lord 
being  hesoitght  thrice  in  three  days  of  prayer,  with  fasting  on  this  occasion,  the 
family  then  saw  their  deliverance  perfected ;  and  the  children  afterwards,  all 
of  them,  not  only  approved  themselves  devout  Christians,  but  unto  the 
praise  of  God  reckon'd  these  their  afflictions  among  the  special  incentives 
of  their  Christianity. 

The  ministers  of  Boston  and  Charlestown,  afterwards  accompany'd  the 
printed  narrative  of  these  things  with  their  attestation  to  the  truth  of  it. 
And  when  it  was  reprinted  at  London,  the  famous  Mr.  Baxter  prefixed  a 
preface  unto  it,  wherein  he  says:  "This  great  instance  comes  with  such 
convincing  evidence,  that  he  must  be  a  very  obdurate  Sadducee,  that  will 
not  believe  it." 

The  Tenth  Example. — William  Davies,  with  nine  sailors,  whereof 
one  was  a  negro,  and  one  boy,  and  one  passenger,  sail'd  out  of  Boston, 
December  28,  1695,  in  the  ship  call'd  the  Margaret,  of  about  eighty  tuns, 
bound  for  Barbadoes,  laden  with  fish,  beef,  and  a  small  pa:  eel  of  lumber. 
Within  a  few  days,  one  of  the  sailers,  named  Winlock  Curtis,  being  at  the 
helm,  about  8  a-clock  at  night  call'd  unto  the  captain,  telling  him  that  he 
could  steer  no  longer;  whereof,  when  the  captain  ask'd  him  the  reason,  he 
besought  the  said  captain  to  think  him  "neither  drunk  nor  mad,"  and 
then  added,  "that  he  had  but  a  little  time  to  tarry  here;"  constantly 
affirming  therewithal,  that  a  spirit,  appearing  by  the  Biddekel,  accus'd  him 
of  killing  a  woman,  (which  tho  sailer  said  that  he  had  left  alive,)  and 
reported  unto  him  that  tho  rest  of  the  ship's  company  had  signed  "</»c 
book,^^  which  he  was  from  that  argument  now  urged  also  to  sign.  The 
sailer  declared  his  resolution  that  he  would  never  hearken  to  the  devil, 
and  requested  that  ho  might  be  furnished  with  a  Bible;  in  the  reading 
Vol.  IL— 80 


V^i 


466 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


whereof  he  was  at  first  greatly  interrupted;  but  at  length  he  was  a  le  dis- 
tinctly to  read  it  On  the  day  following,  he  was  violently  and  suddenly 
seiz'd  in  an  ttnaccountable  manner,  and  furiously  throvm  down  upon  the 
deck,  where  he  lay  tmUowing  in  a  great  agony,  and  foam'd  at  the  mouth, 
and  grew  black  in  the  face,  and  was  near  strangled  with  a  great  lump 
rising  in  his  neck  nigh  his  throat,  like  that  which  bewitched  or  possess\l 
people  use  to  be  attended  withal.  In  a  few  days  he  came  a  little  to  him- 
self; but  still  behav'd  himself  as  one  much  under  the  power  of  some  devil ; 
talking  of  tlie  visions  which  he  saw  in  the  air,  and  of  a  spirit  coming  for 
him  with  a  boat.  The  ship's  company,  to  prevent  his  going  over-board  to 
that  invisible  spirit,  which  he  attempted  once  to  do,  confined  him  to  his 
cabin,  and  there  ty'd  him  and  bound  him  so  that  they  tho't  they  had  him 
fi\st  enough:  but  he  soon  came  forth  without  noise,  to  their  great  aston- 
ishment He  then  ^ell  into  a  sleej ,  wherein  he  continu'd  for  tiventy-four 
hours;  after  which,  he  came  to  himself,  and  remain'd  very  sensible,  giving 
a  particular  narrative  of  the  odd  circumstances  which  he  had  been  in,  and 
calling  for  pen  and  ink,  to  write  them  down.  But  he  put  off  doing  it 
until  the  ship,  then  under  a  fresh  gale,  should  be  a  little  quieter;  and  so 
it  came  to  be  altogether  neglected. 

Upon  January  17,  in  the  north  lat  19,  sailing  S.  W.  with  a  fresh  gale 
east,  and  E.  and  by  S.  about  9  at  night,  a  small  white  cloud  arose  without 
rain,  or  any  extraordinary  increase  of  wind;  which,  falling  upon  the  ship, 
immediately  pressed  her  down  to  star  board  at  once :  And  the  hatches 
flying  out,  she  was  immediately  so  full  of  water,  that  it  was  impossible  to 
recover  her.  If  she  had  not  been  laden  with  lumber,  she  must  have  sunk 
to  the  bottom:  Whereas  now,  being  full  of  water,  which  drown'd  the  boy 
sleeping  in  the  cabin,  sho  soon  righted,  and  floated  along  overflowed  with 
sea,  after  this,  for  eleven  weeks  together,  in  which  time  there  hapned  the 
ensuing  passages: 

First,  within  a  few  days,  one  Mr.  Dibs,  the  passenger,  who  formerly  had 
been  very  undaunted  and  courageous,  began  to  talk  ^ly  of  several  per- 
sons in  Barbadoes,  adding,  "that  one  stood  at  the  \  mast  who  came 
for  him  with  a  wherry."  And  soon  after  this  he  was  gone  insensibly, 
none  knowing  when  or  how.  About  a  fortnight  after  this,  one  John  Jones 
was  in  the  same  insensible  manner  carry'd  away,  and  so  was  the  above 
mentioned  Wiulock  Curtis.  Within  about  a  fortnight  more,  one  of  their 
number  dy'd,  thro'  the  unconquerable  difficulties  of  the  voyage.  And 
about  a  fortnight  ftirther,  the  negro,  sitting  as  not  in  his  right  mind,  and 
another  sailer,  were  in  the  night  insensibly  carry'd  away.  About  a  week 
after,  one  Sterry  Lion,  the  carpenter,  not  being  in  any  disorder  of  mind  at 
all,  often  spoke  of  his  end  being  at  hand,  and  that  it  would  be  by  a  wave 
of  the  sea,  fetching  him  away.  Him  they  saw  carry'd  away  by  a  wave 
about  nine  a-clook  in  the  morning. 

All  this  while  their  food  was  only  flesh,  which  they  eat  raw,  because 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


467 


giving 


they  could  now  have  no  fire;  and  fresh  fish,  which  in  great  quantities 
came  into  the  vessel  unto  them.  At  several  times,  and  especially  before 
the  taking  away  of  any  one  of  their  number,  they  heard  various  and  won- 
drous noises,  like  the  voice  of  birds,  as  turkeys  and  other  fowl.  While 
they  were  in  this  condition,  they  saw  three  vessels,  and  judg'd  that  all  the 
three  saw  them.  Nevertheless,  none  came  a-near  to  relieve  them.  Their 
lodging  was  on  two  boards  placed  athwart  the  rail,  near  the  taff'ril,  cov- 
ered with  a  sail:  And  the  first  land  they  discover'd  was  Desiado;  but  a 
northerly  current  hinder'd  their  landing  there.  The  next  land  was  grand 
terra;  but  the  wind  in  the  north  hinder'd  their  landing  there  also.  At 
last,  with  a  little  sail,  being  reduc'd  into  three  in  number,  they  ran  their 
ship  ashore  at  Guadalupa,  the  sixth  of  April,  about  2  a-clock  on  Monday 
morning,  where  the  French  kindly  entertained  them,  not  as  prisoners,  but 
as  travellers.  Thence  they  came  to  Barbadoes,  and  there  they  made  oath 
to  the  truth  of  this  narrative. 


The  Eleventh  Example. — Reader,  into  this  chapter,  with  too  much  of 
reason,  may  be  transcribed  a  passage,  which  I  have  had  occasion  formerly 
to  publish  in  a  book  about  "  the  cause  and  cure  of  a  wounded  spirit." 

"  There  arc  very  cruel  self-murderers,  whereto  the  wounds  on  people's  consciences  have 
driven  them.  Such  a  consternation  is  upon  them,  that  they  can't  pitch  upon  any  other  pro- 
ject for  their  own  repose,  than  that  of  hanging,  drowning,  stabbing,  poysoniiig,  or  some 
such  foaming  piece  of  madness.  But,  in  God's  name,  think  again,  before  you  do  so  vile  a 
thing!  Thinl(,  by  wliose  impulse  'tis  that  you  are  drngg'd  into  this  curs'd  action.  Truly, 
'tis  a  more  than  ordinary  impulse  of  the  devil,  wliereof  I  have  seen  most  prodigious  evidences. 

" One  that  came  to  me  with  a  '  wounded  soul,'  after  all  that  1  could  plead  with  him,  letl 
me  with  these  words :  '  Well,  the  devil  will  have  me  after  all !'  And  some  company  just 
then  hindring  me  from  going  after  him,  as  I  intended,  ere  I  could  get  iit  him,  he  was  found 
sitting  in  his  chamber,  choak'd  unto  death  with  a  rope,  which  rope  nevertheless  was  found, 
not  about  his  neck,  but  in  his  hand  and  on  his  knee. 

"The  sensible  assistance  which  the  devil  hm  frequently  among  us  given  to  these  unnat- 
ural exe<nitions,  does  manifestly  8hcw,*that  tiny  who  dogg'd  the  swine  into  the  deep  of  old, 
are  the  same  that  compel  persons  to  bo  so  much  worse  than  swine,  as  to  kill  themselves. 
These  doleful  creatures  we  have  seen  sometimes  hang  themselves  to  death,  wiiile  their  feet 
are  yet  upon  the  ground.  Yea,  by  a  line  which  huth  presently  broken,  and  yet  left  them 
dead.  And  1  think  some  that  have  been  found  and  fetch'd  before  their  life  was  wholly 
extinguished  in  them,  have  confcss'd  unto  me  to  this  purpose:  'That  they  hod  no  sooner 
given  the  first  stop  unto  their  breath,  but  they  presently  lost  all  sort  of  sense:  Only  they 
felt  such  a,  loud  immediately  upon  their  shoulders,  that  they  could  not  help  themselves, 
though  their  knees  were  upon  the  floor  all  the  while.' 

"  Moreover,  the  strange  obstructions  that  are  given  to  mens'  coming  into  a  probability 
of  deliverance  from  their  hurries,  do  further  manifest  that  the  armies  of  hell  are  herein 
beleaguering  of  them.  How  often  have  people  been  at  a  minister's  door  to  have  spoken  with 
him;  but  having  no  power  to  knock,  they  have  gone  away,  and  laid  violent  hands  upon 
themselves !  People  at  the  threshold  of  this  very  meeting-house  have  had  a  forcible  ai<d 
furious  kind  of  whisper  made  in  their  minds  that  they  must  bo  gone  to  some  other  congre- 
gation:  but  at  length,  overcoming  their  invisible  pull-backs,  f,hey  have  come  in;  and  a  l;irifo 
p  irt  of  my  sermon  hath  been  to  disswade  any  hurry'd  souls  from  the  murdering  of  tliem- 


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MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


selves;  which  God  has  bloss'd  unto  the  saving  of  them.  It  seems  the  bloody  dtsmoni^  had, 
unto  their  vexation,  some  way  learnt  what  I  was  to  preach  about  The  result  of  ail  i.-t  tliuA 
much,  since  'tis  the  devil  which  puts  you  upon  your  thus  wronging  of  your  selves,  don  t 
resign  your  selves  unto  the  conduct  of  that  hellish  murderer.  Are  the  devil's  hands,  I  pray, 
80  desirable,  that  you  will  needs  throw  your  selves  into  them,  while  the  hands  of  the  Saviour 
are  yet  open  to  receive  you — to  relieve  you!    'Oh,  do  thy  self  no  harm!'" 


The  Twelfth  Example. — Strange  premonitions  of  death  approaching, 
are  matters  of  such  a  frequent  occurrence  in  history,  that  one  is  ready 
now  to  look  upon  them  as  no  more  than  matters  of  common  occurrence. 
The  learned  know  that  Suetonius  hardly  lets  one  of  his  twelve  Caesars  die 
without  them:  and  the  vulgar  talk  of  them  as  things  happening  every 
day  amongst  their  smaller  neighbours. 

Even  within  a  fortnight  of  my  writing  this,  there  was  a  physician  who 
Bojourn'd  within  a  furlong  of  my  own  house.  This  physician,  for  three 
nights  together,  was  miserably  distrest  with  dreams  of  his  being  drown'd. 
On  the  third  of  these  nights  his  dreams  were  so  troublesome,  that  he  was 
cast  into  extream  sweats,  by  struggling  under  the  imaginary  water.  With 
the  sweats  yet  upon  him,  he  came  down  from  his  chamber,  telling  the 
people  of  the  family  what  it  was  that  so  discompos'd  him.  Immediately 
there  came  in  two  friends  that  ask'd  him  to  go  a  little  way  Avith  them  in  a 
boat  upon  the  water.  He  was  at  first  afraid  of  gratifying  the  desire  of 
his  friends,  because  of  his  late  presages.  But  it  being  a  very  calm  time, 
he  recollected  himself,  "Why  should  I  mind  my  dreams,  or  distrust  the 
Divine  Providence?"  He  went  with  them,  and  before  night,  by  a  thun- 
der-storm suddenly  coming  up,  they  were  all  three  of  them  drown'd. — I 
have  just  now  enquir'd  into  the  truth  of  what  I  have  thus  related;  and  I 
can  fissert  it. 

But  apparitions  after  death  are  things  which,  when  they  occur,  have 
more  of  strangeness  in  them.  And  yet  they  have  been  often  seen  in  this 
land:  particularly,  persons  that  have  died  abroad  at  sea  have,  within  a 
day  after  their  death,  been  seen  by  their  friends  in  their  houses  at  home. 
The  sights  have  occasion'd  much  notice  and  much  discourse  at  the  very 
time  of  them;  and  records  have  been  kept  of  the  time,  (reader,  I  write 
but  what  hath  fallen  within  my  own  personal  observation;)  and  it  hath 
been  afterwards  found  that  very  time  when  they  thus  appear'd. 

I  will,  from  several  instances,  which  I  have  known  of  this  thing,  single  out 
one  that  shall  have  in  it  much  oi  demonstration^  as  well  as  of  particularity. 

It  was  on  the  second  of  May,  in  the  year  1687,  that  a  most  ingenious, 
accomplish'd,  and  well-dispos'd  young  gentleman,  Mr.  Joseph  Beacon  by 
name,  about  5  a-clock  in  the  morning  as  he  lay,  whether  sleeping  or  wak- 
ing ho  could  not  say,  (but  he  judg'd  the  latter  of  them,)  had  a  view  of  his 
brother,  then  at  London,  although  he  was  now  himself  at  our  Boston,  (lis- 
tanc'd  from  him  a  thousand  leagues.  This  his  brother  appear'd  to  him 
in  the  morning,  (I  say)  about  6  a'clock,  at  Boston,  having  on  him  a  Ben- 


or 


OR,    THE   HI8T0BY   OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


469 


tn  in  a     \ 
sire  of 

time, 
Lst  the 

thnn- 
I'd.— I 

and  I 


gale  gown  which  he  usually  wore,  with  a  napkin  ty'd  about  his  head:  his 
countenance  was  very  pale,  ghastly,  deadly,  and  he  had  a  bloody  wound 
on  one  side  of  his  forehead.      "  Brother  1"  says  the  affrighted  Joseph. 
"Brother!"  answer'd  the  apnarition.    Said  Joseph,  "What's  the  matter, 
brother?  how  came  you  here?"    The  apparition  reply 'd,  "Brother  1  I  have 
been  most  barbarously  and  inhumanely  murder'd  by  a  debauch'd  fellow, 
to  whom  I  never  did  any  wrong  in  my  life."    Whereupon  he  gave  a 
particular  description  of  the  murderer;  adding,  "Brother,  this  fellow, 
changing  his  name,  is  attempting  to  come  over  unto  New-England,  in  Foy, 
or  Wild:  I  would  pray  you,  on  the  first  arrival  of  either  of  these,  to  get 
an  order  from  the  governour  to  seize  the  person  whom  I  have  now  de- 
scrib'd;  and  then  do  you  indict  him  for  the  murder  of  me  your  brother. 
I'll  stand  by  you,  and  prove  the  indictment."    And  so  he  vanish'd.    Mr. 
Beacon  was  extreamly  astonished  at  what  he  had  seen  and  heard:  and 
the  people  of  the  family  not  only  observ'd  an  extraordinary  alteration  upon 
him  for  the  week  following,  but  have  also  given  me  under  their  hands  a 
full  testimony  that  he  then  gave  them  an  account  of  this  apparition.    All 
this  while,  Mr.  Beacon  had  no  advice  of  any  thing  amiss  attending  his 
brother  then  in  England:  but  about  the  latter  end  of  June  following,  he 
understood,  by  the  common  ways  of  communication,  that  the  April  before, 
his  brother,  going  in  haste  by  night  to  call  a  coach  for  a  lady,  met  a  fel- 
low then  in  drink  with  his  doxy  in  his  hand.    Some  way  or  other  the 
fellow  thought  himself  aifronted  in  the  hasty  passage  of  this  Beacon,  and 
immediately  ran  in  to  the  fire  side  of  a  neighbouring  tavern,  from  whence 
he  fetcli'd  out  a  fire-fork,  wherewith  he  grievously  wounded  Beacon  on 
the  skull,  even  in  that  very  part  where  the  apparition  shew'd  his  wound. 
Of  this  wound  he  languish'd  until  he  dy'd,  on  the  2d  of  May,  about  5  of 
the  clock  in  the  morning,  at  London.     The  murderer,  it  seems,  was  en- 
deavoring an  escape,  as  the  apparition  affirm'd ;  but  the  friends  of  the 
deceas'd  Beacon  seiz'd  him ;  and,  prosecuting  him  at  law,  he  found  the 
help  of  such  friends  as  brought  him  off  without  the  loss  of  his  life:  since 
which,  there  has  no  more  been  heard  of  the  business. 

The  history  I  receiv'd  of  Mr.  Joseph  Beacon  himself,  who,  a  little  before 
his  own  pious  and  hopeful  death,  which  follow 'd  not  long  after,  gave  me 
the  story,  written  and  sign'd  with  his  own  hand,  and  attested  with  the  cir- 
cumstances I  have  already  mcntion'd. 

I  know  not  how  far  the  reader  will  judge  it  agreeable  unto  the  matters 

related  in  this  article,  if  I  do  insert But  I  tvill  here  insert  a  passage 

which  I  find  thus  enter'd  among  my  own  adversaria: 


"  14  D.  2  M.  1684.— Mr.  J.  C,  deacon  of  the  church  in  Charlstown,  told  me,  thnt  his  wife 
having  been  sielt  for  divers  months,  wns  on  the  Slst  of  August  liist  seiz'd  with  the  pnngs  of 
death ;  in  wliich  being  deiireous,  nnd  nsliing  divers  times '  who  would  go  with  her,  whither  she 
wns  ffoiiig  V  lit  lengtli  slie  snid, '  Well,  my  son  Robert  will  go,'  and  addressing  her  speech  there, 
upon  as  unto  him,  she  expressed  her  satisfaction  that  they  should  go  together.    This  son  of 


470 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


hers  was  at  that  time  in  Barbodoes;  and  his  frienda  here  have  since  lenrn'd  tliat  he  also  dy'd 
there,  and  this  at  the  very  hnur  when  his  mother  here  gave  up  the  ghost;  and  (which  is 
further  odd)  not  icUhout  the  like  expressions  concerning  his  mother,  that  his  mother  hud 
concerning  him." 

The  Thirteenth  Example. — In  the  present  evil  world,  it  is  no  wondor 
that  the  operations  of  the  evil  angels  are  more  sensible  than  of  the  good 
ones.  Nevertheless,  'tis  very  certain  that  the  good  angels  continually^ 
without  any  defilement,  fly  about  in  our  defiled  atmosphere,  to  ministtr 
for  the  good  of  them  that  are  to  be  the  "heirs  of  salvation." 

The  natives  of  heaven,  as  Dr.  Fuller  phraseth  it,  grudge  not  to  gtiar>l 
those  who  are  only  free  denizens  thereof  The  excellent  Eivet  hath  well 
expressed  what  is  to  be  believ'd  of  this  matter,  "that  every  one  of  tlieni, 
who  shall  be  heirs  of  salvation,  hath,  besides  what  may  be  with  him  on 
extraordinary  occasions,  always  one  particular  angel  with  him,  is  a  proba- 
ble truth,  and  not  against  the  Scripture.  Albeit,  we  cannot  from  thence 
infer  that  it  is  always  the  same  angels."  Now,  tho'  the  "angelical  minis- 
tration" is  usually  "behind  the  curtain"  of  more  visible  instruments  and 
their  actions,  yet  sometimes  it  hath  been  with  extraordinary  circumstances 
made  more  obvious  to  the  sense  of  the  faithful. 

Of  all  that  hath  occurr'd  in  this  land,  this  only  shall  here  be  expresa'd. 

I  find  in  the  diary  of  my  dear,  and  reverend,  and  excellent  friend,  ^Ir. 
John  Baily,  a  wonderful  passage  concerning  his  eminently  pious  wife, 
who  died  at  our  Watertown ;  which  I  will  here  transcribe : 

"  Afril  14, 1691,  she  was  dying  all  day.  Toward  sun  set  she  said  unto  me  especially,  and 
nnto  others,  that  we  had  done  her  the  greatest  diskindness  that  ever  she  met  with  since  she 
was  born,  in  keeping  her  back,  and  not  delivering  her  up  to  God  in  Cliriat,  whom  she  lov'd 
above  all,  and  long'd  to  be  withal.  She  begg'd  as  for  her  lift-,  that  we  would,  and  /  espe- 
cially, take  off  our  love  wholly  from  her,  and  give  our  all  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  as  she 
had  often  done,  and  was  now  willing  again  to  do.  She  would  never  be  quiet,  until  I  prom> 
ised  before  all  those  witnesses  present  (which  were  many)  and  before  the  holy  angels,  who 
she  desired  would  seal  to  it  with  their  golden  seals,  that  I  would  be  willing  to  part  with  her 
and  let  her  go ;  and  that  I  would  give  my  all  up  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  (even  her  self  and 
every  thing  else :)  which,  in  the  name  of  Christ,  I  promis'd  to  labour  to  be  willing,  and  I 
would  be  willing  to  do. 

"This  gave  her  some  content;  and  she  suid,  that  God  had  appear'd  unto  her,  and  that  she 
was  full  of  the  joys  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  that  she  had  whole  floods  of  the  love  of  God  in 
her  soul,  and  she  could  not  stand  under  it.  She  often  said,  that  she  had  rivers  of  joy,  and 
that  she  could  scatter  it  about  the  town,  and  that  all  this  was  to  her  tiie  worst  of  sinners ; 
and  that  it  was  not  only  undeserv'd,  but  also  unexpected.  She  desir'd  every  one  to  tiike 
heed  of  slighting  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  and  she  assur'd  them,  that  if  they  eiiteitMiii'd  him, 
they  should  be  as  full  of  love  and  joy  ns  she:  and  she  advis'd  them  to  give  up  all  unto  God, 
and  make  much  of  him;  for  there  was  none  like  him;  and  as  long  as  she  had  a  tongfiM'  or 
a  breath,  she  would  praise  him:  and  she  ask'd  us  all  that,  if  we  would  not  or  could  mt  |)r.'iisfl 
him  on  our  own  accounts,  yet  we  would  do  it  on  hers;  for  she  was  top-full,  brim-tnll,  and 
running  over.  She  s.id,  death  had  no  terror  at  all  in  it;  but  she  could  ns  fici-ly  dip  .is  i  vcr 
she  went  to  sleep.  She  said,  'I  deserve  none  of  this  love;  but  if  Christ  will  give  it,  who 
can  hinder  it?    Go  to  him;  he  is  no  niggard;  he  'ms  love  and  grace  enough  for  you  all:  I 


OB,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m 


cannot  bear  it,  it  is  so  heavy!  Ay,'  said  she,  'my  poor  husband,  tho'  a  disconsolate  man, 
Jesus  Christ  will  fit  him  with  all  this  love  before  he  dies;  and  he  will  fill  you  all,  if  it  be  not 
your  own  fault'  She  said  unto  him, '  If  any  body  want  me,  this  poor  man  will :  yet,  as  well 
as  I  love  him,  and  I  now  love  him  better  than  ever,  and  shall  bless  God  through  all  eternity 
for  him ;  yet  I  would  not  be  hir'd  by  millions  of  worlds  to  live  a  day  or  an  hour  with  him 
from  Christ:  and  yet,  if  God  would  have  mo  to  live,  I  would  live.  This  hour  is  the  happiest 
hour  that  ever  I  had  since  my  mother  bound  my  head.  There  was  never  such  an  in&t"nce 
o(  free  grace,  as  I  am  perswoded,  since  the  world  begun.  Let  all  take  notice,  to  the  gloiy 
of  free  grace,  that  I  go  off  the  stage  nobly  and  honourably.'  She  said  that  she  was  going 
to  the  Lord,  and  if  thousands  of  devils  should  tell  her  otherwise,  she  would  not  believe 
them.  God  had  now  made  her  amends  for  all  the  troubles  she  had  met  withal  in  the  worliL 
She  then  desir'd  that  we  would  sing  some  psalm  of  praise  to  the  riches  of  free  grace:  but 
our  harps  were  hang'd  on  the  willows;  we  did  it  not  Yet  there  was  melodious  singing  at 
that  very  time!  I  heard  it  myself,  but  intended  never  to  speak  of  it  until  the  nurse  B.  and 
M.  S.  spoke  of  it  They  went  unto  the  fire,  thinking  it  was  there;  but  they  heard  it  best 
when  within  the  curtains.  God,  by  his  holy  angels,  put  an  honour  upon  my  dear  little 
woman;  and  by  it  reprov'd  us,  that  seeing  we  would  not  sing,  (being  bad  at  it)  they  would!" 

The  Fourteenth  Example. — ^To  conclude  our  wonders  of  the  invisi- 
ble world,  there  will  doubtless  be  expected  an  account  of  the  wonders  that 
afflicted  New-England  in  the  year  1692.  Now,  having  in  my  hands  a 
most  unexceptionable  account  thereof,  written  by  Mr.  John  Hales,  I  will 
here  content  myself  with  the  transcribing  of  that,  and  I  will  assure  the 
reader  that  he  hath  now  to  do  with  a  writer  who  would  not  for  a  world 
be  guilty  of  over-doing  the  truth  in  an  history  of  this  importance. 

SADDUCISMUS    DEBELLATUS,* 

§  1.  In  the  latter  end  of  the  year  1691,  Mr.  Paris,  pastor  of  the  church 
in  Salem- Village,  had  a  daughter  of  nine,  and  a  niece  of  about  eleven 
years  of  age,  sadly  afflicted  of  they  knew  not  what  distempers:  and  tho'  he 
made  his  application  to  physicians,  yet  still  they  grew  worse.  At  length 
one  physician  gave  his  opinion  that  "they  were  under  an  evil  hand."  This 
the  neighbours  took  up,  and  concluded  they  were  bewitch'd.  H".  had  also 
an  Indian  man-servant  and  his  wife,  who  afterwards  confess'd  ti.u  without 
the  knowledge  of  their  master  or  mistress,  they  had  taken  some  of  the 
afflicted  person's  urine,  and  mixing  it  with  meal,  had  made  a  cake,  and 
baked  it,  to  find  out  the  witch,  as  they  said.  After  this,  the  afflicted  per- 
sons cry'd  out  of  the  Indian  woman  named  Tituba,  that  she  did  pinch, 
prick,  and  grievously  torment  them ;  and  that  they  saw  her  here  and  there, 
where  no  body  else  could ;  yea,  they  could  tell  where  she  was,  and  what 
she  did,  when  out  of  their  humane  sight.  These  children  were  bitten  and 
pinch'd  by  invisible  agents;  their  arms,  necks,  and  backs  turn'd  this  way 
and  that  way,  and  return'd  back  again ;  so  as  it  was  impossible  for  them 
to  do  of  themselves,  and  beyond  the  power  of  any  epiJeptick  fits  or  natural 
diseases  to  effect.  Sometimes  they  were  taken  dumb,  their  mouths  stopp'd, 
their  throats  choak'd,  their  limbs  rack'd  and  tormented,  so  as  might  move 

*  Badduoism  stormed. 


472 


MAONALIA    GHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


an  heart  of  stone  to  sympathise  with  them,  with  bowels  of  compassion  for 
them.  I  will  not  enlarge  in  the  description  of  their  cruel  sufferings, 
because  they  were  in  all  things  afflicted  as  bad  as  John  Goodwin's  children 
at  Boston,  in  the  year  1689.  So  that  he  that  will  read  Mr.  Mather's  book 
of  ^^ Memorable  Providences"  may  read  part  of  what  these  children,  and 
afterwards  sundry  grown  persons,  suffer'd  by  the  hand  of  Satan  at  Salem - 
Village  and  parts  adjacent,  An.  1691-2.  Yet  there  was  more  in  these 
sufferings  than  in  those  at  Boston,  by  pins  invisibly  stuck  into  their  flesh, 
prickings  with  irons,  &c.,  as  in  part  published  in  a  book  printed  1693,  viz: 
"The  Wonders  of  tJie  Invisible  World."^  Mr.  Paris,  seeing  the  distress'd 
condition  of  his  family,  desired  the  presence  of  some  worthy  gentlemen  of 
Salem,  and  some  neighbour-ministers,  to  consult  together  at  his  house; 
who,  when  they  came,  and  had  inquir'd  diligently  into  the  sufferings  of 
the  afflicted,  concluded  they  were  preternatural,  and  fear'd  the  hand  of 
Satan  was  in  them. 

§  2.  The  advice  given  to  Mr.  Paris  abont  them  was,  that  he  should  sit 
still  and  wait  upon  the  providence  of  God,  to  see  what  time  might  discover, 
and  to  be  much  in  prayer  for  the  discovery  of  what  was  yet  secret.  They 
also  examin'd  Tituba,  who  confess'd  the  making  a  cake,  as  is  above-men- 
tion'd,  and  said  her  mistress,  in  her  own  country,  was  a  witch,  and  had 
taught  her  some  means  to  be  us'd  for  the  discovery  of  a  witch,  and  for 
prevention  of  being  bewitch 'd;  but  said  that  she  herself  was  not  a  witch. 

§  3.  Soon  after  this,  there  were  two  or  three  private  fasts  at  the  minis- 
ter's house;  one  of  which  was  kept  by  sundry  neighbour-ministers;  and 
after  this,  another  in  publick  at  the  village ;  and  several  days  afterwards 
of  publick  humiliation,  during  these  molestations,  not  only  there,  but  in 
other  congregations  for  them:  and  one  general  fast,  by  order  of  the  gen- 
eral court,  observ'd  throughout  the  colony,  to  seek  the  Lord,  that  he  would 
rebuke  Satan,  and  be  a  light  unto  his  people  in  this  day  of  darkness.  But 
I  return  to  these  troubles.  In  a  short  time  after,  other  persons  who  were 
of  age  to  be  witnesses,  were  molested  by  Satan,  and  in  their  fits  cry'd  out 
upon  Tituba,  and  Goody  0.  and  S.  G.  that  they,  or  spectres  in  their  shape, 
did  grievously  torment  them.  Some  of  their  village-neighbours  complain'd 
unto  the  magistrates  at  Salem,  desiring  they  would  come  and  examine  the 
afflicted  and  the  accused  together;  the  which  they  did :  the  effect  of  which 
examination  was,  that  Tituba  confess'd  she  was  a  witch;  and  that  she, 
with  the  two  others  accus'd,  did  torment  and  bewitch  the  complainers; 
and  that  these,  with  two  others,  whose  names  she  knew  not,  had  their 
witch-meetings  together,  relating  the  times  when,  and  places  where,  they 
met,  with  many  other  circumstances  elsewhere  to  be  seen  at  large.  Upon 
this,  the  said  Tituba  and  0.  and  G.  were  committed  to  prison  upon  sus- 
picion of  acting  witchcraft.  After  this,  the  said  Tituba  was  again  exam- 
in'd in  prison,  and  own'd  her  first  confession  in  all  points,  and  then  was 
herself  afflicted,  and  complain'd  of  her  fellow-witches  tormenting  of  her  for 


I' 


OR,    THE   HISTORY    V  if   NEW-ENOLAND. 


473 


and 


her  confession,  and  accusing  them;  and  being  search'd  by  a  woman,  she 
was  found  to  have  upon  her  body  the  marks  of  the  devil's  wounding  her. 

§  4.  Here  were  these  things  rendred  her  confession  credible:  1,  That 
at  this  examination  she  answer'd  every  question  just  as  she  did  at  the 
first;  and  it  was  thought  that,  if  she  had  feign 'd  her  confession,  she  could 
not  have  remembr'd  her  answers  so  exactly.  A  lyar,  we  say,  had  need 
have  a  good  memory:  but  truth,  being  always  consistent  with  itself,  is  the 
same  to-day  as  it  was  yesterday.  2,  She  seem'd  very  penitent  for  her  sin 
in  covenanting  with  the  devil.  3,  She  became  a  sufferer  herself,  and,  as 
she  said,  for  her  confession.  4,  Her  confession  agreed  exactly  (which  was 
afterwards  verify'd  in  the  other  confessors)  with  the  accusations  of  the 
afflicted.  Soon  after,  these  afflicted  persons  complain'd  of  other  persons 
afflicting  of  them  in  their  fits,  and  the  number  of  the  afflicted  and  the 
accns'd  began  to  increase.  And  the  success  of  Tituba's  confession  encour- 
aged those  in  authority  to  examine  others  that  were  suspected ;  and  the 
event  was,  that  more  confess'd  themselves  guilty  of  the  crimes  they  were 
suspected  for.    And  thus  was  the  matter  driven  on. 

§  5.  I  observ'd,  in  the  prosecution  of  these  affairs,  that  there  was  in  the 
justices,  judges,  and  others  concern'd,  a  conscientious  endeavour  to  do  the 
thing  that  was  right;  and  to  thai  end,  they  consulted  the  precedents  of 
former  times,  and  precepts  laid  down  by  learn'd  writers  about  witchcraft; 
as,  Keeble  on  the  Common  Law,  Chapt.  Conjuration^  (an  author  approv'd  by 
the  twelve  judges  of  our  nation :)  also,  Sir  Matthew  Hale's  Trials  of  Witches, 
printed  An.  1682;  Glanvil's  Collection  of  Sundry  Trials  in  England  and 
Ireland  in  the  year  1658,  61,  63,  64,  and  81 ;  Bernard's  Guide  to  Jury-men; 
Baxter's  and  R.  B.,  their  Histories  about  Witches,  and  their  Discoveries; 
C.  Mather's  '■^Memorahle  Providences,^^  relating  to  witchcrafts,  printed  1685. 

§  6.  But  that  which  chiefly  carry'd  on  this  matter  to  such  an  height 
was  the  increasing  of  confessors  until  they  amounted  to  near  upon  fifty; 
and  four  or  six  of  them  upon  their  trials  own'd  their  guilt  of  this  crime, 
and  were  condemn'd  for  the  same,  but  not  executed.  And  many  of  the 
confessors  confirmed  their  confessions  with  very  strong  circumstances ;  as 
their  exact  agreement  with  the  accusations  of  the  afflicted,  their  punctual 
agreement  with  their  fellow-confessors,  their  relating  the  times  when  they 
covenanted  with  Satan,  and  the  reasons  that  mov'd  'em  thereunto;  their 
witch-meetings,  and  that  they  had  their  mock-sacraments  of  Baptism  and 
the  Supper^  in  some  of  them;  their  signing  the  devil's  book,  and  some 
sliew'd  the  scars  of  the  wounds  which  they  said  were  made  to  fetch  blood 
with  to  sign  the  devil's  book,  and  some  said  they  had  imps  to  suck  them, 
and  shew'd  sores  raw,  where  they  said  they  were  suck'd  by  them. 

§  7.  I  shall  give  the  reader  a  taste  of  these  things  in  a  few  instances. 
The  afflicted  complain'd  that  the  spectres  which  vex'd  them,  urged  them 
to  set  their  hands  to  a  book,  represented  to  them  (as  to  them  it  seem'd) 
witii  ihrcutnings  of  great  torments  if  they  sign'd  not,  and  promises  of  ease 


474 


MAONALIA    CnRISTI    AMERICANA; 


illii 


if  they  obey'd.  Among  these,  D.  H.,  as  she  said,  (which  sundry  others 
confess'd  afterwarda)  being  overcome  by  the  extremity  of  her  pains,  did 
sign  the  book  presented,  and  had  the  promised  ease,  and  immediately 
upon  it  a  spectre  in  her  shape  afflicted  another  person,  and  said,  "I  have 
sign'd  the  book,  and  have  ease:  now  do  you  sign,  and  so  shall  you  have 
ease  t"  And  one  day  this  afflicted  person  pointed  at  a  certain  place  in  the 
room,  and  said,  "There  is  D.  H."  Upon  which,  a  man  with  his  rapier 
struck  at  the  place,  the'  he  saw  no  shape;  and  the  afflicted  called  out, 
saying,  "You  have  given  her  a  small  prick  about  the  eye."  Soon  after 
this,  the  said  D.  H.  confess'd  herself  to  be  made  a  witch,  by  signing  the 
devil's  book,  as  abovesaid,  and  declar'd  that  she  had  afflicted  the  maid 
that  coraplain'd  of  her,  and  in  doing  of  it,  had  receiv'd  two  wounds  by  a 
sword  or  rapier;  a  small  one  about  the  eye,  which  she  sheio'd  to  the  magis- 
trates, and  a  bigger  on  the  side,  of  which  she  was  search 'd  by  a  discreet 
woman,  who  reported  that  D.  H.  had  on  her  side  the  sign  of  a  wound 
newly  heal'd.  This  D.  H.  confess'd  that  she  was  at  a  witch-meeting  at 
Salem- Village,  where  were  many  persons  that  she  nam'd,  some  of  whom 
were  in  prison  then,  or  soon  after,  upon  suspicion  of  witchcraft;  and  she 
said  Gr.  B.  preach'd  to  them,  and  such  a  woman  was  their  deacon,  and 
there  they  had  a  sacrament. 

§  8.  Several  others,  after  this,  confess'd  the  same  things  with  D.  H.  In 
particular.  Goody  F.  said  that  she,  with  two  others,  (one  of  whom  acknowl- 
edg'd  the  same)  rode  from  Andover  to  the  same  village  witch-meeting, 
upon  a  stick  alDove  the  ground,  and  that  in  the  way  the  stick  brake,  and 
gave  the  said  F.  a  fall;  "whereby,"  said  she,  "I  got  a  fall  and  hurt,  of 
which  I  am  still  sore."  I  hapned  to  be  present  in  prison  when  this  F. 
own'd  again  her  former  confession  to  the  magistrates.  I  asked  her  if  she 
rode  to  the  meeting  on  a  stick?  She  said,  "yea."  I  inquired  what  she 
did  for  victuals:  she  answered  that  she  carried  bread  and  cheese  in  her 
pocket,  and  that  she  and  the  Andover  company  came  to  the  village  before 
the  meeting  began,  and  sat  down  together  under  a  tree,  and  eat  their 
food;  and  that  she  drank  water  out  of  a  brook  to  quench  her  thirst;  and 
that  the  meeting  was  upon  a  plain  grassy  place,  by  which  was  a  cart-path, 
in  which  were  the  tracks  of  horses'  feet:  and  she  also  told  me  how  Ions: 
they  were  going,  and  returning;  and,  some  time  after,  told  me  she  hud 
some  trouble  upon  her  spirit;  and  when  I  enquired  what,  she  said  she 
was  in  fear  that  G.  B.  and  M.  C.  would  kill  her;  for  they  appeared  unto 
her  (in  spectre,  for  their  persons  were  kept  in  other  rooms  in  the  prison) 
and  brought  a  sharp-pointed  iron,  like  a  spindle,  but  four-square,  aiul 
threatened  to  stabb  her  to  death,  because  she  had  confessed  her  witchcnift, 
and  told  of  them  that  they  were  with  her;  and  M.  C.  above  named  was  the 
person  that  made  her  a  witch.  About  a  month  after,  the  said  F.  toolc 
occasion  to  tell  me  the  same  story  of  her  fears  that  G.  B.  and  M.  C.  would 
kill  her;  so  that  the  thing  was  much  on  her  spirit. 


§9. 

she  r< 

substi 

grand 

granc 

M.C., 

R.  C, 

that 

moth( 

moth 

Her 


Wml 


liBMi**ifM>>ifiAiliWl 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


475 


§  9.  It  was  not  long  before  M.  L.,  daugliter  of  the  said  F.,  confess'd  that 
she  rode  with  her  mother  to  the  said  witch-meeting,  and  coniirm'd  the 
substance  of  her  mother's  confession.  At  another  time  M.  L.  junior,  the 
grand-daughter,  aged  about  17  years,  confesses  the  substance  of  wha'.  her 
grand-mother  and  mother  had  related,  and  declares  that  v.  lien  they,  with 
M.  C,  rode  on  a  stick  or  pole  in  the  air,  she,  the  said  grand-daughter,  with 
R.  C,  rode  upon  another  (and  the  said  B.  C.  acknowledged  the  same)  and 
that  they  set  their  hands  to  the  devil's  book:  and  {inter  alia*)  said,  "O, 
mother!  why  did  you  give  me  to  the  devil?"  twice  or  thrice  over.  The 
mother  said  she  was  sorry  at  the  heart  for  it;  it  was  through  that  wicked  one. 
Her  daughter  bad  her  repent,  and  call  upon  God,  and  said,  "Oli,  mother  I 
your  wishes  are  now  come  to  pass;  for  how  often  have  you  wished  that  the 
devil  would  fetch  me  away  alive!"  and  then  said,  "Oh,  my  heart  will  break 
within  me!"  Then  she  wept  bitterly,  crying  out,  "  0  Lord,  comfort  me,  and 
bring  out  all  the  witches !"  And  she  said  to  her  grand-mother,  "  Oh,  grand- 
mother, why  did  you  give  me  to  the  devil?  Why  did  you  perswade  me? 
0,  grand-mother,  do  not  deny  it !"  Then  the  grand-mother  gave  account  of 
several  things  about  their  confederates  and  acts  of  witchcraft,  too  long  to  re- 
hearse. Moreover,  another  declared,  that  she  with  widow  S.  went  to  Captain 
W.  S.,  and  the  said  S.  gave  him  a  blow  with  a  great  stick,  and  yet  was  to  him 
invisible.  Captain  W.  declar'd  he  had  a  sore  blow,  as  if  with  a  great  stick, 
but  saw  nobody.  The  widow  S.  denied  that  she  struck  him.  Then  M. 
P.,  the  confessor,  very  boldly  look'd  up  into  her  face,  and  said,  "Goody 
S.,  you  know  you  did  strike  him,  and  I  saw  you  do  it,"  and  then  told 
the  manner  how  it  was  done,  ard  how  they  came  to  him,  and  returned. 

§  10.  Nextly,  I  will  insert  the  confession  of  a  man,  about  forty  years 
of  age,  W.  B.,  which  he  wrote  himself  in  prison,  and  sent  to  the  magis- 
trates, to  confirm  his  former  confession  to  them : 

"God  having  call'd  me  to  confess  my  sin  and  apostacy  in  that  full,  in  giving  the  di-vil 
advantiige  over  me,  appearing  to  me  like  a  block,  in  the  evening,  to  set  my  hand  to  his  book, 
OS  I  have  own'd  to  my  shame.  He  told  me  that  I  should  not  want,  so  doing.  At  Salem- 
Village,  there  being  a  little  off  the  Meeting-house,  about  an  hundred  fine  blades,  some  with 
rapiers  by  their  sides,  which  was  call'd  (and  might  bo  more  for  ought  I  know)  by  B.  and  Bu. 
and  the  trumpet  sounded,  and  bread  and  wine,  which  they  called  the  Sacrament;  but  I  had 
none;  being  carried  over  all  upon  a  stick,  never  being  at  any  other  meeting.  I  being  at  curt 
Suturday  last  all  the  day,  of  hay  and  English  corn,  the  devil  brought  my  shape  to  Salem, 
and  did  afflict  M.  S.  and  R.  F.  by  ditching  my  hand:  And  on  Sabbath-day  my  shape 
&fflicte(1  A.  M.,  and  at  night  afflicted  M.  S.  and  A.  M.  E.  J.  and  A.  F.  have  been  my  enticers 
to  this  great  abomination,  as  one  hatli  owned,  and  charged  her  other  sister  with  the  same. 
And  the  design  was  to  destroy  Salem- Village,  and  to  begin  at  the  minister's  house,  and  to 
destroy  the  churches  of  God,  and  to  set  up  Satan's  kingdom,  and  then  ail  will  be  well.  And 
now  I  hope  God  hath  made  me  in  some  measure  sensible  of  my  sin  and  apostacy;  begging 
pardon  of  God,  and  of  the  honourable  magistrates,  and  all  God's  people;  hoping,  and 
promising  by  the  help  of  God,  to  set  to  my  heart  and  hand  to  do  what  in  roe  lieth  to  destroy 
such  wicked  worship;  humbly  begging  the  prayers  of  God's  people  for  me,  I  may  walk  humbly 
under  all  this  groat  affliction,  and  that  I  may  procure  to  myself  the  sure  mercies  of  David." 

*  Among  other  thing*. 


! 


!  1  i 


476 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Concerning  this  confession,  note — 1,  It  was  his  own  free  act  in  prison. 
2,  He  said  [The  devil,  like  a  black  sheep.]  This  he  had  before  explain 'd 
to  be  like  a  black  man.  3,  That  on  a  certain  day  wiis  heard  in  the  air  the 
"sound  of  a  trumpet"  at  Salem- Village,  nigh  the  Meeting-house,  and  upon 
all  enquiry,  it  could  not  be  found  that  any  mortal  man  did  sound  it. 
4,  The  three  persons,  he  saith,  the  devil  in  his  shape  afflicted,  had  been, 
as  to  the  time  and  manner,  afflicted  as  he  confesseth.  5,  That  E.  J.  con- 
fessed as  much  as  W.  B.  charged  her  with.  6,  Many  others  confess'd  a 
•witch-meeting  or  witch-meetings  at  the  village  as  well  as  he. 

Note  also,  that  these  confessors  did  not  only  witness  against  themselves, 
but  against  one  another,  and  against  many,  if  not  all  those  that  sull'cr'd 
for  that  crime.  As  for  example:  When  G.  B.  was  tried,  seven  or  eight 
of  these  confessors,  severally  call'd,  said  they  knew  the  said  B.,  and  saw 
him  at  a  witch-meeting  at  the  village,  and  heard  him  exhort  the  company 
to  pull  down  the  kingdom  of  God,  and  set  up  the  kingdom  of  the  devil. 
He  deny'd  all;  yet  said  he  justify'd  the  judges  and  jury  in  condemning 
of  him;  because  there  were  so  many  positive  witnesses  against  him;  but 
said  he  dy'd  by  false  witnesses.  M.  C.  had  to  witness  against  two  or  three 
of  her  own  children,  and  several  neighbours,  that  said  they  were  in  con- 
federacy with  her  in  her  witchcraft.  A.  F.  had  three  of  her  children,  and 
some  of  the  neighbours,  her  own  sister,  and  a  servant,  who  confess'd 
themselves  witches,  and  said  she  was  in  confederacy  with  them.  But, 
alas!  I  am  weary  with  relating  particulars:  Those  that  would  see  more 
of  this  kind,  let  them  have  recourse  to  the  records. 

§  11.  By  these  things  you  may  see  how  this  matter  was  carry'd  on,  viz: 
chiefly  by  the  complaints  and  accusations  of  the  afllicted  (bowitch'd  ones, 
as  it  was  suppos'd)  and  then  by  the  confessions  of  the  «cc«.v'(/,  condemning 
themselves  and  others.  Yet  experience  shew'd  that  the  more  there  were 
apprehended,  the  more  were  still  afflicted  by  Satan;  and.  the  number  of 
confessors  increasing,  did  but  increase  the  number  of  the  accused ;  and  the 
executing  of  some,  made  way  for  the  apprehending  of  others:  For  still 
the  afflicted  complain'd  of  being  tormented  by  new  objects,  as  the  former 
■were  remov'd.  So  that  those  that  were  concern'd,  grew  amaz'd  at  the 
number  and  quality  of  the  persons  accus'd,  and  feared  that  Satan  by  his 
wiles  had  enwrapped  innocent  persons  under  the  imputation  of  that  crime. 
And  at  last  it  was  evidently  seen  that  there  must  be  a  stop  put,  or  the 
generation  of  the  children  of  God  would  fall  under  that  condemnation. 
Henceforth,  therefore,  the  juries  generally  acquitted  such  as  were  tried, 
fearing  they  had  gone  too  far  before.  And  Sir  William  Phips,  the  Gov- 
ernor, repriev'd  all  that  were  condemn'd,  even  the  confessors  as  well  as 
others.  And  the  confessors  generally  fell  off' from  their  confession,  some 
Baying,  "They  remembered  nothing  of  what  they  had  said;"  others  said, 
"They  had  belied  themselves  and  others."  Some  broke  prison  and  ran 
away,  and  were  not  strictly  searched  after.     Sonic  aeqiiilled,  some  dis- 


I 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


477 


n  prison, 
explain 'd 
le  air  the 
and  upon 
sound  it. 
ad  been, 
J.  con- 
nfess'd  a 

mselves, 
t  suiler'd 

or  eight 

and  saw 
company 
10  devil, 
domning 
lim;  but 
I  or  three 

in  con- 
Iren,  and 
confoss'd 
n.  But, 
see  more 

on,  viz: 

I'd  ones, 
Icmning 
jrc  were 
inbcr  of 

and  tlio 
A)r  still 
5  Ibnner 
I  at  tlie 

by  his 
t  crime. 
:,  or  the 
Illation. 
0  tried, 
10  Gov- 
well  as 
1,  some 
rs  sail!, 
uid  ran 
no  dis- 


missed, and,  one  way  or  other,  all  that  had  been  accused  were  set  or  left 
at  liberty.  And,  altho'  (had  the  times  been  calm)  the  condition  of  the 
confessors  might  have  called  for  a  Melius  inquirendum*  yet,  considering 
the  combustion  and  confusion  this  matter  had  brought  us  unto,  it  was 
thought  safer  to  under-do  than  over-do,  especially  in  matters  capital, 
where  wha.t  is  once  compleated  cannot  be  retrieved ;  but  what  is  left  at 
one  time,  may  be  corrected  at  another,  upon  a  review  and  clearer  discovery 
of  the  state  of  the  case.    Thus  this  matter  issued  somewhat  abruptly. 

§  12,  It  may  be  queried.  How  doth  it  appear  that  there  was  a  going 
too  far  in  this  aifair? 

A.  1,  By  the  numbers  of  the  persons  accus'd,  which  at  length  increas'd 
to  about  an  hundred;  audit  cannot  be  imagin'dthat  in  a  place  of  so  much 
knowledge,  so  many  in  so  small  a  compass  of  land,  should  so  abominably 
leap  into  the  devil's  lap  all  at  once. 

2,  The  quality  of  several  of  the  accus'd  was  such  as  did  bespeak  "better 
things,  and  things  that  accompany  salvation;"  persons,  whose  blameless 
and  holy  lives  before  did  testifie  for  them;  persons  that  had  taken  great 
pains  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  nurture  and  admoc'aon  of  the 
Lord;  such  as  we  had  charity  for,  as  for  our  own  souls:  and  charity  is  a 
Christian  duty  commended  to  us. 

3,  The  number  of  the  addicted  daily  increased,  until  about  fifty  persons 
were  thus  vex'd  by  the  devil.  This  gave  just  ground  to  suspect  some 
mistake,  which  gave  advantage  to  the  "accuser  of  the  brethren"  to  make 
a  breach  upon  us. 

4,  It  was  considerable,  that  nineteen  were  executed,  and  all  denied  the 
crime  to  the  death,  and  some  of  them  were  knowing  persons,  and  had 
before  this  been  accounted  blameless  livers.  And  it  is  not  to  be  imagin'd 
but  that,  if  all  had  been  guilty,  some  would  have  had  so  much  tenderness 
ai-  to  seek  mercy  for  their  souls,  in  the  way  of  confession  and  sorrow  for 
such  a  sin.  And  as  for  the  "condeinn'd  confessors"  at  the  bar  (they  being 
repriev'd)  we  had  no  experience  whether  they  would  stand  to  their  self- 
condemning  confessions  when  they  came  to  die. 

5,  When  this  prosecution  ceas'd,  the  Lord  so  "chain'd  up  Satan,"  that 
the  afllicted  grew  presently  well:  the  accused  are  generally  quiet;  and  for 
five  years  since,  we  have  no  such  molestation  by  them. 

0,  It  sways  much  with  mc,  which  I  have  since  heard  and  read,  of  the 
like  mistakes  in  other  places.  As  in  Suffolk  in  England,  about  the  year 
1045,  was  such  a  prosecution,  until  they  saw,  that  unless  they  put  a  stop, 
it  would  bring  all  into  blood  and  confusion.  The  like  hath  been  in  France, 
until  nine  hundred  were  put  to  death.  And  in  some  other  jilaces  the  like. 
So  that  New-England  is  not  the  only  place  circumvented  by  the  "wiles 
of  the  wicked  and  wily  serpent"  in  this  kind. 

Wicnts  de  Pivsti'jiis  Divniontnn,-^  p.  078,  relates  that  an  Inquisitor  in  the 

•  Closer  liivosligiilluii,  t  VVIer  uii  Iho  Truces  tif  Evil  Splrlta. 


i'.  y 


)M  I 


I    ■  ' 


i; 


W.' 


r-'hu 


M 


ill 


it 


478 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


Subalpine  Valleys  enquir'd  after  women  witches,  and  consum'd  above  a  hun- 
dred in  the  flanaes,  and  daily  made  new  offerings  to  Vulcan  of  those  that 
needed  liellehore  more  than  fire.  Until  the  countrey-people  rose,  and  by  force 
of  arms  hinder'd  him,  and  referr'd  the  matter  to  the  Bishop.  Their  husbands, 
men  of  good  faith,  affirmed,  that  in  that  very  time  they  said  of  them  that 
they  had  play'd  and  danc'd  under  a  tree,  they  were  in  bed  with  them. 

In  Chelmsford  in  Essex,  Anno  1645,  there  were  thirty  try'd  at  once 
before  Judge  Coniers,  and  fourteen  of  them  hang'd,  and  an  hundred  more 
detain'd  in  several  prisons  in  Suffolk  and  Essex. 

As  to  our  case  at  Salem,  I  conceive  it  proceeded  from  some  mistaken 
principles:  as  that  Satan  cannot  assume  the  shape  of  an  innocent  person, 
and  in  that  shape  do  mischief  to  the  bodies  and  estates  of  mankind ;  and 
that  the  devil,  when  he  doth  harm  to  persons  in  their  body  or  estate,  it  is 
(at  least,  most  commonly,  generally  and  frequently)  by  the  help  of  our 
neighbour,  some  witch  in  covenant  with  the  devil ;  and  that  when  the 
party  suspected  looks  on  the  parties  suppos'd  to  be  bewitch'd,  and  they 
are  thereupon  struck  down  into  a  fit,  as  if  struck  with  a  cudgel,  it  is  a 
proof  of  such  a  covenant.     Gum  muliis  aliis.* 

The  worthy  author,  from  whose  manuscript  I  have  transcrib'd  this  nar- 
rative, does  there  confute  these  mistaken  principles;  and  in  his  confuting 
of  one,  viz:  "That  if  the  party  suspected  appear  in  spectre  to  the  afflicted, 
and  the  afflicted  give  a  bio  .  with  knife,  sword,  &c.,  (or  some  other  on 
their  behalf)  and  the  spectre  seems  wounded  or  bleeding,  or  to  have  their 
garment  torn  by  the  blow  receiv'd;  and  the  party  spectrally  reproseritcd 
be  presently  searched,  and  there  is  found  upon  their  body  a  wound  or 
blood,  even  on  the  same  part  of  their  body,  or  a  rent  on  the  same  part  of 
the  garment  which  appeared  on  the  spectre  to  the  afflicted,  this  hath  been 
accounted  a  strong  evidence  to  prove  the  party  suspected  to  be  a  confede- 
rate with  Satan  in  afflicting  the  complaiuer;"  he  hath  divers  notable 
passages.     One  of  them  is  this: 

"The  person  or  g.irmeiit  so  represented  to  the  afflicted  by  the  spectre,  was  wounded,  or 
bleeding,  or  cut,  or  rent  before:  and  tlie  devil,  knowing  tliis,  represents  to  tlie  afflicted  tl)iit 
part  of  tlie  spectre  which  answers  to  llie  body  wounded,  or  garment  rent;  and  then  the 
searchers,  flnding  such  wounds  upon  or  rents  about  the  person  suspected,  are  ready  to  con- 
elude  it  was  done  by  the  stroke  at  the  spectre,  wliich  was  done  before.  There  was  at 
Chelmsford  an  afflicted  person,  that  in  her  tits  cried  out  against  a  woman,  a  neighbour,  wliich 
Mr.  Clark,  the  minister  of  the  gospel  there,  could  not  believe  to  be  guilty  of  such  a  crime. 
And  it  hapncd,  while  that  woman  milked  her  cow,  the  cow  struck  her  with  one  horn  upon 
the  forehead,  and  fetch'd  blood:  and  while  she  was  thus  bleeding,  a  spectre  in  her  likeness 
appeared  to  the  party  afflicted;  who,  pointing  at  the  spectre,  one  struck  at  the  place,  and 
the  afflicted  said, ' You  have  made  her  forcl.cr.J  bleed!'  Hereupon  some  went  unto  the 
woman,  and  found  her  forehead  bloody,  and  acquainted  Mr.  Clark  of  it;  who  forthwith  went 
to  the  woman,  and  ask'd,  'how  her  forehead  becanui  bloody'!'  and  she  answer'd,  'Ilya 
blow  of  the  cow's  horn,'  as  abovcsaid:  whereby  he  was  satisfy'd,  that  it  was  a  design  of 
Satim  to  render  an  innocent  person  suspected." 

*  Much  moro  I  oddod. 


An( 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 
Another  instance  was  a'  Cambridge  about  forty  years  since. 


479 


"There  was  a  man  much  tr*  •d  in  the  night  with  cats,  or  the  devil  in  their  likeness, 
haunting  of  him.  Whereupon  ae  kept  a  light  burning,  and  a*  sword  by  him  as  he  lay  in 
bed;  for  he  suspected  a  widow-woman  to  send  these  cats  or  imps,  by  witchcraft,  to  bewitch 
him.  And  one  night,  as  he  lay  in  bed,  a  cat,  or  imp,  came  within  his  reach,  and  he  struck 
her  on  the  bock:  and  upon  enquiry,  he  heard  this  widow  had  a  sore  buck.  This  confirmed 
his  suspicion  of  the  widow,  he  supposing  it  came  from  the  wound  he  gave  the  cat.  But 
Mr.  Day,  the  widow's  chirurgeon,  clear'd  the  matter;  saying,  this  widow  came  to  him,  and 
complain'd  of  a  sore  in  her  back,  and  desired  his  help,  and  he  found  it  to  be  a  boyi,  and 
ripen'd  and  heal'd  it,  as  he  us'd  to  do  other  boyls.  But  while  this  was  in  cure,  the  suppos'd 
cat  was  wounded,  as  is  already  rehears'd.  Again,  I  knew  a  woman  that  was  spectrally 
represented  unto  an  afflicted  maid,  who  complain'd  that  she  was  in  such  a  part  of  the  room; 
whereupon  one  struck  at  it  with  his  rapier  in  the  scabbard,  and  the  afflicted  said,  '  You  have 
rent  her  gown  in  such  a  place,  and  her  gown  is  green.'  Afterwards  this  woman  was  obsery'd, 
when  apprehended,  to  have  that  green  gown  on,  (which  doubtless  she  would  not  have  worn 
then,  if  she  had  known  any  thing  of  its  being  rent,  by  striking  at  her  spectre)  and  there 
was  found  a  rent  sow'd  up,  just  in  the  place  the  afflicted  had  said  it  was  torn  by  the  scab- 
bard in  the  same  manner.  I  afterwards  luk'd  this  woman  how  her  gown  came  so  torn :  she 
answer'd,  by  going  into  such  a  yard  about  a  year  before,  and  such  an  one  knew  it  to  be  so." 

The  author,  elsewhere  speaking  of  another  mistaken  principle,  takes  occa- 
sion to  mention  the  following  passage: 

"I  remember,  when  there  was  a  great  discourse  about  witches,  a  very  holy  man  heard  his 
v'ife  say  she  dcsir'd  a  sucking  pig;  and  he  going  to  a  neighbour's  house,  saw  a  sow  with  a 
litter  of  pigs,  and  took  a  fancy  to  one  of  them  in  particular  for  his  wife,  and  ask'd  the  owner 
lor  that  fig.  The  owner  denied  him:  hereupon  he  went  away  in  a  great  passion,  very 
unsuitable  to  such  a  person;  and  that  very  pig  left  its  dam  and  company,  and  followed  this 
man  to  his  home.  This  was  observed,  and  it  was  supposed  Satan  might  have  some  hand  in 
it;  taking  advantage  upon  the  passion  of  so  good  a  man,  to  render  him  suspected  by  such 
an  accident,  if  ho  could." 

Upon  the  whole,  the  author  spends  whole  chapters  to  prove  that  there 
yet  is  a  witch :  and  he  gives  this  definition  of  one,  viz :  a  person  "  that, 
having  the  free  use  of  reason,  doth  knowingly  and  willingly  seek  and 
obtain  of  the  devil,  or  any  other  god,  besides  the  true  God  Jehovah,  an 
ahility  to  do  or  know  strange  things,  or  things  which  he  cannot  by  his 
own  humane  abilities  arrive  unto.    This  person  is  a  witch." 

But  thus  much  for  that  manuscript. 


<)  ■!  ;  f 


, 


:  (!  ! 


Hi;:- 


M 


■\\ti 


480 


MAONALIA    GHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


li:     • 


AN  APPENDIX. 

A  TOXEN  FOR  THE  CHILDREN  OF  NEW-ENOLAND; 

o«. 
Stmt  ExtuitpU*  of  CkUdren  in  whom  the  Fear  of  God  umu  retMrkably  budding  before  they  Died, 

IN    SEVERAL    PARTS   OF   NEW-ENGLAND.  ' 

ntESERTU  AND  PTTBLISHED  FOR  THE  ENCOURAOEMENT  OF  FIETY   IN  OTHER  CHILDREN. 

If  the  children  of  New-England  should  not  with  an  early  piety  set 
themselves  to  know  and  serve  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  the  God  of  their 
fathers,  they  will  be  condemn'd,  not  only  by  the  example  of  pious  chil- 
dren in  other  parts  of  the  world,  the  publish'd  and  printed  accounts 
whereof  have  been  brought  over  hither,  but  there  have  been  exemplary 
children  in  the  midst  of  New-England  itself,  that  will  rise  up  against  them 
for  their  condemnation.  It  would  be  a  very  profitable  thing  to  our  chil- 
dren, and  highly  acceptable  to  all  the  Godly  parents  of  the  children,  if,  in 
imitation  of  the  excellent  Jano  way's  "  Token  for  Children"  there  were  made 
a  true  collection  of  notable  things,  exemplified  in  the  lives  and  deaths  of 
many  amongst  us  whose  childhood  have  been  signaliz'd  for  what  is  ver- 
tuous  and  laudable.  \ 

In  the  ^^  Cfiurch-IIistory  of  Kew-Engldnd"  there  will  be  found  the  lives 
of  many  eminent  persons,  among  whose  eminences  not  the  least  was  "tlieir 
fearing  of  the  Lord  from  their  youth,"  and  their  being  "loved  by  the 
Loixl  when  they  were  children." 

But  among  the  many  other  instances  of  a  childhood  and  youth  deliver'd 
from  vanity  by  serious  religion,  which  New-England  has  afforded,  these 
few  have  pai'ticularly  been  preserved: 

Example  I. — Little  more  than  thirteen  years  old  was  John  Clap,  of 
Seituato,  when  he  dy'd;  but  it  might  very  truly  be  said  of  him,  "that 
while  he  was  yet  young,  he  began  to  seek  after  the  God  of  his  flitlier." 
From  his  very  infancy  ho  disco ver'd  a  singular  deliglit  in  the  holy  Scrip- 
ture, whereby  he  was  made  wise  unto  salvation;  and  he  also  m.'ide  him- 
self yot  further  amiable  by  his  obedience  to  his  parents,  and  his  courtesio 
to  all  his  neighbours.  As  he  grew  up,  he  signali/.'d  his  concern  for  eter- 
nity, not  only  by  his  diligent  attendance  upon  both  public  and  private 
oatoehising,  but  also  by  the  like  attendance  on  the  ministry  of  the  Word, 
which  ho  would  ponder  and  apply,  and  confer  about  with  much  discretion 
of  soul,  and  pray  for  the  good  elfcct  thereof  upon  his  own  soul.  Yea, 
'twas  evon  \\\m\  his  childhood  observable  in  him,  that  ever  after  he  began 
to  speak  reasoiuibly,  ho  would  both  alfcctionately  regard  the  family  ))ray" 
ers,  and  likewise,  both  morning  and  evening,  with  a  most  unweary'd  con- 
stancy, recommend  himself  by  his  own  prayers  unto  the  mercies  of  God. 

Arriving  higher  in  his  ago,  he  waii  very  conscientious  of  his  duty,  both 


I'si 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


481 


to  God  and  man;  and  particularly  careful  of  his  father's  business,  whidi 
now  became  his  own  calling.  At  work  with  his  father  in  the  field,  he 
would  frequently  be  propounding  of  questions,  by  the  answers  whereof 
he  might  be  promoted  in  the  knowledge  of  God:  and  at  the  seasons  which 
others  usually  employ  to  vain  purposes,  he  would  be  abounding  in  the 
exercises  of  devotion.  But  of  all  the  imitable  things  to  be  seen  in  him, 
he  was  exemplary  for  nothing  more  than  his  endeavours  in  preparation 
for,  and  sanctijkation  of,  the  Lord's  day.  Yea,  his  parents  have  affirmed, 
that  for  a  year  or  two  before  he  dy'd,  "they  never  heard  an  unprofitable 
word  come  out  of  his  mouth;"  but  he  would  often  bewail  the  idle,  trifling, 
vain  discourses  of  other  people. 

About  a  year  and  a  half  before  he  died,  the  good  Spirit  of  God  bless'd 
him  with  yet  a  more  thorow  conviction  of  his  misery  by  reason  of  «"n, 
both  original  and  actual;  whence,  tho'  he  had  been  such  a  pattern  of 
innocency,  yet  he  would  aggravate  his  own  sinfulness  with  lamentations 
truly  extraordinary.  And  for  his  relief  against  the  terrors  of  God,  where- 
with he  was  now  distracted,  he  was  brought  unto  an  utter  despair  of  his 
own  righteousness  and  abilities;  but  in  this  condition  he  came  to  adore 
the  grace  of  God,  offering  a  Jesus  who  is  able  "to  save  unto  the  utter- 
most:" in  his  longings  to  enjoy  the  love  of  God  through  Jesus,  he  was  like 
the  "hart  panting  after  the  water  brooks!" 

The  wounds  of  his  spirit  were  accompanied  with  a  l^nguisliiny  and  con- 
suming of  his  flesh ;  yet  with  great  patience  he  endur'd  the  hand  of  God, 
and  he  follow'd  the  Lord  with  prayers,  with  cries,  with  tears,  for  the 
manifestation  of  the  divine  love  unto  him. 

It  was  also  observ'd  and  admir'd  that  when  he  was  abroad  at  the  pub- 
lick  worship  in  the  time  of  his  weakness,  he  would  stand  the  whole  time 
of  the  long  exercises,  and  be  so  affectionately  attentive,  that  one  might  see 
every  sentence  uttered  in  those  exercises  make  some  impression  upon  him. 
The  best  Christians  in  the  place  profess'd  themselves  made  asham'd  by 
the  fervency  of  this  young  discij)le.'  and  in  days  of  publick  humiliations,  or 
thanksgivings,  kept  with  regard  unto  the  general  circumstances  of  the 
countrey,  he  would  bear  his  part  with  such  a  sense  of  the  publick  troiihks 
or  mercies,  as  argu'd  more  than  a  common  measure  of  publick  spiiit  in  him. 

The  minister  of  the  place  visiting  of  him,  after  sickness  had  confin'd 
him,  found  him  in  an  extream  dejection  of  soul;  his  very  body  shook 
through  his  fear  lest  the  day  of  grace  were  over  with  him;  yet  justifying 
of  God,  though  he  should  be  forever  cast  among  the  damned.  But  yet  liis 
fears  were  accompany'd  with  hopes  in  the  all-sufficient  merits  of  the  blessed 
Jesus:  in  which  hopes  he  continued,  using  all  the  means  of  grace  accord- 
ing to  his  capacity,  and  lamenting  after  those  whereof  he  was  not  capable. 
A  month  before  he  dy'd,  he  kept  his  bed;  \\\g  first  fortnight  whereof  he 
was  very  comfortless,  and  yet  very  patient;  abounding  all  this  while  in 
gracious  admonitions  unto  other  young  people,  that  they  would  be  con- 
Vol,  n.— 81 


1 . ; '  ti,  1 


482 


MAGNALIA    GHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


i> 


cern'd  for  thei-  own  eternal  salvation.  And  you  should  not  now  have 
heard  him  complain  that  he  wanted  health  and  ease,  though  he  did  so;  but 
that  he  wanted  faitli,  and  peace,  and  Christ;  yet  expressing  a  profound 
submission  to  the  will  of  God.  But  in  the  last  fortnight  of  his  life,  this 
poor  child  of  God  had  his  weary  soul  more  comfortably  satiated  with  the 
promises  of  the  new  covenant.  God  fill'd  him  with  a  marvellous  assurance 
of  his  love,  and  so  seal'd  him  with  his  own  spirit,  that  he  rejoic'd  with  joy 
unspeakable  and  full  of  glory.  He  would  often  be  saying,  "  Whom  have 
I  in  heaven  but  thee?  and  there  is  none  on  earth  that  I  desire  besides 
thee:  my  flesh  and  my  heart  faileth,  but  God  is  the  strength  of  my  heart, 
and  my  portion  forever;"  and,  "I  know  that  my  Redeemer  lives,  and  that 
he  shall  stand  at  the  latter  day  upon  the  earth;"  and,  "If  I  live,  i  shall 
live  unto  the  Lord;  if  I  die,  I  shall  die  unto  the  Lord;  and  whether  I  live 
or  die,  I  am  the  Lord's;"  and,  "When  Christ,  who  is  my  life,  shall  appear, 
then  shall  I  also  appear  with  him  in  glory."  He  would  profess  that  hia 
communion  with  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  inexpressible,  and  the  specta- 
tors judg'd  his  consolations  to  be  as  great  as  could  be  born  in  a  mortal 
body.  Being  now  asked,  "  Whether  the  thoughts  of  dying  troubled  him 
or  not?"  he  reply'd,  "No;  deatt  has  no  terrour  to  me,  because  Christ  has 
taken  away  my  sin,  which  is  the  sting  of  death."  But  being  ask'd, 
"Whether  he  was  willing  to  live?"  he  answer'd,  "I  am  willing  to  submit 
unto  the  will  of  God ;  but  if  God  hath  appointed  me  to  life,  I  desire  I  may 
live  to  his  glory."  And  being  asked,  "Whether  God  had  put  out  of  doubt 
his  interest  in  a  dying,  risen  Jesus?"  he  return'd,  "Yes;  and  God  has  fully 
answer'd  my  desires :  I  am  now  going  to  a  thousand  times  better  world." 
He  told  his  mother,  "I  love  you  as  dearly  as  my  own  life;  yet  I  had  rather 
die,  and  be  with  Christ." 

He  continu'd  six  days  with  his  teeth  so  shut,  as  that  they  could  not  be 
open'd:  and  for  the  first  three  days  and  nights  he  took  no  sustenance; 
afterwards,  though  this  but  seldom,  he  suck'd  in  between  his  teeth  nothing 
but  a  little  cold  water;  in  which  time,  they  that  laid  their  ears  to  his  lips 
could  over  hear  him  continually  expressing  his  comfort  in  God.  But  just 
before  his  death,  his  teeth  were  open'd;  when  he  would  often  say,  "Oh! 
how  precious  is  the  blood  of  Christ  1  it  is  worth  more  than  a  thousand 
worlds!"  and  often  pray,  "Come,  Lord  Jesus,  come  quickly!"  and  at  last, 
he  gave  up  himself  to  God  in  those  words:  "Lord,  Jesus,  receive  my 
spirit!"  He  desired  his  mother  to  turn  his  face  unto  the  wall ;  whereupon 
she  said,  "John,  dost  thou  now  remember  Hezekiah's  turning  his  face  unto 
the  wall?"  he  said,  "Yes,  I  do  remember  it:"  and  as  she  turn'd  him  in  her 
arms,  he  so  quietly  breathed  his  soul  into  the  arms  of  his  blessed  Saviour. 

(Extracted  out  of  the  account  written  and  printed  by  Mr.  Witheral  and 
Mr.  Baker,  Ministers  of  Scituate;  and  prefao'd  by  Mr.  Urian  Oakes,  who 
takes  that  occasion  to  say  of  this  John  Clap,  "he  was  a  young  old  man, 
full  of  grace,  though  not  full  of  days.") 


OR,    THE   HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


483 


low  have 
i  so;  but 
profound 
life,  this 
with  the 
issurance 
with  joy 
lom  have 
besides 
ny  heart, 
and  that 
i.  shall 
ler  I  live 
appear, 
that  his 
e  specta- 
a  mortal 
)]ed  him 
hrist  has 

0  ask'd, 
3  submit 
■e  I  may 
of doubt 
:ias  fully 

world." 
d  rather 

not  be 
enance; 
nothing 
his  lips 
5ut just 
',  "Oh I 
ousand 
at  last, 
ve  my 
reupon 
!e  unto 

1  in  her 
iviour. 
'al  and 
s,  who 

'■  man. 


Example  n. — ^Mr.  Thomas  Thornton,  the  aged  and  faithful  pastor  of 
Yarmouth,  was  blessed  with  a  daughter,  nam'd  Priscilla,  which,  at  the 
age  of  eleven,  left  this  world,  having  first  given  demonstrations  of  an 
exemplary  piety. 

She  was  one  remarkably  grave,  devout,  serious;  very  inquisitive  about 
the  matters  of  eternity;  and  in  her  particular  calling  very  diligent.  She 
was  nevertheless  troubled  with  sore  temptations  and  exercises  about  the 
state  of  her  own  soul;  the  anguish  of  her  spirit,  about  her  "body  of  death/' 
causM  her  to  pour  out  many  tears  and  prayers;  and  she  press'd  that  some 
other  pious  children  of  her  acquaintance  might  with  her  keep  a  day  of 
humiliation  together,  "that"  (as  she  expressed  it)  "they  might  get  power 
against  their  sinful  natures."  But  it  pleased  God  at  length  to  bless  the 
words  of  her  godly  mother  for  the  quieting  of  her  mind.  It  was  her  singu- 
lar happiness  that  she  had  such  godly  parents;  but  it  was  her  opinion  and 
expression,  "We  trust  too  much  to  the  prayers  of  our  parents,  whereas  we 
should  pray  for  our  selves." 

At  last  she  fell  mortally  sick.  In  the  beginning  of  her  sickness,  she  was 
afraid  of  dying:  "For,"  said  she,"!  know  of  no  promise  to  encourage  me." 
She  could  not  but  own  that  she  had  in  some  measure  walked  with  God ; 
yet  she  complained  "that  she  had  not  found  God  meeting  her  in  her 
prayers,  and  making  her  heart  willing  to  be  at  his  dispose ;"  and  that  the 
pride  of  her  heart  now  lay  as  a  load  upon  it.  She  own'd  that  she  had 
many  thoughts  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  "it  grieved  her  that  she  had 
sinned  against  him,  who  had  done  and  dy'd  for  her." 

But  many  days  were  not  past  before  she  could  profess  her  self  willing 
to  die,  with  some  assurance  of  her  then  going  to  eternal  blessedness. 
Many  thanks  and  loves  did  she  now  render  to  one  of  her  superiours, 
declaring,  "'Twas  because  they  had  curb'd  her  and  restrained  her  from 
sinful  vanities:"  And  she  said,  "Were  I  now  to  choose  my  company,  it 
should  be  among  the  people  of  God;  I  see  plainly  that  they  are  the  only 
company."  She  was  not  without  her  conflicts  in  this  time,  wherein  one 
of  her  speeches  was,  "Damnation,  that  is  the  worst  thing  of  all,  but  Christ 
is,  of  all,  the  best:  I  find  it  so:  Christ  is  to  me  wisdom,  righteousness, 
sanctification  and  redemption."  She  told  her  father,  she  knew  she  was 
made  up  of  all  manner  of  sin;  but,  said  she,  "I  hope  God  has  humbled 
me,  and  pardon'd  me  in  the  merits  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  Unto  her 
affectionate  mother  she  said,  "Mother,  why  do  you  weep,  when  I  am  well 
in  my  soul?  Well,  will  you  mourn  when  I  am  so  full  of  joy?  I  pray 
rejoice  with  me." 

When  she  was  extreamly  spent,  she  said  unto  her  parent,  "0,  my  father  1 
I  have  been  much  troubled  by  Satan,  but  I  find  Christ  is  too  hard  for 
him,  and  sin,  and  all."  She  now  said,  "I  know  that  I  shall  die."  And 
being  ask'd  whether  she  were  afraid  of  def.th,  with  a  sweet  smile  she  replittl, 
"No,  not  I:  Christ  is  better  than  Hfel"    And  so  she  continu'd  in  a  most 


484 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


m 


joyful  frame,  till  she  died ;  a  little  before  which,  it  being  the  Lord's  du y, 
she  ask'd  what  time  of  the  day  'twas,  and  when  they  told  her  'twas  tlm  e 
of  the  clock,  she  replied,  "What?  is  the  Sabbath  almost  done?  well,  my 
eternal  Sabbath  is  going  to  begin,  wherein  I  shall  enjoy  all  felicity,  and 
sing  hallelujahB  to  all  eternity."  And  hereupon  she  quickly  fell  asleep 
in  the  Lord.  ,    ii . 

Example  III. — Mr.  Nathanael  Mather  dy'd  Oct.  17,  1688,  at  the  age 
of  nineteen,  an  instance  of  more  than  common  learning  and  vertue.  On 
his  grave-stone  at  Salem  there  are  these  words  deservedly  inscribed :  "The 
ashes  of  an  hard  student,  a  good  scholar,  and  a  great  Christian." 

He  was  one  who  used  an  extraordinary  diligence  to  obtain  skill  in  the 
several  arts  that  made  an  accomplish'd  scholar;  but  he  was  more  diligent 
in  his  endeavours  to  become  an  experienc'd  Christian. 

He  did  with  much  solemnity  enter  into  covenant  with  God,  when  he 
was  about  fourteen  years  old,  and  afterwards  he  renew'd  that  solemn  action 
in  such  a  form  as  this: 

"I  do  renounce  all  the  vanities  and  wretched  idols  and  evil  courses  of  the  world. 

"  I  do  choose,  and  will  ever  have  the  great  God  for  my  best  good,  my  last  end,  my  only 
Lord,  he  shall  be  the  only  one,  in  the  glorifying  and  enjoying  of  whom  shall  be  my  welfare, 
and  in  the  serving  of  whom  shall  be  my  work. 

"I  will  ever  be  rendering  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  my  proper  acknowledgments  as  unto 
my  priest,  my  prophet,  and  my  king;  and  the  physician  of  my  soul. 

"I  will  ever  be  studying  what  is  my  duty  in  these  things;  and  wherein  I  find  my  self  to 
f.ill  .sliort,  I  will  ever  count  it  my  grief  and  shame;  and  beUiUe  my  self  to  the  blood  of  the 
everlasting  covenant. 

"Now,  humbly  imploring  the  grace  of  the  Mediator  to  be  sufficient  for  me,  I  do,  as  a  fur- 
ther solemnity,  hereunto  subscribe  my  name  with  both  heart  and  hand." 

Having  done  this,  he  did  for  the  rest  of  his  life  walk  with  much  watch- 
fulness and  exactness. 

One  of  the  directories  which  he  drew  up  for  himself,  was  this: 

"0  that  I  might  lead  a  spiritual  life!  wherefore  let  me  regulate  my  life  by  the  word  of 
God  and  by  such  scriptures  as  these :  ' 

"1,  For  regulating  my  thoughts — Jor.  iv.  14;  Isa.  Ixv.  7:  Mai.  iii.  17;  Paal.  civ.  34;  Phil.  iv. 
8;  Prov.  xxiii.  26;  Deut.  xv.  9;  Eccles.  x.  20;  Prov.  xxiv.  9;  Mat.  ix.  4;  Zech.  vili.  17. 

"2,  For  regulating  my  affections — Col.  iii.  2.  5;  Gal  v.  24.  For  my  delight,  Psal.  i.  2; 
Psnl.  xxxvii.  6.  For  my  joy,  Phil.  iv.  4;  Psal.  xliii.  4.  Jly  desire,  Isa.  xxvi.  8,  9;  Ezek.  vii. 
16.  My  love.  Matt,  xxii,  37;  Psal.  cxix.  97.  My  iiatred,  Psal.  xcvii.  10.  My  fear,  Luke  xii. 
4,  5.    My  hope,  Psal.  xxxix.  7.    My  trust,  Psal,  Ixii.  8;  Isa.  xxvi.  4. 

"3,  For  regulating  my  speech — Eph.  iv.  29;  Col.  iv.  6;  Deut.  vi.  6,  7;  Psal.  cxix.  4G; 
Psaf.  Ixxi.  8.  24 ;  Prov.  xxxi.  26. 

"4,  For  regulating  my  icork—Tii.  iii.  8;  2  Tim.  ii.  12;  1  Tim.  v.  10;  Tit.  ii.  14;  Mat.  v 
47;  1  Tim.  vi.  8;  Rev.  iii.  2;  Rom  xiii.  12;  Acts  xxvi.  20." 

Another  of  his  directories  was  forra'd  in  an  Hymn : 


») 


OB,   THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


485 


1)    "LoKiiiWlHitiballlrotaniimto 
Him  Orom  Trhom  cU  my  merdM  flowT 
'    (I.)  To  me  to  live,  it  Christ  iball  be; 
For  all  I  do,  111  do  for  thoeb 

•^  (II.)  My  quetUon  shall  be  oft  beside, 
JHutB  tkoH  maytt  mo$t  ht  glorifjfd  7 
'    (III.)  I  willnotanycrROturelove; 
But  In  the  love  of  thee  above. 

••(IV.>  Thy  will  I  will  embrace  for  mine 
And  every  management  oi'  thino 
Shall  please  me.    (V.)  A  conformity 
To  thee,  shall  be  my  aim  and  eye. 


"  (VI.)  ByaeulaMons  shaU  aseend 
Not  seldom  from  me.    (VII.)  Ill  attend 
Occasional  reflections,  and 
Turn  all  to  gold  that  comes  to  hand. 

"(VIII.)  And  in  particular  among 
My  cares,  III  try  to  make  my  tongue 
A  tree  of  life,  by  speaking  all 
As  bo  accountable  who  ahall.     it..-j' 

"  (IX.)  But  last,  nay,  llrat  of  all,  I  win, 
Thy  son  my  surety  make,  and  still 
Implore  him  that  he  would  me  blesa 
With  strength  as  well  as  righteousness." 


He  would  also  keep  whole  days  of  prayer  and  praise,  by  himself:  and 
he  would  set  himself  to  consider  much  on  that  question,  '*  What  shall  I 
do  for  God?" — He  was  much  in  meditation,  and  often  wrote  the  chief  heads" 
of  his  meditation.    He  would  read  the  Scriptures  with  a  note,  and  a  wish 
fetched  out  of  every  verse.    And  at  night  he  would  ask-  - 

I.  What  has  God's  mercy  to  me  been  this  day? 

II.  What  htis  my  carriage  to  God  aeen  this  day? 

III.  If  I  die  this  night,  is  my  immortal  spirit  safe? 

Many  more  such  imitable  things  are  in  the  history  of  his  life  (divers 
times  printed  at  London)  reported  of  him. 

Example  IV. — Anne  Greenough,  the  daughter  of  Mr.  William  Gre'jn- 
ough,  left  the  world  when  she  was  but  about  five  years  old,  and  yet  gave 
astonishing  discoveries  of  a  regard  unto  God  and  Christ,  and  her  own  soul, 
before  she  went  away.  When  she  heard  any  thing  about  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  she  would  be  strangely  transported,  and  ravished  in  her  spirit  at 
it:  and  had  an  unspeakable  delight  in  catechising.  She  would  put  strange 
questions  about  eternal  things,  and  make  answers  her  self  that  were 
extreamly  pertinent.  Once  particularly  she  asked,  "Are  not  we  dead  in 
sin?"  and  presently  added,  "But  I  will  take  this  way:  the  Lord  Je«ii:s 
Christ  shall  make  me  alive."  She  was  very  frequ<  nt  and  constant  in  secret 
prayer,  and  could  not  with  any  patience  be  interrupted  in  it.  She  told 
her  gracious  mother,  "that  she  there  prayed  for  her!"  and  was  covetous  of 
being  with  her  mother,  when  she  imap'iii'd  such  duties  to  be  going  forward. 
When  she  fell  sick  at  last  of  a  consumption,  she  would  not  by  sports  be 
diverted  from  the  thoughts  of  death,  wherein  she  took  such  pleasure,  that 
she  did  not  care  to  hear  any  thing  else.  And  if  she  were  asked,  "  whether 
she  were  willing  to  die?"  she  would  still  cheerfully  reply,  "Ay,  by  all 
means,  that  I  may  go  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

Example  V. — At  Boston,  12  d.  3  m.,  1694,  there  died  one  Daniel  Wil- 
liams, in  the  eighteenth  year  of  his  age.  There  was  a  collection  made  of 
some  of  his  dying  speeches. 

Being  asked,  whether  he  loved  God,  he  replied,  "Yes,  I  love  him 


9i!l 


486 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


dearly;  for,  Lord,  whom  have  I  in  heaven  but  thee?"  He  said,  "God 
has  promis'd,  'they  that  seek  him  early  shall  find  him:'  ever  since  I  was  a 
child,  I  dedicated  myself  to  seek  and  serve  the  Lord.  Though  I  have  not 
had  so  much  time  as  some  others,  yet  that  little  time  which  I  had,  I  spent 
in  waiting  on  and  wrestling  with  God  by  prayer:  and  I  said,  'I  will  not 
let  thee  go,  till  thou  has  blest  me.' " 

Seeing  some  of  his  relations  weep,  he  said,  "  Why  do  you  cry,  when  I 
am  ready  to  sing  for  joy?"  They  saying,  they  knew  not  how  to  part 
with  him,  he  reply'd,  "Why?  are  you  not  willing  I  should  go  to  my 
heavenly  Father?  I  shall  quickly  be  with  my  heavenly  Father,  and  with 
his  holy  angels,  where  they  are  singing  of  hallelujahs.  It  is  better  being 
there  than  here.  When  I  am  there,  I  shan't  wish  my  self  here  in  this 
troublesome  world  again.  I  have  a  desire  to  depart  and  be  with  Christ, 
which  is  best  of  all." 

He  was  much  concerned  for  poor  perishing  sculs.  He  would  say,  "  Oh, 
that  I  had  but  strength  I  how  would  I  pray,  and  sigh,  and  cry  to  God  for 
the  poor  world  that  lives  in  sin  and  pride  1" 

He  expressed  himself  most  pathetically  to  his  relations,  when  he  took 
bis  leave  of  them.  At  last,  he  asked,  "  what  angel  that  was  that  he  saw 
before  him?  Well,"  said  he,  "I  shall  quickl7  be  with  him.  Come,  Lord 
Jesus,  come  quickly  1" 

A  friend  asking  him  how  he  did,  he  said,  "I  am  one  bound  for  heaven: 
I  would  not  have  you  pray  for  my  life ;  I  am  afraid  you  do." 

On  the  day  of  his  death,  being  full  of  pain,  he  said,  "Jesus  Christ  bore 
more  than  this,  and  he  died  for  me;  and  shall  I  be  afraid  to  die,  and  go 
to  him?  No,  I  am  not"  Then  said  he,  "O  death,  where  is  thy  sting  I  0 
grave,  where  is  thy  victory!" 


FINIS. 


,^] 


n 


aid,  "God 
ace  I  was  a 
I  have  not 
ad,  I  spent 
I  will  not 


ECCLESIARUM    PRiELIA; 

ITHE  BATTLES  OF  THE  CHURCHES,] 
OB,  A  BOOK  OF  THE  WARS  OF  THE  LORD. 

THE  SEVENTH  BOOK 


}'  > 


7,  when  I 
w  to  part 
go  to  my 
and  with 
itter  being 
ere  in  this 
ith  Christ, 

say,  "Oh, 
o  God  for 

n  he  took 
lat  he  saw 
)me,  Lord 

r  heaven : 


€P 


THE  NEW-ENGLISH  HISTORY: 


RELATING 


THE  AFFLICTIVE   DISTURBANCES 


WHICH 


THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND  HAVE  SUFFERED 


FROM  THEIR  VARIOUS   ADVERSARIES: 


hrist  bore 

ie,  and  go 

sting  I  0 


AND  THE  WONDERFUL  METHODS  AND  MERCIES 


WHEREBY  THE  CHURCHES  HAVE  BEEN  DELIVERED  OUT  OF  THEIR  DIFFICULTIES. 


COMPOSED  BT  COTTON  MATHER. 


A^njuam  Bella  piU,  nunquam  Certamina  d»tunt, 
[The  Chriatian  warfare  knows  uo  arraiBtice.] 

M'unquam  Majori  T^iumpho  Vicimut  gvamCum  Decern  Annorum  Stragt  Vinci  non  Potm'mHf.— Sutpio. 
[We  never  achieved  a  grander  triunipb,  than  that  of  holding  out  unconquered  agulnvt  marlyrdum  and 

nuusacre  fur  ten  yean.] 

Jfiterit  ineatium  Christi  Suhmcrgere  M'avim ;  Flucluat,  at  M'unquam  Mrrgitur  ilia  Ratii. 
[Vain  will  be  yuvir  endeavour  to  sinlc  the  Christian  bark :  it  may  be  tossed  upon  the  waves,  but  can  never  founder.] 


HARTFORD: 

SILAS    ANDEUS    &    SON 
1853. 


.it. 


THE  SEVENTH   BOOK. 


ECCLESIARUM   VRMUk* 

OH,  . 

THE  DISTURBANCES  GIVEN  TO  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND. 


THE   INTRODUCTION.  .... 

Ir  any  one  would  draw  the  picture  of  the  church,  (saiih  Luther,)  let  him  take  a  eilly  poot  maid, 
sitting  in  a  wilderness,  compassed  about  with  -hungry  lions,  wolves,  boars  and  bears,  and  all  manner 
of  cruel  and  hurtful  beasts ;  and  in  the  midst  of  many  furious  men  assaulting  her  every  moment :  for 
this  is  her  condition  in  the  world.     Behold  that  picture  of  the  church  exemplified  in  the  story  of 
New-England,  and  now  writ  under  it, "  having  obtained  help  from  God,  she  continues  to  this  day.'' 
But  before  I  have  done  kny  work,  I  should  remember,  without  having  Pliny  for  my  remembrorcer, 
ingenuum  est  ennfiteri  per  quos  profcceris.i    Indeed,  our  "  History  of  New-England"  is  as  little 
to  be  compareo  with  Sir  Walter  Rnwlcigh's  famous  "  History  of  the  World,"  as  New-England  it 
self  is  to  be  compared  with  the  whole  world.     Nevertheless,  the  incomparable  Colonel  Sydney 
assures  me,  he  was  so  well  assisted  in  his  "  History  of  the  IVorld,"  that  an  ordinary  man  with  the 
same  helps  might  have  performed  the  same  things.    Whereas  I  must  in  the  first  place  humbly 
complain  of  it,  that  I  believe  such  a  work  as  this  was  never  done  with  so  little  assistance  from  the 
communications  of  inquisitive  and  intelligent  friends.     Two  reverend  persons,  indued — namely,  Mr. 
John  Higginson  and  Mr.  William  Hubbard — have  assisted  me,  and  much  obliged  me  with  informa- 
tions for  many  parts  of  our  history  ;  and  I  hove  a  parent  also,  who  has  often,  to  full  satis&ction, 
answered  many  things  that  I  have  therein  had  occasion  to  be  asking  after.     Some  other  particular 
persons  have  sometimes  favoured  me  with  memorahle  passages,  which  they  knew  concerning  their 
own  relations ;  and  yet  I  know  that  many  will  ungratefully  complain  of  me  for  not  inserting  of 
things  which  they  never  sent  me,  though  they  had  an  early  advertisement  of  my  undertaking;  yea, 
the  absurd  and  brutish  treats  which  I  have  sometimes  had  from  the  relations  of  some  whose  lives 
and  names  I  have  heretofore,  unto  the  best  of  my  capacity,  eternized  in  composures  already  pub- 
lished, have  caused  me  to  know  that  there  are  base  people  descended  from  good  ones.    But  every 
undertaking  of  this  nature  being  expensive,  'tis  highly  reasonable  that  I  should  make  a  publick  and 
thonkful  mention  of  those  worthy  persons  who  have  generously  expressed  their  good  will  to  my 
endeavours,  by  bearing  some  of  the  expences  which  this  work  hath  called  for.     Our  honourable 
Lieutenant  Governour,  William  Stoughton,  Esq.,  the  worshipful  Samuel  Sewal,  Esq.,  the  worship- 
ful John  Foster,  Esq.,  the  worshipful  Adam  Winthrop,  Esq.,  and  my  good  friends,  Mr.  Robert 
Rronsdon  and  Mr.  Samuel  Lilly, arc  those  that  have  kindly  Mecenated  these  my  labours:  may  their 
names  be  found  written  in  the  Lamb's  book  of  life,  as  well  as  ours  ! 

After  all,  and  above  all,  I  must  not  incur  that  rebuke  Deus  hie  nihil  fecit!  X  1  do  on  the  bended 
knees  of  my  soul  give  thanks  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  thro*  whom  strengthening  of  me,  I  have 
done  all  that  I  have  done.  "  Bless  that  Lord,  O  my  soul,  and  all  that  is  within  me  bless  his  holy 
name!" 

•  Tho  battles  of  the  churches.  t  It  1"  the  part  of  magnanimity  to  own  by  whose  aid  we  have  proflted. 

%  Ilu8  God  accomplished  naught  uf  this  T 


•L^ 


^ 


490 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


MULE    NOCENDI   ARTES;" 

OR,  SOME  GENERAL  HEADS  OF  TEMPTATION, 

WITH  WHICH   THE   CHURCHES   OF   NEW-ENGLANU  HAVE   BEEN   EXERCISED. 

Habet  et  Eeclesia  Vies  Canicularea.f — Tert. 

§  1.  It  is  written  concerning  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  "that  he  was  led 
into  the  wilderness  to  be  tempted  of  the  devil ;"  and  the  people  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ,  "led  into  the  wilderness"  of  New-England,  have  not  only 
met  with  a  continual  temptation  of  the  devil  there — the  wilderness  having 
always  had  serpents  in  it — but  also  they  have  had,  in  almost  every  new 
lustre  of  years,  a  new  assault  of  extraordinary  temptation  upon  thorn;  a 
more  than  common  "hour  and  power  of  darkness."  Besides  the  general 
disturbances  which  were  given  unto  the  minds  of  men,  when  the  ecclesias- 
tical controversies,  which  called  for  synods  to  compose  them,  were  generally 
agitated,  there  have  been  successive  "days  of  temptation,"  relating  to  the 
posture  of  things  in  the  Commonwealth.  Sometimes  the  contestations 
about  the  negative,  have  made  us  too  nigh  the  denying  of  reason  to  one 
another:  sometimes  the  measures  of  compliance  with  demands  from  the 
other  side  of  the  ivater,  have  occasioned  some  Jire  of  contention  among 
us.  And  there  have  been  successively  many  "days  of  temptation,"  in 
this  and  that  particular  plantation  throughout  the  country:  one  while,  the 
rebuilding  and  removing  of  meeting  houses  has  unfitted  the  neighbours 
for  lifting  up  of  "pure  hands  without  wrath"  in  those  houses:  one  while, 
the  enclosing  of  commons  hath  made  neighbours  that  should  have  been 
like  sheep,  to  "bite  and  devour  one  another;"  and  one  while,  the  disposal 
of  little  matters  in  the  militia  has  made  people  almost  ready  to  fall  upon 
one  another  "with  force  of  arms."  It  is  to  be  added,  there  scarce  ever 
was  any  one  great  man  engaged  much  in  the  service  of  this  people,  but  the 
people  have  at  some  time  or  other  made  it  an  extraordinary  "day  of 
temptation"  for  that  man.  And  sometimes  little  pitpies  between  some 
leading  men  in  a  town,  have  misled  all  the  neighbours  far  and  near  into 
most  unaccountable  party-mnhing.  Reader,  every  clause  that  thou  hast 
hitherto  read  in  this  paragraph,  is  a  subject  upon  which  my  observant 
countrymen  can  give  themselves  an  ample  history;  antl  unto  their  own 
reflections  I  leave  it,  with  tiio  confessions  which  the  synods  in  the  primi- 
tive times  often  (and  I  think  ■      often)  nuide,  JWcaviniua  Omnes/ij^ 

§  2.  There  have  been  in  the  country,  on  the  one  side,  rigid  and  high  flown 
Presbyterians;  on  the  other  side,  separating  Morellian  and  Brownistical 
Independents;  and  not  only  have  both  of  these  had  such  a  "jealous  eye " 

*  A  thousoiid  b&norul  scbomes,  f  Gvuii  Ihu  church  has  Us  ilog^ayB,  %  Wo  huvo  all  ituiiotl. 


upot] 

the 

and 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


491 


11  pen  one  another,  as  has  produced  much  temptation  unto  both,  but  also 
the  true  Congregational  man,  asserting  the  authority  of  the  Presbytery, 
and  yet  wot  rejecting  the  liberty  of  the  fraternity,  maintaining  the  decisive 
jmcer  of  synods,  and  yet  leaving  to  particular  churches  the  management 
of  their  own  particular  affairs,  with  a  power  of  self-preservation  and  self- 
reformation;  these  have,  between  both,  met  with  such  things  as  have  had 
no  little  temptation  in  them.  One  of  our  magistrates — namely,  Major- 
General  Denison — has  written  an  irenicum*  relating  to  these  differences, 
which  has  a  good  spirit  breathing  in  it;  whereas  there  have  been  persons 
among  us  which  would  make  one  think  of  Dr.  Sibs's  memorable  words: 
"  When  blindness  and  boldness,  ignorance  and  arrogance,  weakness  and 
wilfulness,  met  together  in  one,  it  renders  men  odious  to  God,  burdensome 
in  society,  dangerous  in  their  counsels,  troublers  of  better  designs,  untracta- 
ble  and  uncapable  of  better  direction,  miserable  in  the  issue."  Between 
such  violent  persons  on  both  extreams,  the  truly  moderate  have  sometimes 
been  so  crusht,  that  they  have  thought  themselves,  with  Ignatius,  between 
the  teeth  which  would  have  ground  them,  to  be  made  Manchct  for  heaven: 
for  it  has  not  at  all  times  been  the  good  hap  of  all  men  to  believe,  with 
Ambrose  of  old,  Si  Virtutum  Finis  ille  sit  maximus,  qui  Plurimorum 
spectat  Profectam,  Moderatio  prope  Omnium  est  Pulchcrriina:\  Yea,  so  violent 
once  was  one  of  these  factions,  that  in  a  General  Court  of  a  Colony  they 
exhibited  a  certain  instrument,  wherein  the  ministers  of  the  churches 
indefinitely  were  charged  with  "a  declension  from  primitive  foundation- 
work  ;  innovation  in  doctrine  and  worship,  opinion  and  practice ;  invasion 
of  the  rights,  liberties,  and  privileges  of  churches;  usurpation  of  a  lordly 
Prelatical  power  over  God's  heritage,  and  the  like  things,  which  are  the 
leaven,  the  corrupting  gangreen,  the  infecting,  spreading  plague,  the  pro- 
voking images  of  jealousie  set  up  before  the  Lord,  the  accursed  thing 
Avhich  hath  provoked  divine  wrath,  and  further  threatens  destruction." 
Even  good  men  have  terribly  and  openly,  at  this  rate,  charged  one  another. 

Tanta  tie  Animis  CeeUitibua  Ir<B?t 

§  8.  If  the  mmisters  in  this  countrey,  from  the  very  beginning  of  it, 
might  have  their  complaints  heard,  they  would  complain  of  extream 
temptation  attending  them  in  the  business  of  their  maintenance.  The 
people  being,  as  one  of  the  ancients  expresses  it,  irpo?  ra.  duo.  (iixfoXoysfASvoi,§ 
have  many  times  been  content,  that  their  pastors  be  accounted  rather  the 
stars  than  the  lamps  of  the  churches,  provided,  like  the  stars,  tliey  would 
shine  without  the  supply  of  any  earthly  contributions  unto  them.  All  the 
provision  hitherto  made  for  the  maintenance  of  the  ministry,  has  been  this: 
That  while  many  ministers  chuse  to  leave  their  salaries  unto  the  voluntary 

•  Mi'ssBno  of  ponco. 

+  If  Hint  U  Iho  highest  nflnlnmcnt  among  nil  tho  vlrtuoi,  which  looks  to  the  giento«t  good  of  tho  Rrontcst  num- 
ber, llieii  inoilorutUin  In  nboiit  the  best  of  nil.        t  Con  such  rosentmonUi  dwell  In  heavenly  mlndit— Vmoii, 
t  ChnOiirlng  and  higgling  In  religious  oonoerni. 


i 


f 


■i  1 


1 1 . 


Jum 


492 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


contributions  of  the  people,  who  upon  the  first  day  of  the  week  make  their 
collections,  as  the  apostles  directed  the  primitive  churches  to  do;  there 
are  other  ministers,  who  (sensible  of  what  the  great  Voetiua  writes,  Ilomi- 
num  scepe  tanta  est  injiistitia,  fallada,  luhricitas,  pro/anitas,  ut  expediat  con- 
tractum  intercedere*)  make  their  contracts  with  the  people  at  their  first 
coming  among  them,  or,  perhaps,  from  year  to  year,  for  certain  stipends; 
and  though  the  stipends,  by  these  contracts  engaged,  are  usually  small 
enough,  yet  by  had  payments,  (which  are  in  the  countrey  known  by  the 
name  of  Synecdotrical  Pay,  being  a  certain  figure  in  our  avaritious  and 
sacrilegious  rhetoric,  by  which  their  passes,  pars  pro  toto,f )  they  are  usually 
made  much  smaller;  nevertheless,  if  any  should  go  to  take  the  remedy 
which  the  law  gives  him  for  the  recovery  of  his  arrearages,  he  would  find 
the  remedy  much  worse  than  the  disease,  and  by  using  the  law,  wound  all 
his  future  success  in  preaching  the  gosptel.  Rabbi  Tarphon,  (who  was 
probably  the  Tryphon  with  whom  Justin  Martyr  had  his  famous  disputa- 
tions,) was  called  t  "^oyn  man — "  the  wealthy  priestJ^  But  such  a  sight  has 
been  much  a  stranger  in  any  of  our  Christian  synagogues. 

The  national  synods,  in  the  French  churches,  were  often  put  upon 
renewing  of  declarations,  like  that  at  Poictiers: 

"The  consistories  of  the  respective  churches  shall  be  advised  that  for  the  time  to  come 
they  do  better  discharge  their  duty  towards  their  ministers,  by  succouring  tlicm  in  their 
necessities,  and  raising  maintenance  for  them  and  tlicir  families,  because  foreign  countries 
have  been  exceedingly  scandalized  at  the  neglect  and  ingi-atitude  of  divers  churches,  even 
in  this  particular." 

And  like  that  at  Paris: 

"A  minister,  complaining  of  his  church's  ingratitude,  the  provincial  synod  shall  take  cog- 
nizance  thereof,  weighing  diligently  the  poverty  of  the  church,  and  the  temporal  estate  of  the 
minister;  and  in  c•M^i  that  church  be  guilty  of  very  great  and  notorious  ingratitude,  the  synod 
shall  have  full  power  to  remove  him  for  his  better  aocomniodation  elsewhere;  and  all  the 
churches  shall  be  desired  to  shun  ingratitude  unto  their  ministers;  (a  sin  too  rife  among  us) 
and  to  fcike  special  care  that  they  be  more  respected,  and  thi'ir  labours  better  rewarded ;  not 
to  enrich  or  fatten  them,  but  to  give  them  a  becoming  and  a  sufticient  maintenance." 

And  like  that  at  ^[ontauban: 

"Forasmuch  as  the  ingratitude  of  divers  persons,  in  not  contributing  to  their  minister's 
subsistence,  is  more  notorious  than  ever,  and  that  this  crying  sin  threatens  the  churches  with 
a  total  dissipation;  after  mature  deliberation,  we  do  decree,  that  in  case  these  ungrateful 
wretches,  having  been  several  times  admonished  by  their  consistory,  do  persist  obstinately 
in  this  their  sin,  their  consistory  shall  deprive  them  of  conmiunion  with  the  churcii  in  the 
sacraments." 

Thecrimeof/m/rrt<iV»f/(p  unto  their  ministers  in  the  French  churches,  Ims 
been  too  frequent  in  the  New-Knglish;  but  with  this  (h'lTcrma',  ti)at  here  no 
synods  over  did,  as  tlicrc  the  synods  often  did,  with  just  corroctions  ani- 

♦  The  liijiindcp,  ll\o  (ll!ilmm'«t.v,  llic  (Iii|i1liilty,  (h«  Impirly  of  mm  Ih  iiflcullmt's  mi  Kri'iit,  llml  It  Is  I'xpi'iliiml  to 
loterpiiRo  furmul  ountracls  in  luilur  to  unrorcu  thtt  |)t'rroi'iiiiiiicu  of  lliuir  obll|;utluiiH.        f  A  pint  Tor  thu  wliolo. 


!i     H 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND 


493 


J  of  tlio 

!  synod 

iill  the 

oiig  us) 

od;  not 


lies,  liaa 

liere  no 

Liis  ani- 


madvert upon  it.  The  best  ministers  of  New-England  have  generally  been 
Calvinista,  in  respect  of  that  contempt  of  richea  which  the  great  Calvin 
expressed  when  he  wrote — 

"Clara  voce  pronunctavimus,  Episcopum  furem  esse,  qui  ex  opibus  Ecclesiasticis 
plus  in  Usum  suvm  convertit,  quam,  quod  neccsse  est  ad  Sobriamfrtigalemque,  vihim 
sustinendam:  Testati  sumus,  Ecclesiam  pcssimo  veneno  tentatam  esse,  dum  tanta 
opum  affluenlia  onerati  sunt  pastores,  quce  ipsos  postea  obrueret :  Consilium  dedimus 
iU  Ministris  tantum  crogaretur,  quantum  ad  frvgalitatcm  ordine  sua  dignam  suffi. 
ceret,  non  quod  ad  luxum  redundaret."* 

But  they  have  not  all  enjoyed  the  competent  and  moderate  subsistence, 
which  would  thus  have  well  contented  them ;  while  the  law  has  exempted 
them  from  taxes,  they  have  in  reality  been  taxed  above  any  one  rank  of 
men,  whatsoever;  nor  does  any  but  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  know  the  tempta- 
tion that  many  of  them  have  endured,  when  they  have  been  cheated  of  the 
dues  promised  unto  them,  and  when  a  lies  Augusta  Domv\  has  broken  their 
spirits,  and  hindred  their  studies,  and  ruined  the  liberal  education  of  their 
families.  Antigonus,  wondring  to  see  that  studious  philosopher  Cleanthes 
grinding  his  own  corn  at  the  mill,  Cleanthes  told  him,  "I  must  either  grind 
or  starve:"  Whereupon  Antigonus  noted  it  as  a  great  indignity,  that  the 
hands  whereby  excellent  things  had  been  written,  should  be  galled  with 
nicchanick  labours.  But  New-England  hath  often  caused  the  hands  which 
lapdzed  its  peojjle,  and  broke  the  "bread  of  life"  unto  them,  to  be  galled 
with  inferiour  labours  for  the  getting  of  bread;  they  must  either  p^o^^i  or 
starve.  The  people  have  usually  pretended  their  poverty  as  the  cause  of 
tlicir  thus  "withholding  more  than  is  meet;"  but  it  would  be  a  scrijMural, 
and  therefore  a  rational  conclusion,  if  they  should  conclude,  that  their  thus 
"withholding  more  than  is  meet,"  has  been  one  moral  cause  of  their  pov- 
erty. However,  there  has  been  the  wisdom  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
thus  ordering  his  ministers  to  preach  "under  the  Cro.«sI" 

§  4.  Sometimes  in  this  countrey  there  have  been  prodigious  and  aston- 
ishing scandals  given  by  the  extraordinary  miscarriages  of  some  that  have 
made  a  more  than  ordinary  j)?'o/c's.vw«  of  religion;  and  incredible  temjMtion 
has  hereby  been  laid  before  the  minds  of  multitudes.  The  wise  man  says, 
"A  righteous  man  falling  before  the  wicked,  is  as  a  troubled  fountain,  and 
a  corrupt  sjiring."  There  have  been  among  us  those  persons  who  have 
made  such  a  profession  of  righteousness,  that  much  notice  has  been  taken 
of  them,  and  others  have  been  reatly  to  think,  "Surely  Christianity  is  just 
such  a  thing  as  the  lives  of  these  men  do  represent  it."  Now,  i\\G  falls  of 
these  men  before  the  wicked  among  us,  have  been  "as  a  troubled  fountain 

*  Wii  liikvn  |iriH'lHiiiKHl  iiliitiil,  llml  thn  blnliop  who  CDnverts  more  of  tlio  rt.'aoiirces  of  Iho  church  to  liii  own 

•ii^c  Ihiiii  1110  m'ciwfliiry  for  iimodi'i'iili^  nnd  friiBnl  tijloof  llviiitt,  iHurolilK'r:  wo  huvc  borno  witness, that  thii  church 

it  li'iniitcd  with  n  poiiioiu'd  cup,  whcnuvor  tho  mlnistrra  nre  bo  ovcrhmdod  wllli  riclios  thiit  thi>y  nro  likely  to  be 

burled  In  llieni :  >vo  hiivo  ciKiiiDcllod,  thiit  thu  churcli  bo  required  to  riiriilsli  tho  inliiliitry  wilb  such  a  gubalvtouce 

only  ns  comports  witti  tlio  (VuKiillty  of  thoir  order,  not  wllli  luxurloiu  supcrnulttus. 

t  Stinted  supply  uf  (hu  uccessnrlus  uf  liro. 


ir 


:■!  rl 


'^# 


494 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


and  a  corrupt  spring;"  just  as  if  one  had  thrown  poison  into  a  well  that  all 
the  town  was  to  fetch  water  at  So  were  the  heathen  of  old  poisoned,  when 
they  said,  Christiani  sancte  vixissent  si  Christus  sancta  docuisset*  Alas,  ho w 
often  have  we  seen  this  lamentable  thing!  Satan,  who  is  often  the  execu- 
tioner of  the  "wrath  of  God"  upon  a  sinful  world,  hath  desired  leave  to 
single  out  some  high  professors  of  religion,  and  push  them  on  to  some 
scandalous  enormities;  he  hath  desired  leave  to  do  the  part  of  a  devil,  it 
may  be,  on  some  one  man,  that  he  might  poison  all  the  town  by  the  Jialls 
of  that  man.  The  dreadful  justice  of  God,  who  "gives  none  account  ot" 
his  matters,"  has  permitted  the  experiment;  and,  lol  upon  the  experiment, 
some  strict^  and,  it  may  be,  some  old  professor  that  had  been  formerly 
troublesome  to  all  the  sinners  in  the  neighbourhood;  he  has  not  only 
proved  a  covetous,  and  a  self-seeking  sort  of  a  person,  in  his  whole  conduct 
of  himself;  but  some  unclean  devil,  or  some  drinking  devil,  or  some  cheat- 
ing devil,  or  some  lying  devil,  has  drawn  him  to  do  monstrous  things,  and 
he  hath  played  the  devil  horribly  1  Such  doleful  instances  hereof  there 
have  been  among  us,  as  would  poison  a  whole  neighborhood — ^yea,  a  whole 
colony — with  Atheism,  if  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  not  an  Almighty  arm 
to  secure  his  own  religion.  "Wo"  hath  been  to  hundreds  of  souls  among 
us  for  the  "oftences"  that  have  thus  been  given!  The  scandalous  fall  of 
David  is  by  as  transcendant  a  mystery  of  divine  sovereignty  recorded,  as  it 
was  ordered.  Some  of  the  Pagans  in  the  primitive  times  would  not  bo 
Christians,  because  David  was  one  of  our  greatest  saints,  though  he  did 
such  damnable  things;  and  many  of  the  Christians  would  sin  as  damnably 
as  the  Pagans,  pleading.  Si  David,  cur  non  etegof — "Why  mayn't  I,  as  well 
as  David?"  I  believe  there  are  a  million  of  men  in  hell  whose  damnation 
was  occasioned  by  the  fall  of  David,  though  David  himself  be  gone  to 
heaven  aft«r  all:  But  perhaps  in  his  fall,  and  not  in  his  rise  again,  David 
has  been  sometimes  too  much  followed  by  some  eminent  professors  of 
religion  in  this  land;  and  the  laud  has  been  filled  with  temptation  by  so 
venomous  a  mischief. 

Quia  talia  fando 

Temperet  a  lachrymiaTi 

Such  as  these  have  all  along  been  the  more  comprehensive  temjHations 
that  have  exorcised  the  churches  of  New-England.  But  we  will  proceed 
uuto  an  history  of  troubles  more  particular. 

*  ChiiitiniM  would  liavo  lotl  liuly  lires,  it  Christ  had  (auglit  holincw. 

t  At  !>uoh  a  vUiry,  Ihniigh  it  be  his  own, 
Who  cau  rvfrtUii  from  Wan !— Vinoa. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


495 


II  TTIB    FOXES; 

OR,  THE  SPIRIT  OP  RIGID  SEPARATION  IN  ONE  REMARKABLE  ZEALOT, 

VEXING  THE  CHURCHES  OF   NEW-ENBLAND ;   AND  THE  SPIRIT  OF  OIDDT  FAMILISM  IN  ANOTHER  J 

AND  SOME  LESSER  CONTROVERSIES   ARISIN8  ABOUT  THE  CROSS   IN  THE   BANNER, 

AND  ABOUT   SWEARINO  ON  THE  GOSFELS. 

Hie  tt  aperit  Diaholua!* 

§  1.  It  is  remarkable,  that  in  the  sacred  annals  of  that  matchless  and 
blessed  church-history,  which  our  God  has  given  us  in  our  Bible,  there  is 
a  special  iftmrk  often  set  upon  i\\Q  first  persons  that  were  eminent  in  this 
or  that  way  of  sinning,  and  were  upon  that  score,  "the  chief  of  sinners:" 
and  they  who  have  observed  this  remarkable,  have  particularly  marked  the 
infamous  Corah,  the  first  rebel  against  the  divine  church-order  established 
in  the  wilderness,  as  one  instance  to  confirm  the  observation.  There  are 
some,  not  thoughtless  persons,  who,  in  numerating  the  troublesome  and 
scandalous  things  that  have  disturbed  us  in  our  New-English  wilderness, 
have  complained  of  a  crime,  which  they  have  distinguished  by  the  name 
of  CoRAHiSM ;  or  that  litigious  and  levelling  spirit,  with  which  the  separa- 
tion has  been  leavened.  Now,  tho'  I  would  chuse  rather  to  leave  a  veil 
than  a  scar  upon  the  memory  of  any  person,  that  by  his  miscarriage  hath 
made  himself  too  memorable;  yet  our  church-history  will  be  but  an  unfin- 
ished piece,  if  we  do  not  set  a  mark  upon  that  man  who  was  one  oi  the  first 
that  made  themselves  notable  by  their  opposition  to  the  church-order  of 
these  plantations;  and  this  we  may  the  more  freely  do,  because  of  an 
injunction  upon  us,  "to  mark  them  that  cause  divisions." 

§  2.  In  the  year  1654,  a  certain  Windmill  in  the  Low  Countries,  whirl- 
ing round  with  extraordinary  violence,  by  reason  of  a  violent  storm  then 
blowing;  the  stone  at  length  by  its  rax)id  motion  became  so  intensely  hot, 
as  to  fire  the  mill,  from  whence  the  flames,  being  dispersed  by  the  high 
winds,  did  set  a  whole  town  on  fire.  But  I  can  tell  my  reader  that,  about 
twenty  years  before  this,  there  was  a  whole  country  in  America  like  to  be 
set  on  fire  by  the  rajnd  motion  of  a  windmill,  in  the  head  of  one  particular 
man.  Know,  then,  that  about  the  year  1630,  arrived  hero  one  Mr,  Roger 
Williams;  who  being  a  preacher  that  had  less  light  than  fire  in  him,  hath 
by  his  own  sad  example,  preached  unto  us  the  danger  of  that  evil  which 
the  apostle  mentions  in  Rom.  x.  2:  "They  have  a  zeal,  but  not  according 
to  knowledge."  Upon  his  arrival,  the  church  of  Salem  invited  him  to 
assist  Mr.  Skelton  in  the  charge  of  their  souls ;  but  the  governour  and 
council,  fearing  least  not  only  that  church  would  soon  come  to  have  nothing 

*  lleru  the  devil  ihowi  blmaelf. 


i 

Vgm 

H 

,\!n 

f 

L-'i' 

i'   I 
!   I' 


\\'': 


'V 


1    ;ii 


496 


MAGNALIA    CIIBISTI    AMERICANA; 


of  Salem  in  it,  but  also  that  the  whole  political,  as  well  as  ecclesiastical  con- 
stitution of  the  country,  would  suffer  by  employing  a  minister  of  his 
character,  did  advise  them  to  desist  from  "laying  hands  too  suddenly  upon 
him."  And  that  which  increased  in  them  the  suspicion  of  his  ill  character, 
was  partly,  indeed,  his  refusing  to  communicate  with  the  church  of  Boston, 
because  they  would  not  make  a  publick  and  solemn  declaration  of  repent- 
ance for  their  communicating  with  the  church  of  England,  while  they 
were  in  the  realm  of  England;  (which  the  New-English  reformers  thought 
then  would  be  to  carry  the  matter  as  far  beyond  their  sense,  as  the  vulgar 
translation  hath  done  to  the  text  in  Luke  xv.  8,  where,  instead  of  evcrrii 
domum — "(she  swept  the  house" — -it  reads,  evertit  domum,  or  "she  ovemd 
it:)"  but  partly  his  violent  urging,  that  the  civil  magistrate  might  not 
punish  breaches  of  the  first  table  in  the  laws  of  the  ten  commandments : 
which  assertion,  besides  the  door  which  it  opened  unto  a  thousand  profan- 
ities, by  not  being  duly  limited,  it  utterly  took  away  from  the  authority 
all  capacity  to  prevent  the  land,  which  they  had  purchased  on  purpose  for 
their  own  recess  from  such  things;  its  becoming  such  a  "sink  of  abomina- 
tions," as  would  have  been  the  reproach  and  ruin  of  Christianity  in  these 
parts  of  the  world.  The  church  taking  the  advice  of  their  fathers  in  the 
State,  on  this  occasion,  Mr.  Williams  removed  unto  Plymouth,  where  he 
was  accepted  as  a  preacher  for  the  two  years  ensuing. 

§  3.  But  at  Plymouth  his  turbulent  and  singular  opinions  not  finding 
the  entertainment  which  he  expected,  he  desired  a  dismission  back  to  Salem 
from  them;  and  they,  perceiving  the  giddy  courses  of  separation,  whereto 
he  would  abandon  himself,  and  whereby  he  might  endanger  them,  wisely 
humour'd  what  he  desir'd.  Coming  to  Salem,  i'^  the  time  of  Mr,  Skelton's 
illness,  the  church,  affected  with  the  jierceness  of  his  talking  in  publick, 
and  the  starchtness  of  his  living  in  private,  so  far  forgot  themselves,  as  to 
renew  their  invitations  unto  him  to  become  their  pastor;  and  tho'  the 
government  again  renewed  their  advice  unto  the  people  to  forbear  a  thing 
of  such  ill  consequence,  yet  they  rashly  pursued  their  motion,  and  he 
quickly  accepted  it.  It  happened  lluvt  soon  after  this,  the  chuich  made 
suit  unto  the  court  for  a  parcel  of  land,  which  lay  commodious  for  their 
affairs;  but  the  court,  offended  at  the  slight  lately  put  upon  them,  delay'd 
their  grant  of  what  the  church  petitioned  for;  whereupon,  incensed  Mr. 
Williams  enchants  the  church  to  join  with  him  in  writing  letters  of  adrnon- 
ition  unto  all  the  churches  whereof  any  of  the  magistrates  were  member?, 
that  they  might  admonish  the  magistrates  of  "scandalous  injustice"  for 
denying  this  petition.  The  neighbouring  churches,  both  by  petitions  and 
messengers,  took  such  happy  pains  with  the  church  of  Salem,  as  presently 
recovered  that  holy  flock  to  a  sense  of  his  aberrations;  which  Mr.  Wil- 
liams perceiving,  though  he  had  a  little  before  bragg'd,  "that  of  all  llic 
churches  in  the  world,  those  of  New-England  were  the  purest;  and  of  all 
in  New-England,  that  whereof  himself  was  the  teacher;"  yet  he  now,  stay- 


stical  con- 
er  of  his 
jnly  upon 
character, 
)f  Boston, 
of  repent- 
hile  they 
•s  thought 
he  vulgar 

of  everrit 
ihe  overmt 
night  not 
Lndinents : 
id  profan- 

authority 
urpose  for 

abornina- 
y  in  these 
\ers  in  the 

where  he 

lOt  finding 

c  to  Salem 

!,  whereto 

m,  wisely 

Skel  ton's 

1  publick, 

Ives,  as  to 

I  tho'  the 

ar  a  thing 

n,  and  he 

irch  made 

5  for  their 

n,  del  ay 'd 

ensed  Mr. 

of  achnori- 

member.", 

-istiee"  for 

itions  ami 

presently 

Mr.  Wii- 

of  all  the 

and  of  all 

now,  stay- 


I 


QU,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


497 


iiig  at  home,  sent  unto  the  church  of  Salem,  then  assembled,  a  letter,  to 
give  tliem  notice,  "that  if  they  would  not  separate,  as  well  from  the 
oil u relies  of  A1'j<;-England  as  of  ofc?,  he  would  separate  from  them."  Ilis 
more  considerate  church  not  yielding  to  these  lewd  proposals,  he  never 
would  come  to  their  assemblies  any  more;  no,  nor  hold  any  communion  iu 
any  exercise  of  religion  with  any  person,  so  much  as  his  own  wife,  that  went 
up  unto  their  assemblies;  but  at  the  same  time  he  kept  a  meeting  in  his 
own  house,  whereto  resorted  such  as  he  had  infected  with  his  extravagancies. 

%  4.  These  things  were,  indeed,  very  disturbant  and  offensive ;  but  there 
were  two  other  things  in  his  (juixotism,  that  made  it  no  longer  convenient 
for  the  civil  authority  to  remain  unconcerned  about  him.  For,  first, 
whereas  the  king  of  England  had  granted  a  royal  charter  unto  the  "gov- 
crnour  and  company"  of  this  colony;  which  patent  was  indeed  the  very 
life  of  the  colony;  this  hot-headed  man  publickly  and  furiously  preached 
against  the  patent,  as  an  "instrument  of  injustice,"  and  pressed  both  rulers 
and  people  to  be  humbled  for  their  sin  in  taking  such  a  patent,  and  utterly 
throw  it  up;  on  an  insignificant  pretence  of  lorong  thereby  done  unto  the 
Indians,  which  were  the  natives  of  the  country,  therein  given  to  the  sub- 
jects of  the  English  crown.  Secondly,  an  order  of  the  court,  upon  some 
just  occasion  had  been  made,  that  an  "oath  of  fidelity  "  should  be,  though 
not  imposed  upon,  yet  offered  unto  the  freemen,  the  better  to  distinguish  those 
whose  fidelity  might  render  them  capable  of  imployment  in  the  govern- 
ment: which  order  this  man  vehemently  withstood,  on  a  pernicious  pretence 
that  it  was  the  prerogative  of  our  Lord  Christ  alone  to  have  his  office  estab- 
lished with  an  oath;  and  that  an  oath  being  the  worship  of  God,  carnal  per- 
sons, whereof  ho  supposed  there  were  many  in  the  land,  might  not  be  put 
upon  it.    These  crimes  at  last  procured  a  sentence  of  banishment  upon  him. 

§  5.  The  court,  about  a  year  before  they  proceeded  unto  the  banishment 
of  this  inceudiari/,  sent  for  the  pastors  of  the  neighbouring  churches,  to 
intimate  unto  them  their  design  of  thus  proceeding  against  him;  which 
yet  they  were  loth  to  do,  before  they  had  advised  the  elder's  of  it,  because 
he  was  himself  an  elder.  Mr.  Cotton,  with  the  consent  of  the  other  min- 
isters, presented  a  request  unto  the  magistrates,  that  they  would  please  to 
forbear  i)roseeuting  of  him,  till  they  themselves,  with  their  churches,  had 
in  a  church-icai/  endeavonred  his  conviction  and  repentance;  lor  they 
alledged,  that  they  hoped  his  violences  proceeded  rather  from  a  misguided 
conscience,  than  from  a  seditious  principle.  The  governour  foretold  unto 
them,  "You  are  deceived  in  the  man,  if  you  think  he  will  condescend  to 
loam  of  any  of  you ;"  however,  the  proposal  of  the  ministers  was  approved 
!iud  allo.ved.  But  several  of  the  churches  having  taken  the  best  pains 
lliey  could,  tho'  they  happily  brought  the  church  of  Salem  to  join  with 
them  in  dealing  with  the  man,  yet  the  effect  was,  that  he  renounced  them 
all,  as  no  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Whereupon  the  court  ordered 
his  removal  out  of  tho  jurisdiction. 
Vol.  IL— 32 


Mi 


'1 .  i '  jp' 


ill: 


498 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMERICANA; 


§  6.  One  passage  that  happened  at  his  trial  was  a  little  odd.  He  com- 
plained in  open  court,  that  he  was  wronged  by  a  slanderous  report,  as  if 
he  "held  it  unlawful  for  a  father  to  call  upon  his  child  to  eat  his  meat." 

Mr.  Hooker,  then  present,  being  moved  hereupon  to  speak  something, 
replied,  "Why?  You  will  say  as  much  again,  if  you  stand  to  your  ovmi 
principles,  or  be  driven  to  say  nothing  at  all."  Mr.  Williams  expressing 
his  confidence  that  he  should  never  say  it,  Mr.  Hooker  proceeded:  "ir  it 
be  unlawful  to  call  an  unregenerate  person  to  pray,  since  it  is  an  action 
of  God's  worship,  then  it  is  unlawful  for  your  unregenerate  child  to  prsiy 
for  a  blessing  upon  his  own  meat.  If  it  be  unlawful  for  him  to  pray  lur 
a  blessing  upon  his  meat,  it  is  unlawful  for  him  to  eat  it;  for  it  is  sancti- 
fied by  prayer,  and  without  prayer,  unsanctified:  [1  Tim.  iv.  4,  6.]  If  it 
be  unlawful  for  him  to  eat  it,  it  is  unlawful  for  yon  to  cull  upon  him  lo 
eat  it;  for  it  is  unlawful  for  you  to  call  upon  him  to  sin."  Hereupon  Mr. 
Williams  chose  to  hold  his  peace,  rather  than  make  any  answer:  such 
the  giddiness,  the  confusion,  the  antocatacritic  of  that  sectarian  spirit.  I 
have  read  of  a  gentleman  who  had  an  humour  of  making  singular  ami 
fanciful  expositions  of  Scripture:  but  one  Doctor  Sim  gave  him  a  dose  of 
physick,  which,  when  it  had  wrought,  the  gentleman  became  orthodox  im- 
mediately, and  expounded  at  the  old  rate  no  more.  Pity  this  Dr.  Sim 
had  but  undertaken  the  cure  of  our  Mr.  Williams. 

§  7.  Upon  the  sentence  of  the  court,  Mr.  Williams  with  his  party  going 
abroad  (as  one  says)  to  "seek  their  providences,"  removed  into  the  south- 
ern parts  of  New-Engh  nd,  where  he,  with  a  few  of  his  own  sect,  settled  a 
place  called  Providence.  There  they  proceeded  not  only  unto  the  gather- 
ing of  a  thing  like  a  church,  but  unto  the  renouncing  of  their  infant-bap- 
tism; and  at  this  further  step  of  separation  they  stopped  not,  but  Mr. 
Williams  quickly  told  them,  "  that  being  himself  misled,  he  had  led  them 
likewise  out  of  the  way ;"  he  was  now  satisfied  that  there  was  none  upon 
earth  that  could  administer  baptism,  and  so  that  their  last  baptism,  as  well 
as  their  yjrsi,  was  a  nullity,  for  the  want  of  a  called  administration;  he  advised 
them  therefore  Xo  forego  all,  to  dislilx  every  thing,  and  wait  for  the  coming 
of  new  apostles:  whereupon  they  dissolved  themselves,  and  became  that 
sort  of  sect  which  we  term  Seekers,  keeping  to  that  one  principle,  "that 
every  one  should  have  the  liberty  to  worship  God  according  to  the  light 
of  his  own  conscience;"  but  owning  of  no  true  churches  or  ordinances  now 
in  the  word.  It  is  a  iKiemorable  reflection  made  on  this  occasion  by  Mr. 
Cotton,  in  a  book  which  he  published  for  his  own  vindication  from  the 
printed  calumnies  of  Mr.  Williams : 

"It  is  a  wise  proverb,"  siiitli  he,  "of  a  wiser  than  Solomon :  the  '  bnclcslider  in  heart  [from 
any  truth  or  way  of  God]  sliall  bo  filled  with  his  own  ways.'  They  that  separate  from 
their  brethren  further  than  they  hsxvejusl  cause,  shall  at  length  find  eausc,  or  at  least  tiiiiik 
they  have  found  cause  just  enough  to  separate  from  one  another.  I  never  yet  heard  of 
any  instance  to  tiio  contrary,  either  in  England  or  Holland;  and  for  New-England,  tlicre 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


499 


is  no  suL-h  church  of  the  separation  at  ali  thut  I  linow  of.  That  separate  church,  (if  it  may 
bu  called  n  church)  which  8ep:ir)itcd  with  Mr.  Williams,  first  broke  into  a  division  about  a 
small  occiision  (as  I  hiivo  heard)  and  then  broke  forth  into  Anabaptism,  and  then  into  ^•^l\^ 
baptism  and  fumilisrn,  and  now  finally  into  no  church  at  all." 

§  8.  Mr.  Williams,  after  this,  was  very  instrumental  in  obtaining  a 
cluxrter  for  the  government  of  Rhode-Island,  which  lay  near  and  with  his 
town  of  Providence,  and  was  by  the  people  sometimes  chosen  governour: 
but  for  the  most  part  he  led  a  more  private  life. 

It  was  more  than  forty  years  after  his  exile  that  he  lived  here,  and  in 
many  things  acquitted  himself  so  laudably,  that  many  judicious  persons 
judged  him  to  hiive  had  the  "root  of  the  matter"  in  him,  during  the  long 
winter  of  this  retirement:  He  used  many  commendable  endeavours  to 
Christianize  the  Indians  in  his  neighbourhood,  of  whose  language,  tempers 
and  manners  he  printed  a  little  relation  with  observations,  wherein  he 
spiritualizes  the  curiosities  with  two  and  thirty  chapters,  whereof  he  enter- 
tains his  reader.  There  was  always  a  good  correspondence  always  held 
between  him  and  many  worthy  and  pious  people  in  the  colony,  from 
whence  he  had  been  banish'd,  tho'  his  keeping  still  so  many  of  his  dan- 
gerous principles  kept  the  government,  unto  who.se  favour  some  of  the 
English  nobility  had  by  letters  recommended  him,  from  taking  off  the 
sentence  of  his  banishment.  And  against  the  Quakers  he  afterwards 
maintained  the  main  principles  of  the  Protestant  religion  with  much  vig- 
our in  some  disputations;  whereof  he  afterwards  published  a  large  account, 
in  a  book  against  George  Fox  and  Edward  Burrowes,  which  he  entituled, 
*'  George  Fox  digged  out  of  his  burrow^" "  But  having  reported  thus  much 
concerning  Mr.  Williams,  we  shall  now  supersede  further  mention  of  him, 
with  the  mention  of  another  difference,  which  h.ippened  in  our  "primitive 
times,"  wherein  he  was  (indeed  but  obliquely  and  remotely)  concerned. 

I  9.  It  was  about  the  year  1633  that  one  in  some  authority,  under  the 
hcai  of  some  impressions  from  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Williams,  did  by  his 
own  authority  cut  the  red-cross  out  of  the  king's  colours,  to  testifie  a  zeal 
against  the  continuance  or  appearance  of  a  superstition.  This  hot  action 
met  with  a  ivarm  censure;  and  besides  the  mischiefs  hereby  occasioned 
among  the  trained  soldiers,  whereof  some  were  loth  to  follow  the  colours 
which  had  the  cross,  least  they  should  put  honour  upon  a  Popish  idol; 
others  were  loth  to  follow  the  colours  which  had  not  the  cross,  lest  they 
should  seem  to  cast  off  their  allegiance  to  the  crown  of  England;  the  busi- 
ness fell  under  agitation  in  the  General  Court. 

The  freemen  of  the  colony  sliow'd  their  displeasure  at  the  gentleman 
chiefly  concerned  in  this  business,  by  discarding  him  from  his  place  in  the 
government;  and  a  committee  of  those  freemen,  chosen  by  both  magis- 
trates and  people,  judged  him  to  be  guilty  of  a  great  offence,  and  worthy 
of  admonition,  and  so  to  be  one  year  disabled  for  bearing  any  publick 
office.     An  harder  sentence  was  not  passed,  because  real  tenderness  and 


I', 


t!,l| 


'    L 


U 


500 


MAOXALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


jierswasion  of  coiiscience,  and  not  any  ill-affected  mind,  was  the  real  original 
of  his  offence:  but  so  hard  a  sentence  was  passed,  as  a  signification  of  th(; 
desire  which  was  rooted  in  the  heart  of  the  country,  to  approve  themselves 
in  all  points  thorough  Englishmen  and  good  subjects.  Now,  though  the 
action  of  defacing  the  colours  was  generally  disapproved,  yet  the  rite  of 
the  "cross  in  the  banner  "  became  on  this  occasion  a  matter  of  controversie, 
wherein  many  pious  and  able  men  were  differently  perswaded^  and  some 
of  our  chief  worthies  maintained  their  different  perswasions  with  weapons 
indeed  no  more  dangerous  than  easie  pens,  and  effects  no  worse  than  a  little 
harmless  and  learned  ink-shed,  it  will  not  be  a  thing  unuseful  or  unpleasant  ' 
unto  a  curious  reader  to  have  a  brief  display  of  that  controversie. 

§  10.  On  the  one  side,  they  that  pleaded  against  the  use  of  "the  cross 
in  the  banner,"  argued  after  this  manner.  The  question  is  not,  whether 
a  private  man  may  not  march  after  his  colours,  which  have  the  cross  in 
them?  for  the  Christian  legions  never  scrupled  following  the  Labarum*  of 
the  Roman  emperor,  which  was  an  idolatrous  ensign.  Yea,  the  Jews 
themselves,  that  made  such  earnest  suit,  first  unto  Pilate,  and  then  nntu 
Petronius,  to  have  such  an  idolatrous  ensign  removed  from  the  vmUs  of 
their  temple,  yet  without  any  scruple  followed  it  into  the  field.  JMor  is  it 
the  question,  whether  the  cross  may  be  used  in  our  colours,  as  a  charm  tt 
protect  us  from  enemies,  to  defend  us  from  disasters,  to  procure  victories 
unto  us.  The  faith  which  the  Roman  Catholicks  have  in  it,  mentioned  by 
Hoveden  in  the  reign  of  Henry  II.,  when  England,  France  and  Flanders 
distinguished  themselves  by  their  .varieties  of  it,  ever  since  retained,  is 
abominable  to  all  real  Protestants.  But  the  question  is,  vhether  the  cross, 
as  representing  the  cross  of  Christ,  erected  as  a  badge  of  Chris*^^ianity,  and  a 
sign  of  distinction  between  Christians  and  Infidels,  may  by  any  prince  or 
state  be  now  in  their  banners  reserved  and  employed?  This,  they  approved 
not,  and  that  for  these  reasons:  First,  That  which  God  hath  commanded 
utterly  to  be  destroyed,  should  not  be  retained  for  the  important  uses  of  men ; 
but  God  has  commanded  the  "cross  in  the  banner"  to  be  destroyed.  This 
may  be  thus  proved:  images  of  idols  are  commanded  utterly  to  be  destroyed: 
but  the  cross  in  the  banner  is  the  image  of  an  idol,  and  the  greatest  idol  in 
the  church  of  Rome.  Tiie  text  in  Deuteronomy,  where  this  is  commanded, 
will  affect  Christians  as  well  as  Jews;  fov  i\\Q  moral  reason  of  \\\q  command 
still  continues.  If  it  be  objected,  that  then  the  temjiles  of  idols  were  to  be 
destroyed,  it  may  be  answered,  Theodosius  made  a  laio  that  they  should 
be  so.  However,  w'e  may  distinguish  between  temples  dedicated  unto 
idols,  and  such  temples  as  were  dedicated  unto  God  with  creatures.  The 
Papists,  with  "Aquinas,  deny  their  temples  to  have  been  dedicated  unt>> 
saints;  but  affirm  them  dedicated  unto  the  honour  and  service  of  God,  foi' 
his  blessings  communicated  by  tlic  saints,  whose  names  are  used  on  this 
occasion.    These  temples  being  purged  from  their  "superstitious  designa- 

•  Iinpi'riul  standard. 


tions 
the 


— jr 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


501 


al  original 
ion  of  tljc 
hemselvcs 
lough  the 
he  rile  of 
itroversie, 
and  some 
h  weapons 
lan  a  little 
inpleasant  * 

the  cross 
,  whether 
cross  ill 
nrum*  of 
the  Jevs 
hen  (into 

v\^]]s  of 

!Nor  is  it 
charni  tt 

victories 
tioned  by 
Flanders 
tained,  is 
the  cross, 
ity,  and  a 
mucQ  or 
ipproved 
amanded 

of  men ; 
d.  This 
istroyed  : 
St  idol  in 
manded, 
ommand 
sre  to  be 
f  should 
ed  unto 
55.  The 
ed  unto 
Grod,  foi' 

on  this 
desigtiu- 


tions,"  may  be  still  used  for  our  Christian  assemblies,  as  our  Saviour  used 
ilie  Jewish  water-pots  to  turn  the  water  into  toine,  tho'  they  were  "super- 
("titious  purifications"  for  which  they  were  placed  there.    Again,  there  is 
no  civil  honour  to  be  given  unto  the  image  of  an  idol;  the  second  com- 
mandment forbids  all  sort  of  honour,  not  only  sacred,  but  civil  also,  to  such 
an  image;  yea,  and  elsewhere,  all  mention  of  it  with  honour  is  prohibited. 
But  now  to  advance  the  cross  into  the  banner,  is  to  put  a  civil  and  no  little 
honour  upon  it:  it  is  the  cross  in  the  ensign,  which  does  now  insignire, 
and  render  it  insign ;  and  it  was  the  intention  of  Constantine  to  honour 
the  cross,  when  he  interdicted  all  executions  of  malefactors  upon  it,  but 
improved  it  for  his  banner.    Further,  if  the  ^ure  of  the  altar  in  Damascus 
might  not  be  used  as  a  badge  of  the  religion  and  profession  of  the  Israel- 
ites, then  the  figure  of  the  cross  may  not  be  used  as  a  badge  of  the  religion 
and  profession  of  the  Protestants.    For  there  is  a  like  proportion;  the 
Papists  regard  the  cross  as  the  altar  whereon  our  Lord  was  offered :  Now, 
such  a  figure  of  an  altar  was  unlawful  to  the  people  of  God.    Once  more, 
that  which  was  execrable  to  our  Lord,  the  sign  of  it  should  not  be  honoura- 
ble to  us.     But  so  was  the  cross  of  our  Lord;  it  made  his  death  accursed; 
nor  was  it  a  pure  instrument  of  raeer  martyrdom  unto  him.    Moreover, 
if  the  partaking  of  idolothytes  in  the  places  where  the  idols  are  worshipped, 
express  a  communion  with  idols  and  idolaters,  then  the  setting  up  of  the 
cross  in  the  places  where  idolaters  do  worship  it,  namely,  in  the  banner, 
is  an  expression  of  communion  in  their  idolatry.     'Tis  true,  such  meats, 
when  sold  in  the  shambles,  might  be  eaten  without  scruple  of  conscience; 
but  besides  this,  that  it  was  only  a  common  place  where  these  might  be 
eaten;  whereas  the  "cross  in  the  banner"  is  in  the  temple,  where  the 
apocalyptic  Gentiles  do  adore  it;  you  may  add,  they  were  creatures  of  God, 
whereas  the  "cross  in  the  banner"  is  only  an  humane  contrivance.    If  it 
had  been  lawful  for  a  man  to  have  bought  the  silver-shrines  of  Diana,  and 
have  caused  them  to  be  worn  for  the  cognisance  of  his  family  or  his  attend- 
ants; the  cross  might  perhaps  have  been  lawfully  used  in  the  banner  for 
a  cognisance.     Finally,  if  the  first  use  of  thp  "cross  in  the  banner,"  by 
Constantine,  were  superstitious,  then  "  the  first  fruits  being  unclean,  the 
whole  lump  of  the  following  use  is  also  unclean."    But  now,  Eusebius 
will  tell  you,  "that  this  saving  sign  the  emperor  used  as  a  protection 
against  all  warlike  and  hostile  powers."    And  Sozomen  will  tell  you, 
that  the  emperor  changed  the  image  in  the  Roman  Labarum  for  the  sign 
of  the  cross,  and  so  the  soldiers,  who  were  accustomed  to  worship  tho 
heathen  imperial  ensign,  by  the  continual  sight  and  worship  of  tiie  cross, 
might  be  weaned  from  their  country-rites,  and  brought  on  to  worship  that 
God  alone  whose  sign  it  was."     These  were  the  chief  of  the  considerations 
then  urged  against  the  cross  by  the  faithfiU  that  were  themselves  in  a 
wilderness,  now  preaching  and  suffering  under  the  cross.     That  they  thus 
argued,  was  not  because  they  were  those  whom  the  apostle  calls  "enemies 


H.I 


*  if 


•'f!'. 


Ni 


m 


m 


m 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


iiiito  the  cross  of  our  Lord;"  they  knew,  they  felt,  they  consented,  l1)nt, 
Omm's  Chrtstianus  est  Orucianus — "every  Christian  must  be  a  cross- 
bearer."  Our  king  Edward  I.  was  the  comliest  of  men,  tho'  commonly 
called  crook-hack,  by  a  mistake  of  the  name  crouch-hack,  [that  is,  cross-hade] 
which  name  he  has  worn,  because  of  his  wearing  a  cross  on  his  back. 
Our  good  old  planters  had  the  cross  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  laid  upon 
their  back,  by  the  manifold  afflictions  which  they  underwent  for  his  truths 
and  ways;  but  mankind  will  be  mistaken,  if  they  imagine  those  blessed 
soldiers,  under  the  banners  of  the  Lord  Redeemer,  to  have  been  of  u 
"defective  stature"  in  Christianity,  because  of  their  not  affecting  to  mako 
the  cross  in  their  banners  the  mark  of  that  Christianity.  It  is  Catholiekly 
— that  is,  ndicidously — enough  given  as  the  answer  to  the  second  question 
in  the  catechism,  wherein  the  French  new -converts  are  instructed;  the 
question,  "Whereby  shall  one  know  a  true  Christian?"  the  answer,  A  ce 
qvUlfait  leSigne  de  la  Croix;  that  is,  "By  this,  that  he  makes  the  sign  of 
the  cross."  Our  New-Englanders  were  good  Christians,  but  yet  were  loth 
to  give  the  cross  for  the  sign  of  their  being  so ;  they  chose  a  heiter  sign  of 
it,  by  being  themselves  crucified  unto  the  vanities  of  the  world ;  that  which 
made  the  cross  disagreeable  to  them,  was  its  being  the  great  idol  of  Popery, 
which  is  but  revived  Paganism.  As  the  primitive  Christians,  when  the 
Pagans  charged  them  with  the  veneration  of  the  cross,  answered,  Cruces 
nee  Colimus,  nee  Optamus;*  this  might  a  Minutius  on  the  behalf  of  our 
New-English  Christians  have  given  for  their  answer  also:  If  Tertulliau 
reckoned  it  a  scandal  raised  upon  the  primitive  Christians,  that  they  were, 
Crucis  Beligiosijf  you  see  the  New-English  Christians  took  an  effectual 
course,  that  they  might  not  on  that  part  be  scandalized. 

§  11.  On  the  other  side,  they  that  pleaded  for  the  use  of  "the  cross  in 
the  banner,"  argued  after  this  fashion:  To  state  the  question,  we  must 
know  that  it  is  necessary  that  there  should  be  a  hanner  displayed :  and  a 
banner  with  a  cross  in  it,  serves  the  end  of  a  banner  as  much  as  any  other. 
Had  the  cross  never  been  superstitiously  ahused,  the  civil  use  of  that  figure 
could  not  be  questioned;  but  the  superstitious  abuse  is  a  thing  that  is 
added  unto  the  civil  use,  and  accordingly  the  superstitious  abuse  may  again 
be  removed  from  it;  otherwise  what  a  desolation  oi  hells  must  be  produced 
by  a  just  reformation  of  superstitions?  Wherefore,  if  the  present  author- 
ity does  neither  appoint  nor  declare  any  superstition  in  the  observation  of 
any  civil  usage,  the  superstition  of  that  usage  is  at  an  end.  Thus,  tho'  it 
be  notoriously  known  that  many  persons  in  authority  have  their  super- 
stitious conceits  about  churches,  yet,  inasmuch  as  there  is  no  injunction  of 
authority  upon  private  persons  tb  approve  any  such  conceits,  'tis  no  super 
stition  in  such  persons  to  use  those  churches  unto  unlawful  purposes.  The 
question  then  is,  whether  the  "civil  use"  of  the  "cross  in  the  banner" 
may  not  be  separated  from  the  "superstitious  abuse"  of  it?    It  seems  that 

*  Crucifixes  we  neither  wurship  nor  want.  t  Cross-worsblppers. 


it,  may;    f"H 
,-,/.,/.s,  may  in| 
iiiiiy  be  in  lil 
<,t  Apollo  ani 
j.ltlio'  it  had! 
n.iiiios  at  firsl 
to  be  now  vj 
his  idol  Bel,  I 
without  any  I 
jt  avs!>,  as  ar 
to  employ  a  I 
in  tlie  hanne\ 
I  am  relatir 
making  an 
niake  such  i 
as  first  use 
follows  not, 
for  if  it  now 
Besides,  Coi 
into  his  coin 
day,  would 
unhappy,  if 
that  were  si 
t\ie  market; 

as  any  of  tl 
be  like  the 
chamber  oi 
beholders  > 
and  evil,  w1 
settlement 

a  loar  app' 

tlie  mattet 

this  resuV 

where  it 

generally 

§12.1 

— in  the 

raised  by 

to  the  ex 

his  assist 

re  accuse 

Know 

•  All  ui 
umltir  nil  cit 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


603 


if  nia}';  fnr— first,  If  vames  that  have  been  abused  for  the  honour  of 
iihis,  may  in  a  civil  way  be  still  used,  then  things  that  have  been  so  abused, 
iiiiiy  be  in  like  manner  used  for  a  civil  distinction.  But  we  find  the  names 
(if  Apollo  and  Phoebe,  and  the  like,  used  in  the  "Apostolical  salutations," 
;t!tIio'  it  had  been  a  less  difficulty  for  those  persons  to  have  changed  the 
iiiiuios  at  first  sinfully  impos'd  on  them,  than  for  "the  cross  in  the  banner" 
to  be  now  wholly  laid  aside.  If  any  heathen  king  put  an  honour  upon 
his  idol  Bel,  by  saying,  "0  Belteshazzarl"  the  Spirit  of  God  may  speak  it 
w  ithout  any  honour  tc  that  idol  at  all.  Again,  it  is  one  thing  to  describe 
a  r/o.<f.<r,  as  an  artificial  -hing,  by  way  oi civil  signification,  and  another  thing 
to  employ  a  cross^  .as  a  oocramental  thing,  by  way  of  sacred  obsei'vation ;  and 
ill  the  banner,  'tis  the  former,  not  the  latter  way,  that  it  is  considered ;  when 
I  am  relating  how  a  Papist  crosses  himself,  I  may  lawfully  express  it  by 
making  an  aerial  cross  like  his;  whereas  it  would  not  be  lawful  for  me  to 
make  such  a  cross  upon  the  same  ends  with  him.  And,  what  if  the  cross, 
ns  first  used  by  Constantine,  had  in  it  somewhat  unwarrnn table?  It 
follows  not,  that  the  following  use  of  it  is  of  the  same  lump  with  the  first; 
for  if  it  now  be  used  upon  another  design,  the  uncleanness  is  taken  away. 
Besides,  Constantine  brought  the  cross  with  as  much  unwarrantableness 
into  his  coins,  as  into  his  colours;  but  it  is  believed  that  most  men,  at  this 
day,  would  count  themselves  very  sorely  crossed,  and  their  purses  very 
xinhappy,  if  there  were  none  of  those  crosses  in  them.  To  proceed :  Meats 
that  were  sacrificed  unto  idols  might  be  eaten,  when  sold  and  bought  in 
the  market ;  now  a  cross,  as  an  effect  of  art,  is  a  creature  of  God's,  as  well 
as  any  of  the  meats  bred  and  cooked  by  men.  And  what  if  the  banner 
be  like  the  temple  to  the  idol?  One  might  have  eaten  the  idolothytcs  in  a 
chamber  or  corner  of  an  idol  temple,  if  there  had  been  any  such,  where 
beholders  would  not  have  b»  en  scandalized.  Such  were  the  colours  of  good 
and  evil,  which  were  put  upon  the  use  of  the  cross  in  the  colours,  at  the  first 
settlement  of  the  militia  in  these  plantations.  But  there  was  rDthinglike 
a  ivar  appearing  in  the  disputations  of  the  good  men,  that  thus  flourished 
the  matter  on  both  sides.  All  the  velitations  were  peaceably  furled  up  in 
this  result:  that  the  cross  was  kept  in  the  banners  of  castles  and  vessels, 
where  it  was  necessary;  and  in  the  banners  of  the  trained  bands  it  was 
generally  omitted,  until  it  was  very  lately  introduced. 

§  12.  It  will  be  now  not  impro2)er — I  am  sure  it  will  not  be  unchristian 
— in  the  same  chapter  which  reports  the  disturbances  of  New-England, 
raised  by  Mr.  Williams,  to  relate  some  further  disturbances  of  the  country, 
to  the  extinguishing  whereof  Mr.  Williams  very  commendably  contributed 
his  assistances:  For  I  freely  acknowledge,  with  Tully,  Est  iniqua  in  omni 
re  accusanda,  proitermissis  bovis,  malorum  enumeratio,  vitiorumque  sehctio* 

Know,  then,  that  in  the  year  1636  arrived  at  Boston  one  Samuel  Gorton, 

•  All  unfair  Bummlng  up  and  getting  forth  of  evils  and  vices,  to  the  exclusion  of  what  Is  good,  is  reprehensible 
UMdur  nil  circumstances.— Cicero,  dt  Legibus,  \\l.  10. 


>' 


J 


r 


«  'I 


b  \i 


501 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


who  by  one  of  the  best  pens  in  those  times  is  described  as  "a  most  pro- 
digious Minter  of  exhorbi.ant  novelties,  and  the  very  dregs  o(  familism." 
This  Gorton  continued  at  Boston  till  some  directions  were  sent  hither  to 
demand  from  him  considerable  sums  of  money,  which  he  had  borrowed  at 
London;  and  then  he  removed  out  of  the  Massachuset-Coiony.  Coming 
to  Plymouth,  he  began  to  spread  his  blasphemous  and  enormous  opinions; 
but  being  upon  some  civil  controversie  with  a  neighbour  brought  before  the 
court,  he  behaved  himself  so  mutinously,  seditiously  and  outrageously, 
that  he  wab  fined  and  sent  out  of  that  colony.  From  thence  he  went  into 
Rhode-Island,  where  he  affronted  what  little  government  they  had  with 
such  intolerable  insolences,  that  he  was  there  whipped  and  sent  out  oi"  (hat 
colony.  The  Knight  Errant  then  made  his  progress  over  to  Providence, 
with  a  misled  knot  of  sfjuires,  where  the  humanity  of  Mr.  AVilliatns  to 
them  in  that  winter-season  was  requited,  sjia/iv-fashion,  with  such  cruel 
stings  as  made  the  inhabitants  implore  aid  from  the  Massachuset-Bay. 
These  wicked  Gortonians  began  to  seize  the  lands  of  certain  Indians, 
which  had  submitted  themselves  unto  the  protection  of  the  King  of  Eng- 
land, and  sow  such  discords  among  the  English,  as  threatened  all  manner 
of  bloody  confusion.  Wherefore  the  authority  of  the  Massachuset-Bay, 
being  addressed  by  the  distressed  people,  sent  their  agents  to  adjust  the 
difterences  which  had  happened,  and  prevent  the  ruin  of  the  King's  inter- 
ests, not  merely  in  that  "fog-end  of  the  world,"  but  in  all  these  plantations. 
In  the  mean  time,  this  crew  of  miscreants  not  only  kept  blowing  up  a 
flame  of  war  between  the  English  and  the  Indians,  but  also  sent  unto  the 
English  in  the  Bay  one  libel  upon  the  back  of  another,  stulT'd  with  scores 
of  such  envenomed  rqjroach's  against  the  rulers  and  churches,  denials  of 
all  order,  and  blasphemies  against  every  sacred  thing,  that  the  ^[assachu- 
set-Colony  could  not  in  this  cxtroniitv  do  God  and  the  King  better  service, 
than  by  "going  out  of  their  lino,"  (if  it  were  a  i/oimj  out  of  it,  for  to  send 
thus  nnto  the  help  of  our  confederates,  under  whose  iirahr  Jurisdirlion 
those  wretches  were  so  obstreperous,  and  U[)on  whose  earnest  apptiralion 
it  was  undertaken)  to  lay  hold  on  these  malefactors  as  the  "enemies  of 
mankind."  Accordingly,  being  by  a  band  of  men  brought  unto  Boston, 
whither  Mr.  Williams  and  his  fellow-planters  had  referred  their  cause, 
against  a  knot  of  i)iecndiaries  that  had  expressly  declared,  "All  courts  wliat- 
soever  to  be  idols,  and  the  devices  of  Satan,  and  all  pretended  oflicers  and 
lieutenants  of  Christ  to  be  destroyers  of  the  Holy  One  of  Israel."  ^I'lie 
court  proceeded  unto  an  examination  of  their  misdemeanours.  About 
six  of  the  chief  ringleaders  received  sentence  to  be  kept  at  work,  in  so 
many  several  towns,  during  the  pleasure  of  the  court;  and  they  were  also 
rer(uire<l,  on  a  very  severe  penalty,  to  utter  none  of  their  pi-ofane  heresieSy 
except  in  conference  with  ministers,  or  such  as  might  be  allowed  thereupon 
to  coiifi'r  with  them;  thus  they  were  eonlimd  ior  one  winter,  and  then 
banished.     It  were  endless  to  reckon  up  the  frenzies  of  this  exhorbitant 


Ig- 


up  a 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


505 


and  extravagant  generation;  but  they  held,  "that  Christ  was  but  a  shadow 
and  figure  of  wliat  is  done  in  every  Christian;"  they  held,  "that  Christ 
was  inearnate  in  Adam,  and  was  that  image  of  God  wherein  Adam  was 
created;"  they  held,  "that  our  Lord's  being  born  afterwards  of  the  Virgin, 
and  suflbring,  was  but  a  manifestation  of  his  sulfering  in  Adam ;"  they  said, 
"that  man's  losing  of  God's  image  was  the  death  of  Christ;"  they  said, 
"that  faith  and  Christ  is  all  one;"  Sermons  they  called  "lies,  tales  and 
iiilsehoods ;"  Churches,  their  name  for  them  was,   "devised  platforms;" 
Baptism,  they  called,  "vanity  and  abomination;"  the  Lord's  Supper,  they 
called,  "An  abomination  and  a  spell;"  and  they  called  ministers,  "magi- 
cians."    Now,  tho'  the  ministers,  whom  they  so  called,  used  all  due  pains 
to  charm  these  adders  with  convincing  disputations,  when  they  were  in  the 
Bay,  and  indeed  often  drove  them  to  a  hay  with  argument,  yet  they  would 
obstinately  maintain  their  unmaintainable  tenets.     By  the  same  token, 
that  unto  that  nonsensical  assertion  of  Gorton,  "that  the  death  of  Christ 
was  the  death  of  God's  image  in  the  fall  of  Adam;"  it  being  reply'd  by 
Mr.  Cotton,  "that  the  death  of  Christ  was  the  price  of  our  redem})tion; 
whereas  the  fall  of  Adam  was  not  the  price  of  our  redemption,  but  the 
cause  of  our  condemnation;"  the  man  by  silence  thereupon,  loudhj  pro- 
claimed himself  confounded,  and  yet  he  would  not  revoke  or  disclaim  his 
heretical  nonsense.     Gorton  lived  many  years  after  this;  degenerated  into 
such  a  heast  that  jwofcssedli/^  as  well  as  practically  he  declared,  "that  there 
is  no  happiness  to  be  expected  but  in  this  life;"  and  he  would  advise  his 
followers,  "to  make  much  of  themselves,  because  they  must  have  no  more 
than  what  they  should  enjoy  in  the  world."    But  it  pleased  God  thus 
mercifully  to  deliver  this  his  New-English  people  from  the  troubles  with 
which  these  pestilences  did  endanger  them. 

§  13.  Reader,  be  content  that  the  same  chapter  which  has  related  the 
controversies  that  have  sometimes  disturbed  the  churches  of  New-England 
about  matters,  the  lawfulness  whereof  has  been  scrupled,  shauld  leap  over 
half  an  hundred  years  to  grasp  at  another  of  those  controversies,  which, 
as  late  as  the  year  1688,  was  an  occasion  of  some  further  disturbance; 
The  ojjlnity,  rather  than  the  chronology  of  the  thing  inviting  us,  in  this 
place  to  lodge  the  history  of  that  controversie. 

When  the  charter  of  New-England  were  taken  awa}',  tho  govcrnour, 
who  with  a  treasonable  and  an  arbitrary  commission  then  tyrannized  over 
the  colonies,  at  length  drove  the  New-Knglanders  to  imitate  tho  whole 
English  nation,  in  an  happy  revolution,  on  the  eighteenth  of  April,  1689. 
And  in  the  declaration,  which  they  published  at  and  for  this  revolution, 
one  article  was  this: 


'•\ 


i:,;' 


'iM, 


'':ri 


I. 


It! 


"To  plunge  the  poor  ppoplo  evory  wlicro  into  deeper  ini'iipMcities,  there  wns  one  very 
eompii'ht'nsive  abuse  yivetjito  \is:  multitudes  of  pious  nnd  solier  men  thro' the  land  xeruplcd 
till'  mode  of  mwearmg  on  the  book,  desuinj,'  that  they  mij^ht  swear  with  un  viiliflnl  hand, 
iigri'Li.hle  to  the  ancient  custom  of  the  eolonyj  und  tiio'  we  think  we  can  prove  that  tho 


1.  '  . 


506 


MATrNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


annmon  law  iimongst  ua  (jia  well  as  in  some  other  places  under  the  English  Crown)  docf 
not  only  indulge,  but  even  command  and  enjoin  the  rite  of  lifting  the  hand  in  swearing,  yet 
tliey  that  had  this  doubt  were  still  put  by  from  serving  upon  any  juries,  and  many  of  them 
Wire  must  unaccountably  fined  and  imprisoned.  This  one  grievance  is  a  Trojan  horse,  in 
tile  belly  of  which  'tis  not  easie  to  recount  how  many  insuflferablo  vexations  have  been 
contained." 

The  Christians  of  New-England  were  not  the  only  persons  that  have 
scrupled  the  lawfulness  of  swearing,  Tactis  Evangeliis*  on  and  by  the 
gospels.  Those  famous  divines,  Eivet,  Paroeus  and  Voetius,  have  all  of 
them  written  against  it;  Dr.  Goodwyn  and  Mr.  Nye  reckoned  it  "the 
worst  of  all  the  English  ceremonies:"  and  that  blessed  martyr,  Mr.  William 
Thorp,  did  refuse  to  comply  with  that  mode  of  swearing;  declaring  that 
Chrysostom  long  before  him  was  against  a  hook-oath,  as  well  as  he;  and 
arguing,  "If  I  touch  the  book,  the  meaning  of  that  ceremony  is  nothing 
else  but  that  I  swear  by  it,  when  it  is  not  lawful  to  swear  by  any  creature." 
It  is  well  known  that  in  Scotland,  and  the  reformed  churches  abroad,  that 
ceremony  is  not  used;  and  even  in  the  English  Courts  of  Admiralty, 
another  form  of  swearing  is  frequently  practised :  yea,  there  was  once  an 
ordinance  of  Parliament  in  England,  for  the  ease  of  those  consciences 
which  doubted  such  a  form  of  swearing.  The  varieties  among  the  primi- 
tive Christians,  in  the  modes  of  swearing,  are  too  many,  and  some  of  them 
too  faulty,  to  be  recited;  but  this  I  am  sure  of,  Athanasius  of  old  would 
use  no  rite  in  swearing,  but  that  of  lifting  up  the  hand  unto  Heaven.  How- 
ever, it  may  be  the  Christians  of  New-England  are  the  only  ones  in  tlie 
world  that  ever  suffered  a  formal  persecution,  hy  fines  and  gaols,  for  bearing 
their  testimony  unto  "purity  of  worship,"  in  that  great  point  of  worship, 
an  oath :  and  perhaps  these  Christians  might  bear  a  part  in  finishing  the 
testimony  to  be  born  unto  the  laws  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  the  world, 
by  patiently  suffering  this  persecution,  while  the  Quakers,  who  refused  all 
swearing  at  all,  did  undergo  no  such  hardships  from  the  government. 
Now,  the  reasons  that  moved  these  confessors  hereunto  are  easily  understood. 
They  were  of  this  old  Puritan  principle;  that  all  religious  worship  not 
commanded  by  God  is  forbidden;  and  that  all  symbolical  ceremonies  enjoined 
on  men  in  religious  worship,  are  made  parts  of  it.  More  closely ;  they 
judged  that  our  swearing  ox  the  gospel,  is  a  swearing  MY  the  gospel,  and 
therefore  idolatrous.  That  this  mode  of  swearing  was  originally  a  signi- 
fication of  swearing  HY  the  gospel,  is  evident  from  all  the  interpretation, 
which  not  only  the  old  canon-law,  but  also  the  old  common-law,  explaiii'd 
in  old  precedents,  has  given  of  it;  and  no  particular  magistrate  has  power 
to  put  any  other  interpretation  uyiow  the  law,  than  what  'he  laiv  has  given 
of  it  self;  much  less  can  a  private  2)erson  do  so.  Yea,  the  mode  is  natu- 
rally and  necessarily,  as  well  us  originally,  a  swearing  HY  the  gos2)d;  for  ( Iso 
it  must  signifle  only  the  presence  and  consent  of  the  person  thtJ  swoiirs. 
But  first,  our  statute-law  has  positively  sui)crscdcd  any  such  prcteiii.;c 

*  With  lliu  waiul  (if  tlip  Kuaiit'lH. 


'rowii)  doc." 
wearing,  yet 
any  of  them 
jan  horse,  in 
8  have  been 

that  have 
id  by  the 
ive  all  of 
it  "thf 
'.  William 
iring  that 
s  he;  and 
is  nothing 
creature." 
)road,  that 
idmiralty, 
s  once  an 
jnsciences 
;he  prinii- 
e  of  them 
>ld  would 
n.     How- 
es in  tlie 
)r  bearing 
f  worshij), 
n'shmg  the 
he  world, 
efused  all 
^ernment. 
iderstood. 
rship  not 
enjoined 
ily;  they 
spel,  and 
/  a  signi- 
)retation, 
!xplain'd 
ss  power 
as  given 
I  is  nntn- 
for  ( Isc 
I  swcjirs. 
[)rc'toii'.;o 


OR,    TJIE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


507 


wherein  the  "oath  of  supremacy"  concludes,  "by  the  contents  of  this 
book:"  and  besides,  there  is  no  proportion  of  things  to  countenance  that 
pretence:  the  touching  of  a  table,  would  signifie  this,  as  much  as  the 
touching  of  the  Bible.  The  Bible  is  a  sacred  thing;  to  put  it  unto  a  meer 
civil  use,  is  a  profane  abuse  of  it,  in  such  a  solemn  and  serious  business,  as 
the  dispensing  of  right  between  man  and  man:  why?  it  leaves  out  a 
respect  unto  the  Bible,  which  is  always  due  unto  it.  With  a  contingent 
and  overly  act,  I  may  perhaps  look  on  the  Bible  only  as  a  booh,  made  of 
jiaper  and  cover;  but  in  a  stated,  solemn,  serious  act,  such  as  a  "process 
of  law,"  the  Bible  may  not  be  singled  out  for  a  less  use  than  wh.it  the 
word  of  the  Most  High  God  is  to  be  preferred  for.  Whereas,  if  we  take 
the  general  acknowledgment  of  them  that  swear  ON  the  gospel,  they  lell  us, 
'tis  to  procure  devotion,  and  affect  them  with  the  consideration  of  the  ndes 
they  are  to  use  in  swearing,  and  the  ivoes  they  incurr  if  they  use  them 
not.  Now,  say  we,  our  Lord  hatli  directed  us  to  do  this,  by  hearing  and 
reading  his  word;  not  by  a  bare  touching  of  it:  nor  may  a  transient  motive 
to  piety  be  made  a  staled  medium.  Or  else,  they  tell  us,  'tis  to  express 
devotion;  'tis  in  this  ivay  that  they  make  their  impreccdion  and  their  invo- 
cation; 'tis  their  external  declaration,  "that  they  swear  by  the  God  who 
made  this  book,  and  expect  the  plagues  written  in  this  book,  if  they  swear 
a  falsehood."  Now,  this  is  a  way  of  worship  which  the  Lord  never  insti- 
tuted. In  fine,  'tis  a  lorong  religious  apjjlication  in  a  prayer;  an  oath  is  a 
prayer,  and  a  creature  is  in  this  mode  of  swearing  applied  unto,  as  well  as 
Almighty  God;  yea,  God  is  applied  unto  thro'  a  creature:  and  non-con- 
formists reckon  the  second  commandment  violated  by  such  applications. 
The  religious  forms  of  addressing  to  God,  we  say,  are  to  be  appointed  by 
none  but  God  himself:  whereas  the  elevation  of  the  hand  has,  even  for 
sacred  as  well  as  for  civil  uses,  and  in  an  oath  particularly,  had  such  unex- 
ceptionable approbation,  that  the  faithful  of  New-England  chose  it,  and 
"chose  rather  to  suffer  affliction,"  than  to  use  a  rite  in  the  worship  of  God, 
which  they  suspected  sinful. 

Beader,  we  will  only  take  this  occasion  to  recite  a  good  passage  of  Dr. 
Owen's:  "If,  instead  of  driving  all  sorts  of  persons,  the  worst,  the  vilest 
of  men,  on  slight,  or  light,  or  no  occasions  unto  swearing,  none  might  be 
in  any  case  admitted  thereunto,  but  such  as  evidence  in  their  conversations 
such  a  regard  unto  the  Divine  rule  and  government  of  the  world,  as  is 
required  to  give  the  least  credibility  to  an  oath,  it  would  bo  much  better 
with  humane  society."    And  now  we'll  pass  on  to  other  matters. 


..iitl 


9 


■'1? 


14 


■m 

mm 


'         r      ' 

1!i 

'.,'',';«  ■;■'.}  a 

■  ;■!:.'    ■ 

■1 ) 


'vi^ 


ivA 


503 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


!     i:  il 


!!i;i 


Kj  iLJi   Jiii    ill      X     uJ  iLo         X   X   iL    a 

HYDRA     DECAPITATA;* 

OR.  THE  FIRST  SYNOD  OF  NEW-ENGLAND,  QUELLING  A  STORM  OF  ANTINOMIAN  OPINIONS, 

AND    MANV    REMARKABLE    EVENTS    RELATING    THEREUNTO. 

Sic  Deus  inducta  nostras  Caligine  Terras  Occuluit.f 

§  1.  The  church  of  God  had  not  long  been  in  this  wilderness,  before 
the  dragon  cast  forth  several ^ooffe  to  devour  it;  but  not  the  Itast  of  those 
floods  was  one  of  Antinomian  and  familistical  heresies,  with  which  the 
countrey  began  betimes  to  be  infested.  That  which  was  then  the  most 
considonxblc  of  our  churches,  had  several  considerable  persons  belonging 
thcreujito,  who  broached  certain  ojnnions;  first  of  an  Antinomian,  and  tlien 
of  a  Familistical  tendency;  and  the  stir  which  they  made  about  these 
opinions  grew  so  general,  that  they  quickly  affected  all  the  public  affairs 
of  the  countrey;  but  that  which  made  the  whole  business  to  be  the  more 
jM'i'phwed  was,  that  as  that  horrid  montanist,  Wightman,  professed  that  ho 
had  all  his  grounds  from  the  great  Arthur  Hilueksham,  so  the  name  of 
tlio  no  loss  great  John  Cotton,  was  abused  by  these  busie  sectaries,  for 
the  patronage  of  their  whimsies.  'Tis  believed  that  multitudes  of  persons, 
who  took  in  with  both  parties,  did  never  to  their  dying  hour  understand 
what  their  (lijfi'rcii'x  was:  by  the  same  token,  in  the  heighth  and  heat  of 
all  the  dilVorenco,  when  some  ships  were  going  from  hence  to  England, 
Mr.  Cotton,  in  the  whole  congregation,  advised  the  passengers  to  tell  our 
countrymen  at  home,  "that  all  the  strife  here  was  about  magnifying  the 
grace  of  God;  the  one  person  seeking  to  advance  the  grace  of  God  icithin 
us,  as  to  sanctification ;  and  another  person  seeking  to  advance  the  grace 
of  God  touiinis  us,  as  to  justification;"  and  Mr.  Wilson  stoo'^  up  after  him, 
declaring,  on  the  other  side,  "that  he  knew  none  that  did  not  labour  to 
advance  the  grace  of  God  in  both."  Nevertheless,  there  did  arise  in  the 
land  a  ih'stinction  between  such  as  were  under  a  Covenant  of  Works, 
and  such  as  were  under  a  Covenant  of  Grace;  wherein  the  bigger  part 
of  the  countrey,  in  the  management  of  that  enquiry,  "By  what  evidence 
must  a  man  proceed  in  taking  to  himself  the  comfortsof  his  justification;" 
laid  upon  our  sanctifurttion  the  first  and  main  stress  of  our  comfortable 
rvidnur,  But  the  ojiinionists  were  for  another  sort  of  evidence  as  tho;r 
c/iiW;  namely,  "  The  spirit  of  God  by  a  powerful  application  of  a  promise," 
begetting  in  us,  and  revealing  to  us  a  powerful  assurance  of  our  being 
JtistititxL  Now,  though  the  truth  might  easily  have  united  hoth  of  these 
]HM"swasions;  yet  they  that  were  of  the  latter  wa}',  carried  the  matter  on 
to  a  very  pfrilloiis  (four,  opened  not  otdy  for  new  ent  nisiusliral  revelations, 

*  Thu  hyOra  bvlivaitiHl.  f  Tlui!t  Ciud  isliruiiilecl  uitr  uurth  with  (  viTBliiutowhig  durkiioiis, 


!l 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    N  EW-t  A  o  L  A  N  D. 


509 


i  OPINIONS, 


ss,  before 
t  of  those 
irhich  the 
the  most 
)elongiTig 
and  then 
out  these 
lie  affairs 
the  more 
d  that  ho 
name  of 
tari'es,  for 
r  persons, 
iderstand 
1  heat  of 
England, 
)  tell  our 
fyiug  the 
)d  v:ith{n 
ho  grace 
fter  him, 
abour  to 
so  in  the 
Works, 
rger  part 
evidence 
ication ;" 
fi  for  table 
as  their 
iromise," 
XT  being 
of  these 
latter  on 
vc/atiuiis\ 


but  also  for  a  neglect  of  such  qualifications  in  all  godliness  and  honesty,  as 
must  be  found  in  all  that  would  ho  prospered,  and  not  rejected  in  their  con 
fidences.  Yea,  they  employed  their  distinctions  about  a  "covenant  of 
works,"  and  a  "covenant  of  grace,"  at  so  extravagant  a  rate,  as  threatned 
a  subversion  to  all  the  peaceable  order  in  the  colonies.  They  drove  at 
this:  that  the  most  virtuous  man  upon  earth  might  not  be  admitted  into 
the  churches,  without  professing  that,  renouncing  of  sanctification,  as  the 
evidence  of  his  good  state,  he  waited  for  immediate  revelations  to  assure  him 
of  it;  and  such  as  were  already  in  church-communion,  unless  they  become 
fond  of  the  vew-lights  in  this  thing  pretended  unto,  were  presently  branded 
as  favouring  "a  covenant  of  grace."  The  contention  spread  it  self  even 
into  families,  and  all  private  and  smaller  societies,  who  were  to  be 
accounted  under  a  "covenant  of  works,"  and  so  enemies  unto  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ;  anl  who  were  not!  Which  was  determined  among  the 
busie  sectaries,  by  a  person's  accommodating  himself  unto  their  fine-spun 
speculations.  Illic  ipsum  esse  fait  promereri.*  The  disturbance  proceeded 
from  thence  into  all  the  general  affairs  of  the  publick;  the  expedition 
against  the  Pequot  Indians  was  most  shamefully  discouraged,  because  the 
army  was  too  much  under  a  "covenant  of  works;"  and  the  magistrates 
began  to  be  contemned  as  being  of  a  hjal  sjnrit,  and  having  therewithal  a 
tang  of  Antichrist  in  them;  nor  could  the  ordering  of  town-lots,  or  town- 
rates,  or  any  meetings  whatsoever,  escape  the  confusions  of  this  contro- 
vcrsie.  'Tis  incredible  what  alienations  of  mind,  and  what  a  very  Calen- 
ture the  devil  raised  in  the  countrey  upon  this  odd  occasion:  but  it  may 
not  be  amiss  to  describe  a  little  more  particularly  the  methods  whereof  the 
devil  therein  served  his  interests.  The  sectaries  acquainted  themselves 
with  as  many  as  possibly  they  could,  and  carried  on  their  acquaintance 
with  all  the  courtesies  and  kindnesses  that  they  could  contrive  to  ingra- 
tiate themselves  in  the  hearts  of  others,  especially  of  neiv  comers  into  the 
place.  They  hcrewithal  appeared  wondrous  holy,  humble,  self-denying, 
and  spiritual,  and  full  of  the  most  charming  expressions  imaginable,  "free 
grace,"  "gospel  truth,"  "glorious  light,"  and  "holding  forth  of  Christ," 
was  all  their  tone;  and  meeting  with  Christians  that  had  any  doubts  in 
their  minds  about  their  own  future  happiness,  they  would  insinuate  into 
\hem  that  they  had  never  taken  a  "right  course  for  comfort,"  by  going  to 
cvidei'ce  their  good  estate  by  their  sanctification,  but  that  there  was  a  more 
evangelical  way  to  peace,  by  which  they  themselves  were  got  above  all 
their  fears  forever.  The}^  began  usually  to  seduce  xcomcn  into  their 
notions,  and  by  these  women,  like  their  first  mother,  they  soon  hook'd  in 
the  husbands  also.  Having  wrought  themsolvcs  any  where  into  a  good 
esteem,  they  set  themselves  with  a  manifold  subtilty  to  undermine  the 
esteem  of  the  ministers,  and  intimate  that  their  teachers  themselves,  never 
liaving  been  "taught  of  God,"  had  mis-tanght  and  mis-led  the  people; 

*  Tlif  n<,  lu  be  uiie  or  (lietti,  wns  tu  dt'xvrvo  wull. 


!'    , 


I 


i;> : 


610 


magNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


whence  it  came  to  pass,  that  even  some  who  had  followed  these  ministers 
three  thousand  miles,  thro'  ten  thousajid  deaths,  yet  now  took  up  such 
jirejudices,  not  only  against  their  doctrines,  but  against  their  persons  also, 
tliat  they  did  never  care  to  hear  them,  or  see  them  any  more.  They 
administered  their  poisons  in  smaller  doses,  and  not  without  preparatives, 
wherein,  if  any  made  any  boggle,  they  would  presently  retreat  and  say, 
"Nay,  don't  mistake  me,  for  I  mean  the  same  that  you  do;  we  differ  only 
in  words."  And  they  would  be  sure  still  to  father  their  whimsies  upon 
such  persons  as  were  held  in  most  veneration  throughout  the  country;  but 
if  they  were  brought  face  to  face,  they  would  still  wind  out  with  some 
cunning  evasions.  Thus  they  went  on,  until  they  had  got  some  noted 
persons  in  all  orders  to  patronise  them;  and  then  'tis  impossible  to  describe 
the  censures,  the  contempts,  the  affronts  cast  upon  the  best  men  in  tiio 
law,  as  men  "ignorant  of  Christ;"  and  the  terrible  disorder  and  conten- 
tion that  ensued  in  all  societies. 

§  2.  The  ministry  of  the  country,  awakened  by  these  noises  about  the 
temple,  had  several  meetings,  that  they  might  set  matters  to  rights;  all 
which  were  ineffectual,  until  the  General  Court  called  a  Synod  <jf  all  the 
churches  in  the  country  to  meet  at  Cambridge,  in  the  year  1637.  In  pre- 
paration whereunto  there  were  three  things  attended:  One  was  a  solemn 
fast,  kept  in  all  the  churches,  for  the  good  success  of  the  approaching 
synod;  another  was  a  collection  oi  vW  the  erroneous  and  offensive  opinions, 
which  called  for  the  disquisitions  that  might  extinguish  them;  a  third  was 
a  confa'ence  with  Mr.  Cotton  about  any  positions  or  expressions  of  his  that 
might  have  countenanced  any  of  those  opinions.  But,  that  my  reader  also 
may  be  prepared  for  the  actions  of  the  synod,  I  would  humbly  ask  him 
what  he  thinks  of  the  relation  given  us  of  the  first  Nicene  Synod  by  Euty- 
chius,  an  author  of  the  first  ages,  recommetjded  by  Selden  and  Pocock,  as 
one  of  irreproachable  fidelity?  That  author  (whose  history,  in  Arabic, 
never  seen,  I  suppose,  by  Siilmasius  or  Blondel,  is  by  some  thought  in  this 
matter  much  more  probable  than  that  of  Eusebius  and  Socrates)  does  relate 
unto  us,  that  upon  the  letters  of  Constantine  summoning  the  synod,  there 
were  no  less  tlian  two  thousand  and  forty-eight  bishops  who  came  to  town ; 
but  that  the  most  by  far  of  them  were  so  grossly  ignorant  and  erroneous,, 
that  upon  the  recommendation  of  Alexander,  the  bishop  of  Alexandria, 
the  emperor  singled  out  but  three  hundred  and  eighteen,  who  were  all  of 
them  "orthodox  children  of  peace,"  and  none  of  those  contentious  blades 
that  put  out  libels  of  accusation  one  against  another;  and  that  by  the 
emperor's  happy  chusingand  heeding  of  these  three  hundred  and  eighteen, 
[Reader,  compare  Gen.  xiv.  14,]  the  orthodox  religion  came  to  be  estab- 
lished. Header,  the  government  of  New-England  was  not  now  put  upon 
the  singling  out  of  a  few  bishops  from  a  multitude  convened  in  a  synod,  for 
the  securing  of  the  true  faith;  but  thou  shalt  see  them  "all  of  one  heart  iu 
contending  for  the  faith  once  delivered  unto  the  saints." 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


511 


§  3.  Tho'  the  fast  prefatory  to  the  synod  were  not  for  etrife^  yet  there 
happened  something  on  the  fast  which  did  but  more  increase  and  inflanui 
the  strife.  A  minister  who  then  preached  at  Boston,  where  was  then  tiio 
chief  audience  of  the  country,  in  the  sermon  let  fall  many  passages  which 
amounted  unto  thus  much,  "that  the  magistrates  and  ministers  of  the 
country  walked  in  such  a  way  of  salvation,  and  the  evidence  thereof,  as 
was  a  'covenant  of  works;'"  which  passages  were  aculeated  by  resembling 
such  as  were  under  that  covenant  unto  Jews,  and  Ilerods,  and  Philistines, 
and  Antichrists;  and  exhorting  such  as  were  under  the  "covenant  of 
grace,"  to  combate  those  as  their  greatest  enem'es,  and  quickening  those 
who  feared,  lost  a  combustion  should  hence  arise  in  the  commonwealth,  by 
telling  them  of  Michael  and  the  Dragon,  and  the  "  burning  of  the  whore." 

For  these  things,  the  court  proceeding  to  animadvert  upon  this  preacher 
as  guilty  of  great  sedition  [having  for  this  their  interpretation  of  his  mis- 
demeanour, a  warrant  of  both  Cicero,  according  to  whom,  seditio,  est  dissen- 
tio  omnium  inter  se,  cum  etintalii,  in  aliud;*  and  Isidore,  according  to  whom, 
seditiosus  est,  qui  dissentionem  animorum  facit  et  discordias  giynit.-f]  he  was 
under  such  enchantment  that  he  could  be  brought  by  no  means  to  see  his 
evil;  but  they  were  compelled  by  his  obstinacy  to  order  his  "removal  out 
of  their  jurisdiction."  Ilowever,  being  a  man  that  had  the  "root  of  the 
matter"  in  him,  after  six  or  seven  years  he  cuvoke  out  of  a  sleep;  which 
had  been  as  long  as  what  Cranzius  tells  us  befel  a  scholar  at  Lubec,  ho 
addressed  the  government,  with  acknowledging: 

"Upon  the  lung  and  mature  consideration  of  things,  I  pcrccl^o  that  the  main  difference 
bttween  yourselves,  and  some  of  tjjo  reverend  elders  and  me,  in  point  of  justification,  and  tho 
eiidencing  thereof,  is  not  of  that  nature  as  was  then  presented  unto  me  in  tho  false  glass  of 
Satan's  temptations,  and  now  my  own  distempered  passions;  which  makes  me  unfeignedly 
sorry  that  I  had  such  an  linnd  in  those  sharp  and  vehement  contentions  raised  thcreahnuts,  to 
the  great  disturbance  of  tlie  chuivhes  of  Christ.  It  is  the  grief  of  my  soul  that  I  used  such 
vehement,  censorious  speeches  in  the  nppliciition  of  my  sermon,  or  in  any  other  writing, 
whereby  I  retleeted  ai\y  dishonour  on  your  worships,  the  reverend  elders,  or  any  of  the  con- 
trary judgment  unto  my.«?lf.  I  repeiit  me  that  I  did  so  much  adhere  to  persons  of  corrupt 
judgments,  to  the  countenancing  and  encouraging  of  them  in  any  of  their  errors  or  evil 
practices,  tho'  I  intended  no  such  thing;  and  that  in  the  synod  I  used  such  unsafe  and  obscure 
expressions  falling  from  me,  as  a  man  'dazzled  with  the  buffetingsof  Satan.'  I  confess  that 
lierein  I  have  done  sinfully,  and  do  humbly  crave  pardon  of  your  honoured  selves ;  and  if  it 
shall  appear  to  me  by  Scripture  light,  that  in  any  carriage,  word  or  writing,  I  have  walked 
contrary  to  rule,  I  shall  bo  ready,  by  the  grace  of  God,  to  give  satisfaction." 

Upon  this  most  ingenious  acknowledgment,  he  was  restored  unto  his 
former  liberty  ami  interest  among  the  people  of  God;  and  lived  almost 
forty  years  after,  a  valued  servant  of  the  church  in  his  generation.  But 
that  I  may  in  all  things  do  tho  part  of  an  impartial  historian,  I  must  add, 
that  this  good  man,  being  moved  by  Jerome's  maxim,  in  suspicione  hcereseos 

*  Sedition  la  unlvenul  <!i(<i>i>ni>lon,  when  one  riishes  to  one  thing  nnd  one  to  another.— Ce  Repub, 
t  He  iB  sedlUoup,  who  kindles  it  distiongioii  amoog  dlBbrent  iniiid»,  aud  eugeuderg  discord. 


f 


& 


i 


ni 


n 


''ia 


I 


t 


,  I  i> 


'!, 


1 1 


-     'I 


.* 


V     IJif 


^  St 

1.1 


il2 


MAGNALIA    C'UBISTI    AMERICANA; 


iivlo  qucnquam  esse  patientem;*  and  by  Austin's  quiyjukns  conscienticc  sitcv, 
itegligit  famam  suam,  cruclelis  est;-\  publiahefl  a  vindication  of  himself 
against  the  wrongs  that  by  Mr.  Weld  and  by  Mr.  Kutherford  had  been  don«; 
unto  him.  In  this  vindication,  he  not  only  produces  a  speech  of  Mr.  Cot- 
ton, *'  I  do  conceive  and  profess,  that  our  brother  \v  heelright's  doctrine  is 
according  to  God  in  the  points  controverted ;"  but  also  a  declaration  from 
the  whole  General  Court  of  the  colony,  signed  by  the  secretary,  August 
24,  1654,  upon  the  petition  of  Mr.  Wheelright's  church  at  Hampton;  in 
which  declaration  they  profess,  "that  hearing  that  Mr.  Wheelright  is,  by 
Mr.  Rutherford  and  Mr.  Weld,  rendered  in  some  books  printed  by  them  as 
heretical  and  criminous,  they  now  signifie,  that  Mr.  Wheelright  hath  for 
tnese  many  years  approved  himself  a  sound  orthodox,  and  profitable  min- 
ister of  thp  gospel  among  these  churches  of  Christ." 

§  4.  The  synod  being  assembled,  with  the  Reverend  Mr.  Thomas  Hooker 
and  Mr.  Peter  Bulkly,  chosen  its  moderators  at  Cambridge  (then  called  by 
the  name  of  New-Town)  on  August  30,  1637,  there  were  produced  about 
eighty-two  erroneous  opinions  and  expressions,  which  had  been  uttered  in 
the  country  by  several  men  at  several  times.  The  authors  of  those  errors 
were  neither  mentioned  nor  enquired;  but  the  errors  themselves  were 
considered,  confuted  and  condemned  from  the  plain  word  of  God:  for, 
indeed,  the  design  of  the  synod  was  not,  jus  dare\^  but  only  jus  dicere,% 
and  to  exercise  only  a  power  decisive  of  doctrines,  not  judicial,  on  persons ; 
leaving  it  unto  particular  churches  to  pass  their  censures  on  the  persons 
who  should  hold  the  doctrines  by  the  determination  of  the  synod,  found 
subversive  to  the  "fundamentals  of  religion."  And  hence,  when  some  of 
the  moie  hypocritical  sectaries  began  to  grow  at  last  pretty  clamorous,  in 
demanding  the  names  of  such  as  held  the  dogmes  then  opposed,  (for  the 
true  parents  of  the  brats  began  to  discover  themselves  when  the  synod  was 
going  to  employ  the  sioord  upon  them  I)  some  of  the  civil  magistrates  then 
])resent,  as  members  of  the  assembly,  were  forced,  as  justices  of  the  peace,  to 
preserve  the  peace  of  the  assembly,  by  commanding  silence  to  those  litigious 
talkers.  What  these  errors  were,  'tis  needless  now  to  repeat;  they  are 
dead  and  gone;  and  for  me,  beyond  hope  of  resurrection ;  'tis  pity  to  rake 
them  out  of  their  graves;  'tis  enough  to  say  they  were  of  an  Antinomiau 
and  Familistical  tendency.  All  that  needs  to  be  added  is,  that  the  synod's 
result  upon  these  heterodoxies,  was  not  formed  into  such  arbitrary  and 
l^ereticating  anailiemas,  as  were  practiced  in  the  councils  of  the  ancients; 
but  the  error  being  first  fairly  recited,  there  was  only  a  short  reflection 
made  upon  it  after  this  manner:  "this  is  contrary  to  such  and  such  a  text 
of  Scripture,"  [then  atid  there  subjoin'd]  which  in  the  quotation  thereof 
being  briefly  applied  unto  the  case,  did  unto  reasonable  men  immediately 
smite  the  error  under  the  fifth  rib. 

*  I  wish  no  mnn  to  be  pationt  under  an  imputation  uf  heresy, 

t  He  who,  truHting  In  an  easy  conecloucci  neglects  his  reputation,  is  cruel. 

X  To  nial(e  laws.  g  To  interpret  laws. 


now 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


513 


{entice  sticv, 
)f  himself 
been  done 
>fMr.  Cot- 
doctrine  is 
ation  from 
y,  August 
mpton;  in 
ight  is,  by 
)y  them  as 
it  hath  for 
table  mill- 

as  Hooker 
1  called  by 
iced  about 
uttered  in 
lose  errors 
Ives  were 
God:  for, 
ius  dicere,^ 
n  persons; 
le  persons 
lod,  found 
n  some  of 
norous,  in 
d,  (for  the 
synod  was 
rates  then 
e  peace,  to 
ie  litigious 

they  are 
ity  to  rake 
ntinomian 
le  synod's 
trary  and 

ancients; 
reflection 
ich  a  text 
>n  thereof 
mediately 


The  result  of  the  synod  was  published,  and  the'  the  hydra  of  error  were 
now  stirring  in  the  country  with  such  a  virulent  and  malignant  influence, 
yet  that  "sword  of  the  Lord,"  the  sacred  Scripture,  being  thus  wisely 
employed,  soon  dispatched  "the  apostate  serpent." 

§  5.  The  synod  then  thought  it  cor  nient — nay,  necessary — for  them  to 
come  into  a  good  understanding  witn  Mr.  Cotton,  who  was  himself  not  the 
least  part  of  the  country;  the  rather,  because  the  i^ectaries,  through  the 
country,  had  basely  made  use  of  his  name  to  patronise  their  opinions;  and, 
indeed,  his  charity,  wherein  he  was  known  to  be  truly  eminent,  inclining 
him  to  suspect  no  more  evil  of  them,  than  what  they  would  profess  or  con- 
fess to  him  in  their  personal  conversation  with  him,  exposed  him  the  more 
to  their  pretences  of  his  patronage. 

There  were  five  questions  offered  unto  that  great  man,  unto  which  ques- 
tions he  gave  answers;  and  unto  those  answers  the  synod  gave  replies;  and 
unto  those  replies  he  gave  returns;  and  unto  those  returns  the  synod  gave 
rejoinders;  til  their  collisions  fetch'd  I  know  not  whether  more  light  or  hvc 
unto  one  another.  Because  'twill  not  be  easie  to  give  a  fair  and  full 
representation  of  what  passed  on  both  sides,  without  the  trouble  of  tran- 
scribing whole  sheets  of  paper,  I  shall  not  now  trouble  the  world  with  the 
debated  questions,  much  less  with  the  debates  upon  the  questions;  the 
reader  that  is  desirous  to  see  them,  shall  find  them  in  Mr.  Cotton's  treatise 
about  'TAe  Way  of  Congregational  Churches:''^  only  let  it  be  remarked,  that 
the  nature  and  import  of  the  questions,  and  the  zeal  with  which  they  were 
handled,  intimate  something  of  the  holy  temper  then  prevailing  among  the 
body  of  this  people.  The  questions  were  about  the  order  of  things,  in  our 
unix)n  with  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  about  the  influence  of  onr  faith,  in  the 
application  of  his  righteousness;  about  the  use  of  our  sanctijication,  in  evi- 
dencing of  onr  justification ;  and  about  the  consideration  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  by  men,  yet  under  a  "covenant  of  works." 

Briefly,  they  were  the  points  whereon  depend  the  grounds  of  our  assur- 
ance for  blessedness  in  another  and  a  better  world.  Now,  I  cannot  learn 
that  Mr.  Cotton  ever  made  any  notable  variation  of  his  opinions  or  expres- 
sions in  these  matters,  from  what  we  find  published  afterward  in  his  trea- 
tise of  the  "iVeiv  Covenant  f^  a  treatise  whereof  I  need  say  no  more  but  the 
famous  Mr.  Caryl  ushered  it  into  the  world  with  his  recommendations. 
Nor  indeed  am  I  without  a  vehement  suspicion  that  Mr.  Cotton  was  really 
one  with  his  antagonists,  whatever  seeming  difference  there  was  between 
them.  And,  if  my  reader  will,  as  I  do,  believe  Mr.  Baxter,  that  neither 
Nestorius  nor  Cyril  were  heretical  de  re,*  but  that  both  of  them  were  of 
one  mind,  the  one  speaking  of  the  abstract,  the  other  speaking  of  the  con- 
crete; and  that  yet  interest,  prejudice  and  faction  put  them  upon  such 
quarrelsome  heretications  one  against  another,  as  enkindled  a  lamentable 
flame  in  the  world  which  is  not  even  to  this  day  extinguished;  he  will 


Vol.  IL— 83 


Respecting  tho  matter. 


I 


'    M^ 


1  tin 


'MM 


f\ 


1 


'."'l* 


514 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


I    > 


ii 


easily  believe  mat  these  good  men  might  misunderstand  one  another. 
However,  Mr.  Cotton  came  to  such  an  amiable  and  amicable  correspond- 
ence with  the  rest  of  the  ministers,  that  although  in  this  "time  of  tempta- 
tion," he  had  throughout  these  churches  laboured  under  the  hard  character 
of  being  the  chief  abettor  to  the  errors  whereby  the  tranquillity  of  the 
churches  had  been  disturbed,  yet  he  now  most  effectually  joined  with  t  lie 
other  ministers  in  witnessing  against  those  errors;  and  having,  like  the 
moon  in  its  eclipse,  with  an  exemplary  patience  held  on  his  course  of 
serving  the  church  of  God,  until  the  strength  of  the  enchantments  attending 
this  "hour  of  temptation"  was  a  little  dissolved,  he  recovered  all  his  former 
splendor  among  the  other  stars. 

—  Velut  inter  Ignea  Luna  Minores.*  ' 

Yea,  his  latter  days  were  indeed  "like  the  clear  shining  of  the  sun  after 
the  rain."  But,  if  my  reader  will  not  be  satisfied  without  a  more  partic- 
ular account  of  Mr.  Cotton's  conduct  in  the  synod,  I  shall  honestly  tell 
him  that,  albeit,  when  the  eighty-two  errors  were  finally  condemned  in  the 
synod,  Mr.  Cotton  did  (without  setting  his  hand  unto  the  condemnation) 
freely  declare,  "that  he  disrelished  all  those  opinions  and  expressions,  as 
being  some  of  them  heretical,  some  of  them  blasphemous,  some  of  them 
erroneous,  and  all  of  them  incongruous."  Nevertheless,  there  was  a  dark 
day  in  the  synod,  wherein  Mr.  Cotton  did,  with  the  great  Chamins,  seem 
to  assert,  "that  the  habit  of  faith  in  us,  is  the  effect  of  our  justification;" 
and  solemn  speeches  were  made  with  tears,  lamenting  it  that  they  should 
in  this  important  matter  dissent  from  a  person  so  venerable  and  considera- 
ble in  the  countrey.  Such  arguments  were  brought,  as  being  first  called, 
and  then  justified;  and  faith  being  in  our  union  with  Christ,  but  our  union 
being  in  order  to  our  being  justified,  and  our  being  under  the  wrath  of 
God,  while  yet  unbelievers:  and  Abraham's  believing,  and  so  being  justified ; 
and  that  otherwise,  a  man  must  seek  to  be  justified,  that  so  he  may  believe; 
not  seek  to  believe,  that  so  he  may  be  justifi/id;^  and  that  the  jxistification 
handled  in  the  epistle  to  the  Romans  is  God's  judicial  act,  and  not  our 
bare  apprehension  thereof;  and  that  the  place  which  the  fiilse  teachers 
assigned  unto  works  in  justification  was  before  it,  and  that  faith  took  the 
place  of  those  works.  But  after  sorrowful  discourses,  pro  and  con,f  upon 
these  arguments,  Mr.  Cotton  the  next  morning  made  an  excellent  speech 
unto  the  assembly,  tending  towards  an  accommodation  of  the  controversie. 
This  disposition  in  Mr.  Cotton  was  very  nettling  to  the  sectaries,  who  still 
promised  themselves  great  advantages  from  his  remaining  in  any  thing  a 
dissenter;  and  they  tried  by  all  the  obstreperous  ways  imaginable  to  hinder 
the  reconciliation.  But  the  synod  greedily  and  joyfully  laid  hold  on  the 
reconciling  offers  of  Mr.  Cotton;  and  they  at  length  agreed,  "that  we  are 
not  united  and  married  ui  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  without  faith,  giving 


*  Like  the  .<..   ^  .fO  among  the  lesaer  flres. 


t  For  and  against. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


615 


another, 
orrespond- 
of  temi)ta- 
l  charact»?r 
lity  of  tlio 
d  with  tli6 
g,  like  llie 
course  of 
I  attending 
his  former 


sun  after 
ore  partic- 
)nestly  tell 
ined  in  the 
lemnation) 
'essions,  as 
e  of  them 
Was  a  dark 
mins,  seem 
tification ;" 
:iey  should 
considera- 
first  called^ 
t  our  union 
16  wrath  of 
»  justified; 
lay  believe; 
ftistijication 
nd  not  our 
ie  teachers 
k  took  the 
cora,f  upon 
3nt  speech 
ntroversie. 
3,  who  still 
[ly  thing  a 
e  to  hinder 
aid  on  the 
hat  we  are 
ith,  giving 


an  actual  consent  of  soul  unto  it:  that  God's  effectual  calling  of  the  soul 
unto  tlie  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  the  soul's  apprehending  by  an  act  of  faith 
the  offered  righteousness  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  is  in  order  of  nature 
before  God's  act  of  justification  upon  the  soul:  that  in  the  testimony  of 
the  holy  Spirit,  which  is  the  evidence  of  our  good  estate  before  God,  the 
qualifications  of  inherent  graces,  and  the  fruits  thereof,  proving  the  sincerity 
of  our  faith,  must  ever  be  co-existent,  concurrent,  co-apparent,  or  else  the 
conceived  testimony  of  the  Spirit  is  either  a  delusion  or  doubtful."  An 
happy  conclusion  of  the  whole  matter. 

§  6.  Mankind  has  heard  the  doleful  and  woful  complaints  of  the  renowned 
Gregory  Nazianzen,  concerning  the  councils  in  his  days :  'Tis  known  in 
what  epistle  of  his  he  says,  "  If  I  must  write  the  very  truth,  I  am  of  the 
mind  to  fly  from  every  such  meeting;  for  I  never  saw  a  joyful  and  happy 
end  of  any  council ;  nor  any  that  procured  not  a  greater  augmentation 
than  reformation  of  mischiefs;"  and  in  what  oration  of  his  he  says,  "Our 
votes  follow  either  our  hatred  or  our  friendship;  we  are  not  constant  to 
our  selves,  but  even  like  the  waving  Euripus;  and  for  my  part,  I  count  it 
as  unseemly  for  me  to  join  with  them  in  their  councils,  as  it  would  be  for 
me  to  leave  my  studies,  and  go  to  play  with  the  boys  in  the  street." 

But  had  our  Gregory  seen  the  blessed  effects  of  this  council,  be  would 
not  have  expressed  his  complaints  in  terms  thus  universal.  The  ministers, 
returning  fron.'  the  synod  unto  their  several  churches,  applied  themselves 
with  a  vigorous  unanimity  in  their  ministry,  to  root  up  the  errors  which 
had  been  by  the  synod  thunder-struck ;  and  the  good  understanding  pro- 
duced among  the  members  of  the  synod,  extended  its  influence  unto  all 
the  churches  therein  represented.  But  before  the  breaking  up  of  the 
synod,  there  were  two  other  things  particularly  spoken  to.  One  thing  was 
this:  It  had  been  a  custom  in  many  congregations  that  the  ministers 
allowed  their  people  tKe  liberty  still,  after  sermon,  to  propose  what  ques- 
tions they  thought  fit  for  their  further  satisfaction  about  any  points  which 
had  been  delivered;  which  liberty  was  oftentimes  made  an  occasion  of 
much  contention,  vexation  and  folly  in  the  assemblies:  But  this  custom 
now  underwent  the  condemnations  of  the  synod.  Another  thing  was  this : 
The  governour,  knowing  that  the  country  had  been  exercised  with  some 
difiiculties  about  "the  way  of  raising  a  maintenance  for  the  ministry," 
now  desired  that  the  synod  would  propound  the  most  evangelical  way  for 
it,  which  the  General  Court  might  enact  into  a  law ;  but  they  one  an(^.  all 
said,  "that  they  did  not  cn'-c  to  meddle  with  that  matter,  lest  it  should  be 
reflected  on  them,  that  they  were  for  their  own  ends  there  come  together." 
At  last,  for  the  close  of  all,  Mr.  Davenport,  at  the  request  of  the  synod, 
preached  on  Phil.  iii.  16:  "Nevertheless  whereto  we  have  already  attained, 
let  us  walk  by  the  safne  rule,  let  us  mind  the  same  thing;"  from  whence, 
laying  down  the  true  original  of  differences  among  the  people  of  God,  he 
declared  the  result  of  the  piesent  synod,  and  exhorted  all  to  endeavour 


m 


m 


616 


MAGNALIA    CIIKI8TI    AMERICANA; 


the  peace  of  the  churches  in  the  prosecution  of  that  result.    And  from 

this  time  accordingly  there  was  peace  with  truth  established. 

§  7.  Among  the  more  memorable  occurrents,  which  were  the  consequents 

of  this  most  useful  synod,  one  was  the  discipline  exercised  in  the  church 

of  Boston  upon  the  principal  of  the  sectaries;  but  I  must  herewithal  put 

my  reader  upon  the  wonder  of  beholding,  that  as  for  the  seditious  disturh- 

ance  raised  in  the  country  by  the  distinction  between  "people  under  the 

covenant  of  works,"  and  "people  under  the  covenant  of  grace,"  whereby 

people  were  sometimes  hurried  into  works  that  shewed  little  of  grace  in 

them. 

DUX    F^SIINA    FACTA.* 

The  whole  of  Tertullian's  complaint  about  the  ancient  Gnosticks  was 
instanced,  and  indeed  overdone  in  our  opinionists,  Omnes  tument,  Omnes 
sdenttam  pollicentur,  ipsx  Mulieres  Htvreticce  quum  sunt  procaces/f  It  is 
the  mc'rk  of  seducers  that  they  lead  captive  silly  women;  but  what  will  you 
say,  when  you  hear  of  subtil  women  becoming  the  most  remarkable  of  tlic 
seducers?  'Tis  noted  of  seducers  that,  like  their  father  the  devil,  the  old, 
the  first  seducei,  they  usually  have  a  special  design  upon  the  weaker  sex, 
who  are  more  easily  gained  themselves,  and  then  are  fit  instruments  for 
the  gaining  of  their  husbands  unto  such  errors  as  will  cause  them  to  lose 
their  souls  at  last.  Simon  Magus  traded  with  his  Helena,  and  Montanus 
with  his  Maximilla,  for  the  more  efiectual  propagation  of  their  heresies, 
as  Jerom  long  since  observed,  and  as  Epiphanius  tells  us.  Arius  promoted 
his  blasphemies  by  first  proselyting  seven  hundred  virgins  thereunto. 
Indeed,  a  poyson  does  never  insinuate  so  qaickly,  nor  operate  so  strongly, 
as  when  women^s  milk  is  the  vehicle  wherein  'tis  given.  Whereas  the  prime 
seducer  of  the  whole  faction  which  now  began  to  threaten  the  country 
with  something  like  a  Munster  tragedy,  was  a  woman,  a  gentlewoman,  of 
"an  haughty  carriage,  busie  spirit,  competent  wit,  and  a  voluble  tongue;" 
among  whose  relations  at  this  day  there  are  so  many  worthy  and  useful 
persons,  that  for  their  sakes  1  would  gladly  contrive  some  way  to  relate  so 
important  a  story  as  that  of  her  affairs,  without  mentioning  of  her  name; 
and  therefore  I  will  cover  it  with  a  convenient  ^jen))/iras2s.    Behold,  reader, 

Nulla  fere  causa  est,  in  qua  non  fmnina  litem  moverit.i 

§  8.  This  our  erroneous  gentlewoman,  at  her  coming  out  of  Lincoln- 
shire in  England  unto  New-England,  upon  pretence  of  religion,  was  well 
respected  among  the  professors  of  (his  religion ;  and  this  the  more,  because 
at  the  meetings  of  the  women,  which  used  to  be  called  gossippings,  it  was 
her  manner  to  carry  on  very  pious  discourses,  and  so  put  the  neighbour- 
hood upon  examining  their  spiritual  estates,  by  telling  them  how  far  a 
person  might  go  in  "trouble  of  mind:"  and  being  resi:rained  from  very 

*  Women  mado  leaders. 

+  AU  ore  puffed  up,  and  all  give  promise  of  wii>dom ;  even  the  women  are  become  most  wanton  heretics. 

X  There  are  few  controversies  where  u  woman  is  not  at  the  bottom  of  them. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGL     ND. 


517 


And  from 

consequents 
the  churcli 
Jwithal  put 
ous  disturh- 
under  the 
"  whereby 
of  grace  in 


)sticks  was 
ent,  Omnes 
s/f     It  is 
t  will  yon 
xbk  of  the 
1,  the  old, 
weaker  sex, 
aments  for 
lera  to  hse 
Montanus 
r  heresies, 
1  promoted 
thereunto. 
)  strongly, 
the  prime 
e  country 
voman,  of 
!  tongue;" 
.nd  useful 
5  relate  so 
ler  name; 
Id,  reader, 

'  Lincoln- 
was  well 
3,  because 
gs,  it  was 
eighbour- 
low  far  a 
i'om  veiy 

I  heretics. 


many  evils,  and  constrained  unto  very  many  duties,  by  none  but  a  legal 
work  upon  their  souls,  without  ever  coming  to  a  "saving  union  with  the 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,"  that  many  of  them  were  convinced  of  a  very  great 
defect  in  the  settlement  of  their  everlasting  peace,  and  acquainted  more 
with  the  "Spirit  of  the  gospel,"  than  ever  they  were  before.  This  mighty 
show  and  noise  of  devotion,  procured  unto  our  dame,  the  non-such,  the 
reputation  of  Hutchenson  a  non-such  among  the  people;  until  at  cAnagr] 
length,  under  the  pretence  of  that  warrant,  "that  the  elder  women  are  to 
teach  the  younger,"  she  set  up  weekly  meetings  at  her  house,  whereto 
threescore  or  fourscore  people  would  resort,  that  they  might  hear  the  ser- 
mons of  Mr.  Cotton  repeated,  but  in  such  a  sort,  that  after  the  repetition, 
she  would  make  her  explicatory  and  applicatory  declamations,  wherein 
what  she  confirmed  of  the  sermons  must  be  canonical,  but  what  she  omitted 
all  Apocrypha. 

It  was  not  long  before  'twas  found  that  most  of  the  errors,  then  crawl- 
ing like  vipers  about  the  countrey,  were  hatched  at  these  meetings ;  where 
this  notable  woman,  who  called  herself  another  Priscilla,  to  "instruct 
others  more  perfectly,"  did  set  herself  "most  perfectly  to  confound"  all 
the  interests  of  Christianity  with  damnable  doctrines,  which  maintained 
"our  personal  union  with  the  Spirit  of  God,"  and,  "the  insignificancy  of 
sanctification  to  be  any  evidence  of  our  good  estate;"  and,  "the  pertinency 
of  commands  to  work  out  our  own  salvation  with  fear  and  trembling,  and 
give  all  diligence  to  make  our  calling  and  election  sure,  unto  none  but 
such  as  were  in  a  covenant  of  works;"  and,  "the  setting  up  of  immediate 
revelation  about  future  events,  to  be  believed  as  equally  infallible  with  the 
Scriptures:"  and  it  was  wonderful  to  see  with  what  a  speedy  and  spread- 
ing/asarjrt^wn  these  doctrines  did  bewitch  the  minds  of  people,  which  one 
would  not  have  imagined  capable  of  being  so  besotted. 

She  was  all  this  while  so  cunning,  that  Mr.  Cotton  could  get  no  better 
evidences  of  her  broaching  these  opinions,  than  she  had  of  her  own  justifi- 
cation ;  but  still  unto  him,  and  such  as  came  from  him,  she  would  express 
herself  with  a  satisfying  orthodoxy ;  however,  whilst  Mr.  Cotton's  candour 
was  thus  abused,  he  faithfully  told  her  that  he  doubted  that  she  would  at 
last  be  found  7iot  right;  and  this  for  three  things  which  he  had  observed  in 
her:  one  was  that  her  faith  was  not  produx^ed,  and  scarce  ever  strengthened, 
according  to  her  own  relation,  by  the  public  ministry  of  the  word,  but  by 
her  own  private  meditations  and  revelations;  another  was  that  she  clearly 
discerned  her  justification,  according  to  her  own  confession,  but  little  or 
nothing  at  all  her  sanctification:  A  third  was,  that  she  was  more  sharply 
censorious  about  the  states  and  hearts  of  other  j^eople,  than  the  "self-judging 
servants  of  God"  used  to  be.    And  now  attend  the  issue  I 

§  9.  At  last  full  proof  was  obtained  that  this  gentlewoman  was  not  the 
Priscilla  pretended,  but  rather  deserving  the  name  of  the  prophetess  in 
the  church  of  Thyatira;  it  was  proved  that  more  than  a  score  of  Anti- 


Hi* 


518 


MAQNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


iiomian  and  familistical  errors  had  been  held  forth  by  her,  and  the  church 
was  resolved  that  she  should  no  more  seduce  the  servants  of  the  Lord.  The 
admonitions  of  the  church  were  by  the  elders,  according  to  the  rule  of  the 
gospel,  given  unto  her;  and  after  many  endeavours  of  Mr.  Cotton  to  con- 
vince her,  she  did  seem  to  be  convinced  of  her  many  erroneous  ways, 
both  in  judgment  and  practice ;  therewithal  presenting  under  her  own  hand, 
before  the  whole  church  of  Boston — yea,  before  many  churches  then  assem- 
bled at  the  lecture  in  Boston — a  recantation  of  them.  Nevertheless,  under 
such  an  infatuation  of  pride  she  was,  that  whilst  the  church  was  debating 
about  this  recantation,  she  did  with  a  strange  confidence  and  impudence 
assert,  "that  she  never  was  really  of  any  opinion  contrary  to  the  declara- 
tion she  had  now  made."  However,  some  of  her  expressions  had  been 
misconstrued :  whereupon  many  witnesses  arose,  which  demonstrated  her 
guilty  of  gross  lying  in  that  assertion :  and  that  caused  Mr.  Cotton  to  say, 
that  her  case  was  now  altered:  for  being  now  convicted  of  lying,  he 
thought  she  was  to  be  cast  out  with  them  that  "love  and  make  a  lie."  So, 
with  the  full  consent  of  the  church,  the  sentence  of  excommunication  was 
passed  upon  her. 

§  10.  But  the  seditions  raised  in  the  country  by  the  means  of  this  Vir- 
ago, procured  the  animadversions  of  the  court,  as  well  as  the  church  upon 
her;  before  which  being  brought,  she  made  a  canting  harrangue  about 
her  "immediate  revelations;"  concluding  her  speech  with  these  words: 

"I  will  give  you  one  placts  more  which  the  Lord  brought  to  mo  by  immediate  revelations; 
and  that  doth  concern  you  all ;  it  is  in  Dan.  vi. :  ♦  When  the  presidents  and  princes  could  find 
nothing  against  him,  because  he  was  faithful,  they  sought  matter  against  him  concerning  the 
law  of  his  God,  to  cast  him  into  the  lion's  den.'  So  it  was  revealed  unto  me,  that  they 
should  plot  against  me ;  but  the  Lord  bid  mo  not  fear,  for  lie  that  delivered  Daniel  and  the 
three  children,  his  hand  was  not  shortned.  And  see  this  Scripture  this  day  fultillcd  in  mine 
eyes;  therefore  tiike  heed  what  you  go  about  to  do  unto  mo;  l\)r  you  have  no  power  over 
my  body,  neither  can  you  do  me  any  harm ;  for  I  lyn  in  the  hands  of  the  Eternal  Jehovah  my 
Saviour;  I  am  at  his  appointment;  the  bounds  of  my  habitiition  are  cast  in  heaven;  I  fear 
none  but  the  great  Jehovah,  who  hath  foretold  mo  of  these  things;  and  I  do  verily  believe 
that  he  will  deliver  mo,  and  this  by  miracle,  out  of  your  hands.  Therefore  take  heed  how 
you  proceed  against  me;  for  I  know  that,  for  this  you  go  about  to  do  to  me,  God  will  ruin 
you,  and  your  posterity,  and  this  whole  stjite." 

She  also  insisted  much  upon  that  Scripture,  "Tho'  I  make  a  full  end  of 
all  nations,  yet  will  I  not  make  a  full  end  of  thee."  But  the  court  put  an 
end  to  her  vapouring  talk;  and  finding  no  hope  of  reclaiming  her  from 
her  scandalous,  dangerous  and  enchanting  extravagancies,  ordered  her  to 
depart  out  of  the  colony:  so  she  went  first  into  Rhode  Island;  but  not 
liking  to  stay  there,  she  removed  her  family  unto  a  Dutch  plantation  called 
ITebgate;  where,  within  a  little  while,  the  Indians  trcai'liLTously  and  bar- 
barously murthered  them,  to  the  number  of  sixteen  persons,  on  the  ouoti- 
sion  of  a  quarrel  they  had  with  the  Dutch  thereabouts;  and  made  an  end 
of  scarce  any  but  her  family  among  all  tho  neighbour  nations. 


svup 
agaii 
genii 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


519 


the  church 
Lord.     Tlie 
rule  of  the 
ton  to  coii- 
eous  ways, 
own  hauJ, 
hen  asseiu- 
iless,  under 
IS  debating 
impudence 
be  declara- 
had  been 
itrated  her 
ton  to  say, 
lying,  lie 
lie."    So, 
'cation  was 

'  this  Vir- 
irch  upon 
jue  about 
words : 

revelations: 
!s  could  find 
icerning  tlio 
e,  that  they 
ilel  nnd  the 
lied  in  mine 
power  over 
EuovAH  my 
iven ;  I  fear 
lily  believe 

hoed  how 
d  will  ruin 

II  end  of 
't  put  an 
lier  from 
d  her  to 

but  not 
)n  called 
ind  bar- 
lie  ocoa- 

an  end 


§  11.  While  these  things  were  managing,  there  happened  some  very 
6viiprizing^)roc^/(jrtes,  which  were  lookt  upon  as  testimonies  from  Heaven, 
against  the  ways  of  those  greater  prodigies,  the  sectaries.    The  erroiieous 
(jaillewoman  her  self,  convicted  of  holding  about  thirty  monstrous  opinions, 
growing  big  with  child,  and  at  length  coming  to  her  time  of  travail,  was 
delivered  of  about  thirty  monstrous  births  at  once;  whereof  some  were 
bigger,  some  were  lesser;  of  several  figures;  few  of  any  perfect,  none  of 
any  humane  shape.    This  was  a  thing  generally  then  asserted  and  believed; 
whereas,  by  some  that  were  eye-witnesses,  it  is  affirmed  that  these  were 
no  more  monstrous  births,  than  what  it  is  frequent  for  women,  labouring 
with,  false  conceptions,  to  produce.     Moreover,  one  very  nearly  related  unto 
this  gentlewoman,  and  infected  with  her  heresies,  was  on  October  17, 1637, 
delivered  of  as  hideous  a  monster  as  perhaps  the  sun  ever  lookt  upon.    It 
had  no  head:  the  face  was  below  upon  the  breast:  the  ears  were  like  an 
a{)e's,  and  grew  upon  the  shoulders;  the  eyes  and  mouth  stood  far  out; 
the  nose  was  hooking  upwards;  the  breast  and  back  were  full  of  short 
prickles,  like  a  thorn-back;  the  navel,  belly,  and  the  distinction  of  sex, 
which  was  female,  were  in  the  place  of  the  hips;  and  those  back-parts 
were  on  the  same  side  with  the  face ;  the  arms,  hands,  thighs  and  legs, 
were  as  other  childrens;  but  instead  of  toes,  it  had  on  each  foot  three 
claws,  with  taleons  like  a  fowl:  I'pon  the  back  above  the  belly  it  had  a 
couple  of  great  holes  like  mor  ihs;  and  in  each  of  them  stood  out  a  couple 
of  pieces  of  llesh ;  it  had  no  fo.'ehead,  but  above  the  eyes  it  had  four  horns; 
two  of  above  an  inch  long,  hard  and  sharp ;  and  the  other  two  somewhat 
less.    The  midwife  was  one  strofigly  suspected  of  witchcrafi;  and  a  prime 
Familist:  thro'  whose  witchcrafts  probably  it  came  to  pass  that  most  of 
the  women  present  at  the  travel  were  suddenly  taken  with  such  a  violent 
vomiting  and  purging,  tho'  they  had  neither  eaten  nor  drunken  any  thing 
to  occasion  it,  that  they  were  forced  immediately  to  go  home:  others  had 
tiieir  children  so  taken  with  convulsions,  which  they  never  had  before  or 
after,  that  they  also  were  sent  for  home  immediately ;  whence  none  were 
left  at  the  time  of  the  monster's  birth,  but  the  midwife  and  two  more, 
wliereof  one  was  fallen  asleep :  and  about  the  time  of  the  monster's  death, 
which  was  two  hours  before  his  birth,  such  an  odd  shake  was  by  invisible 
luaids  given  to  the  bed  as  terrify'd  the  standers-by.    It  was  buried  with- 
out noise  of  its  monstrosity;  but  it  being  whispered  a  few  days  after  about 
the  town,  the  magistrates  ordered  the  opening  of  the  grave,  whereby  there 
was  discovered  this 

Monstrum,  horrendutn,  in  forme,  ingena.* 

But  of  this  monster,  good  reader,  let  us  talk  no  further:  for  at  this 
instant  I  find  an  odd  passage  in  a  letter  of  the  famous  Mr.  Thomas 
Hooker  about  this  matter;  namely,  this:  "While  I  was  thus  musing,  and 

*  A  monster,  hidoouR,  ahapolosa,  huge,— Viroiu 


If 


'I 


;i 


J 


'^  !  , 

111* 


!  I 


UH 


520 


MAONALIA    CURISTI    AMERICANA; 


thus  writing,  my  study  where  I  was  writing,  and  the  chamber  where  my 
wife  was  sitting,  shook,  as  we  thought,  with  an  earthquake,  by  the  space 
of  half  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  We  both  perceived  it,  and  presently  went 
down.  My  maid  in  the  kitchen  observed  the  same.  My  wife  said,  it  was 
the  devil  that  was  displeased  that  we  confer  about  this  occasion." 

§  12.  It  was  but  a  few  years  after  these  things — namely,  in  the  year 
1643 — that  the  government  of  Barbadoes,  being  disturbed  by  such  turbu- 
lent and  tumultuous  Familists  as  those  which  now  pestered  New-En '^1  and, 
were  forced  by  their  outrages  to  sentence  them  with  banishment.  Nor 
must  it  be  made  a  reproach,  if  New-England  also  ordered  a  sort  of  banish- 
ment for  these  intoxicated  sectaries,  who  began  to  deny  or  degrade  the 
magistracy  of  the  country,  and  call  the  king  of  England,  "the  king  of 
Babylon;''^  but  you  shall  hear  the  efifect  of  that  procedure.  Being  advised 
of  an  island  beyond  Cape-Cod,  and  near  the  Narraganset-Bay,  they  fairly 
purchased  it  of  the  natives;  thither  they  transplanted  themselves  with  their 
families;  in  this  transplantation,  accompanied  by  many  others  of  their  own 
uncertainty  in  religion,  who  yet  had  not  come  under  any  censures  of  either 
the  court  or  the  church  for  their  misdemeanours.  Having  peopled  this 
island,  now  known  by  the  name  of  Rhode-Island,  they  swarmed  over  unto 
the  main,  where  they  also  purchased  some  tracts  of  land,  now  covered  with 
the  two  towns  of  Providence  and  Warwick;  for  all  of  which  they  obtained 
at  last  a  charter  from  King  Charles  II.,  with  ample  priviledges.  I  cannot 
learn  that  the  first  planters  of  this  colony  were  agreed  in  any  one  prin- 
ciple so  much  as  this,  "  that  they  were  to  give  one  another  no  disturbance 
in  the  exercise  of  religion;"  and  tho'  th^  have  sometimes  had  some  dif- 
ference among  them,  as  to  the  exercise  of  that  principle  also,  I  believe 
there  never  was  held  such  a  variety  of  religions  together  on  sr>  small  a  spot 
of  ground  as  have  been  in  that  colony.  It  has  been  a  colluvies  of  Antino- 
mians,  Familists,  Anabaptists,  Anti-sabbatarians,  Arminians,  Socinians, 
Quakers,  Ranters,  every  thing  in  the  world  but  Roman  Catholicks,  and 
real  Christians,  tho'  of  the  latter^  I  hope,  there  have  been  more  than  of  tho 
former  among  them;  so  that,  if  a  man  had  lost  his  religion,  he  might  find  it 
at  the  general,  muster  of  opinionists!  'Tis  a  good  piece  of  antiquity  that 
Josephus  has  given  us,  when  he  tells  us  the  consequences  of  Nehemiah's 
chasing  away  a  son  of  Jojnda,  the  son  of  Eliash  the  high-priest,  for  marry- 
ing the  daughter  of  Sanballat  the  Heronite,  the  chief  person  among  the 
Samaritans.  The  futher-in-law  of  this  Menasses  (for  it  seems  that  was  his 
name)  built  a  temple  on  Gcrizzim,  in  opposition  to  that  at  Jerusalem,  and 
obtained  a  charter  from  the  kings  of  Persia  for  the  encouragement  thereof, 
that  HO  his  daughter  Nicasso  (for  so  she  was  called)  might  not  lose  her 
husband,  who  was  thus  made  a  Metropolitan.  After  this  time,  all  that 
were  indicted  for  crimes  at  Jerusalem,  would  fly  to  Gerizziui,  and  Sichcm 
was  now  the  common  receptacle  and  sanctuary  of  Jewish  oft'onders:  This 
— as  R.  Abrah.  Zaccuth  tells  us — "this  was  the  beginning  of  hercsiil" 


say, 
The  I 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


521 


where  my 
T  the  space 
ently  went 
laid,  it  was 

I  the  year 
iich  turbu- 
'■■Eno-laad, 
ent.     Nor 
of  banish- 
grade  the 
e  king  of 
g  advised 
hey  fairly 
with  their 
their  own 
>  of  either 
>pled  this 
3ver  unto 
ered  with 
obtained 
I  cannot 
3ne  prin- 
Jturbance 
some  dif- 
E  believe 
all  a  spot 
*  Antino- 
ocinians, 
cks,  and 
m  of  the 
ht  find  it 
iity  that 
tieniiah's 
[•  marry- 
long  tlie 
was  his 
em,  and 
thereof, 
lose  her 
nil  that 
Sichoin 
s;  This 
eroaicl" 


And  now,  with  some  allusion  to  that  piece  of  antiquity,  I  may  venture  to 
say,  that  Ehode-Island  has  usually  been  the  Gerizzim  of  New-England. 
The  island  is  indeed,  for  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  the  temperateness  of  the 
air,  the  commodiousness  of  scituation,  the  best  garden  of  all  the  colonies ; 
ana  \7ere  it  free  from  serpents,  I  would  have  called  it,  "the  paradise  of  New- 
Engiand;"  but  the  number  of  sensible  and  ingenious  gentlemen,  whereof 
tliere  are  some  upon  the  island,  will  find  it  hard  enough  to  rescue  it  from  an 
extream  danger  of  that  character,  Bona  Terra,  Mala  Gens.*  The  condition 
of  the  rising  generation  upon  that  island,  is  indeed  exceeding  lamentable! 
Lactantius  complains  of  Arcesilaus,  that  having  much  considered  the  contra- 
dictions of  the  philosophers  one  unto  another,  at  last  he  contemned  them  all, 
and  instituted  a  new  philosophy,  of  not  philosophising  at  all.  The  former 
generation  of  Rhode-Islanders  is  now  generally  gone  off  the  stage ;  and  all 
the  messengers  which  the  churches  of  the  Massachuset-colony,  whereto  any 
of  them  did  belong,  sent  with  admonitions  after  them,  could  reclaim  very 
few  of  them;  the  rising  generation,  confounded  by  the  contradictions  in  reli- 
gion among  their  parents,  and  under  many  horrible  temptations,  and  under 
some  unhappy  tendencies  to  be  of  no  religion  at  all;  and  when  the  ministers 
of  this  province  have  several  times,  at  their  own  united  expences,  employ'd 
certain  .,  n<«!ters  of  the  gospel,  to  make  a  chargeless  tender  of  preacliing 
the  wor  ig  them,  this  charitahle  offer  of  ministers  has  been  refused; 

tho'  it  s,. ...  i,iiey  are  now  beginning  to  embrace  it;  the  indefatigable,  and 
evangelical,  and  very  laudable  industry  of  Mr.  John  Danforth,  the  minister 
of  Dorchester,  has,  with  the  blessing  of  our  Lord  thereupon,  overcome  a 
number  of  them,  not  only  to  hear  the  gospel  from  a  worthy  young  preacher, 
Mr.  Nathaniel  Clap,  sent  thither,  but  also  to  build  a  meeting-house  for  that 
purpose;  yea,  and  the  liberal  merchants  of  Boston  have,  in  this  present 
year  1695,  been  exemplary,  by  their  bearing  the  expences  of  ministers 
which  we  have  sent  forth  to  make  tenders  of  the  gospel  unto  other  Pagan- 
izing plantations  on  the  Main  belonging  to  that  colony;  albeit  some  of 
those  tenders  also  have  been  scandalously  rejected  by  the  inhabitants.  If 
I  should  now  launch  forth  into  a  narrative  of  the  marvellous  lewd  things 
which  have  been  done  and  said  by  the  giddy  sectaries  of  this  island,  I 
confess  the  matter  would  be  agreeable  enough  to  the  nature  and  the  design 
of  a  church  history,  and  for  a  warning  unto  all  to  take  heed  how  they  for- 
sake the  word  of  God  and  his  ordinances  in  the  societies  of  the  faitliful, 
and  follow  the  conduct  oineiv  lights,  that  are  no  more  than  so  many  /oo/'s- 
fires  in  tho  issue;  but  the  merriment  arising  from  the  ridiculous  and 
extravagant  occurrences  therein,  would  not  be  agreeable  to  the  gravity  of 
such  an  history.  Wherefore  I  forbear  it;  only  wishing  that  the  people  of 
this  island  may  effectually  feci  the  favourable  influences  and  protections 
of  the  crown  of  England,  extended  unto  them,  inasmuch  as  the  ridiculously 
comical  expressions  of  their  lute  address  to  tho  Queen,  January  30,  1089, 

*  A  |{oodIy  land,  a  bod  people. 


V 


HM 


ill 
•  \  i: 


"'\ 


:lffM 


522 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMESICANA; 


are,  "  May  it  please  your  excellent  majesty :  we  humbly  petition  your  most 
excellent  majestie's  grace  and  favour  towards  us  your  most  humble  sub- 
jects and  supplicants,  that  you  would  please,  being  Pater  Patrice*  to 
extend  your  faOierhj  care,  in  granting  a  confirmation  to  our  charter." 
Whereupon  they  add,  "Your  transcendant  love  and  favour  extended 
towards  us,  hath  so  radicated  it  self  in  our  hearts,  never  to  be  forgotten, 
that  it  obliges  us  to  offer  up  our  selves,  lives,  and  fortunes,  to  be  at  your 
intyesty's  service,  beyond  the  power  of  any  command." 


land 
worlc 
fanat 
and 
so  ca 


CHAPTER     IV. 


i!  I 


I6NES  FATUI; 

OH,   THE  MOLESTATIONS  GIVEN  TO  THE  CHUrvOHES  OF   NEW-ENGLAND 
BY  THAT  ODD  SECT  OF  PEOPLR  CALLED  QUAKERS. 

AND  SOME  UNCOMFORTABLE  OCCURRENTS  RELATING  TO  A  SECT  OF  OTBER  AND  BETTER  PEOPLE. 

I 

Hteresea  non  dolemua  veniase,  quia  novimus  ease 
PrasdictaaA — Tertul. 

§  1.  If  the  churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  must  in  every  age  bo 
assaulted  by  hereticks,  acting  under  the  energy  of  that  old  ser2)ent,  who 
knowing  that  as  the  first  creation,  so  the  new  creation  begins  with  light^ 
hath  used  thousands  of  blinds  to  keep  a  saving  light  from  entring  into  the 
souls  of  men,  that  being  a  "people  of  wrong  understanding,  he  that  made 
thoin  shall  not  have  mercy  on  them ;"  it  must  be  expected  that  the  churches 
of  New-England  should  undergo  some  assaults  from  the  worst  of  heue- 
TU'KS  that  this  age  has  produced.  Now,  I  know  not  whether  the  sect 
which  hath  appeared  in  our  days  under  the  name  of  Quakers,  be  not  upon 
many  accounts  the  worst  of  hereticks;  for  in  Quakerism,  which  has  by 
some  been  called,  the  "sink  of  all  heresies,"  we  see  the  vomit  cast  out  in 
the  by-past  ages,  by  whose  kennels  of  seducers,  lick'd  up  again  for  a  new 
digi'stion^  and  once  more  exposed  for  the^JOJsoHi^fjrof  mankind;  though  it 
protends  unto  light^  yet  by  the  means  of  that  very  pretence  it  leavta  the 
bowildred  souls  of  men  "in  chains  unto  darkness,"  and  gives  them  up  to 
the  conduct  of  an  J'gnis  Fatuus:  but  this  I  know,  they  have  been  the 
most  venomous  of  all  to  the  churches  of  America.  The  beginning  of 
this  upMnrt  sect  has  been  declared,  by  one  who  was  a  ^«7?ar  of  it,  in  a 
pamphlet  written  in  the  year  1059,  where  this  passage  occurs:  "It  is  now 
about  seven  yeavs  since  the  Lord  raised  us  up:"  And  the  north  of  Kng- 

•  Kiilhcr  of  Ills  coiinlry. 

t  We  do  iiui  griuvo  thut  hvrasios  have  comn,  for  wo  Lnuw  tliiiy  wuru  predicted. 


(lie 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


523 


I  your  most 
umble  sub- 
Patrice*  to 
ir  charter." 
extended 
B  forgotten, 
be  at  your 


ENGLAND 


R  PEOPLE. 


erij  age  bo 
'rpent,  who 

with  light^ 
ig  into  the 

that  made 
e  churches 

t  of  HERE- 

r  the  sect 
B  not  upon 
ch  has  by 
ast  out  in 

for  a  new 
though  it 
leaves  the 
lem  up  to 

been  the 
inniiig  of 
•f  it,  in  a 

It  is  now 
1  of  Eng- 


land was  reckon'd  the  place  of  its  nativity.  Nevertheless,  I  can  tell  the 
world  that  the  first  Quakers  that  ever  were  in  the  world,  were  certain 
funaticks  here  in  our  town  of  Salem,  who  held  forth  almost  all  the  fancies 
and  whimsies  which  a  few  years  after  were  broached  by  them  that  were 
so  called  in  England,  with  whom  yet  none  of  ours  had  the  least  commu- 
nication :  except  my  reader  will  rather  look  for  the  first  Quakers  at  the 
Delphian  Oracle  upon  Parnassus,  [originally  perhaps  btijj^IsJ,  Parai-nahas^ 
i  e.,  Hiatus  Divinationis*]  where  the  usage  was,  for  a  certain  woman  sitting 
upon  a  trijoos  over  a  cave,  to  be  possessed  with  a  dajmon,  in  the  Scripture 
called  Ob,  which  entring  into  her,  she  was  immediately  taken  wiih  an 
extraordinary  trembling  of  her  whole  body,  and  foaming  horribly,  there 
issued  from  her  the  projihecies  which  enchanted  all  the  world  into  a  venera- 
tion of  them.  Our  Salem  Quakers  indeed  of  themselves  died  childless; 
but  the  numbers  of  those  in  England  increasing,  they  did  in  the  year  lb57 
find  a  way  into  New-England,  where  they  first  infested  Plymouth  colony, 
and  were  for  a  while  most  unhappily  successful  in  seducing  the  people  not 
only  to  attend  unto  the  mystical  dispensations  of  the  light  within^  as  having 
the  whole  of  religion  contained  therein,  but  also  to  oppose  the  good  order, 
both  civil  and  sacred,  erected  in  the  colony.  Those  persons  in  the  Massa- 
chusets-colony,  whose  ofiice  it  was  to  be  watchmen  of  it,  were  much 
alarmed  at  the  approach  of  so  great  a  plague,  and  were  at  some  loss  how 
to  prevent  it,  and  avoid  it.  Although  Quakerism  has,  by  the  new-turn 
that  such  ingenious  men  as  Mr.  Penn  have  given  to  it,  become  quite  a 
new  thing;  yet  the  old  Foxian  Quakerism,  which  then  visited  New-Eng- 
land, was  the  grossest  collection  of  blasphemies  and  confusions  that  ever  was 
heard  of.  The  Christ  then  witnessed  by  the  Quakers  was  "a  certain 
heavenly,  divine  body,  constituted  of  invisible  flesh,  blood  and  bones,  in 
which  Christ  came  from  Heaven;  and  he  put  that  body  into  the  other 
body  of  our  nature,  which  he  took  of  the  Virgin,  and  that  outermost  body 
he  left  behind,  when  he  ascended  into  heaven,  nobody  knows  where;  and 
this  heavenly  and  spiritual  body"  (which  the  Quakers  at  length  evaporate 
into  a  n  ^et  mystical  dispensation,  and  at  last  it  is  nothing  but  that  excusing 
and  condemning  princi2)le  in  man  which  we  call  the  natural  conscience/) 
"is  the  Man  Christ,  a  measure  of  which  is  in  the  Quakers;  upon  which 
accounts  the  Quakers  made  themselves  to  be  Christ's  as  truly  as  ever  was 
Jesus  the  Son  of  Mary."  There  is  in  every  man  a  certain  excusing  and 
condemning  principle,  which  indeed  is  nothing  but  some  remainder  of  the 
divine  imnw,  left  by  the  compassion  of  God  upon  the  conscience  of  man 
?f^  r  his  fall;  and  this  principle  the  Quakers  called,  "a  measure  of  the 
Man  Christ— the  light,  the  seed,  the  word.^^  The  whole  history  of  the 
gospel  they  therefore  beheld  as  acted  over  again  every  day  as  literally  as 
ever  it  was  in  Palestine ;  and  what  befuls  this  principle  in  us,  they  ad- 
vanced as  the  truth  of  Christ  "sacrificed  for  us,  dying,  risen,  sitting  at  the 

*  A  cave  of  divination. 


11 


I  ,■ 


!    I 


!    1 


'iilMl 


■I 


524 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


1 


right  hand  of  God,  and  coming  in  clouds  to  judgment."  They  set  them- 
selves hereupon  to  extinguish  our  whole  Christian  religion,  for  these  airy 
notions  to  succeed  in  the  room  thereof;  they  scoffed  at  "our  imagined 
God  beyond  the  stars;"  and  said,  "your  carnal  Christ  is  utterly  denied 
by  the  light;"  the  express  words  in  the  preachments  of  these  "Quaking 
holders-forth"  (as  'tis  in  print  attested  by  some  of  themselves  that  had  so 
much  Christianity  as  to  leave  them  upon  the  scandal  of  it)  have  been:  "it 
is  the  work  of  the  devil  to  cause  people,  that  have  profest  the  appearance 
of  Christ  in  the  heart,  to  respect  the  person  without  them."  And,  "it  is 
a  delusion  to  direct  the  minds  of  the  people  to  respect  Christ,  as  he  is  now 
in  heaven  above  the  clouds."  They  stiled  those  "blind  beasts  and  liars, 
who  should  say  that  the  Scriptures  reveal  God;"  and  affirmed  it,  "the 
greatest  error  in  the  world,  and  the  ground  of  all  errors,  to  say,  the  Scrip- 
tures are  a  rule  for  Christians."  "^hey  said,  "that  the  Scripture  does  not 
tell  people  of  a  Trinity,  nor  three  persons  in  God,  but  that  those  three 
persons  are  brought  in  by  the  Pope."  They  held,  "that  justification  by 
that  righteousness,  which  Christ  fulfilled  in  his  own  person  without  us,  is 
a  doctrine  of  devils."  They  held,  "that  they  that  believe  in  Christ  are  not 
miserable  sinners,  nor  do  those  things  they  ought  not  to  do."  They  said, 
"if  the  bodies  of  men  rise  again,  then  there  is  a  pre-eminence  in  the  bodies 
of  men  above  the  bodies  of  beasts,  which  is  to  give  Solomon  the  lie." 
They  said,  "they  are  like  to  be  deceived,  who  are  expecting  that  Christ's 
second  coming  will  be  personal."  They  said,  "those  things  called  ordi- 
nances— as  baptism,  bread  and  wine — rose  from  the  Pope's  invention." 
They  said,  "as  for  that  called  the  Lord's  day,  people  do  not  understand 
what  they  say;  every  day  is  the  Lord's  day."  And  for  prayer  it  self,  they 
said,  "all  must  cease  from  their  own  words,  and  from  their  own  time,  and 

learn  to  be  silent,  until  the  Spirit  give  them  utterance."    They  said 

But  it  would  be  endless  to  enumerate  their  heresies;  what  we  have  already 
enumerated  is  enough  to  astonish  us;  in  all  of  which  I  solemnly  protest 
unto  the  reader  that  I  have  not  wronged  them  at  all,  but  kept  close  to 
their  own  printed  words.  Reader,  thou  canst  not  behold  these  heresies 
without  the  exclamation  ordinarily  used  by  the  blessed  Polycarp,  when  he 
heard  any  such  matters  uttered:  "Good  God,  unto  what  times  hast  thou 
reserved  me  "  The  zeal  of  the  Massachuset-colony,  to  preserve  themselves 
from  the  annoyances  of  such  a  blasphemous  and  confused  generation  of 
men,  caused  them  to  make  sharp  laws  against  them,  in  hopes  that  the  terror 
thereby  given  to  these  evil  doers  would  keep  them  from  any  invasion 
upon  the  colony.  But  "they  must  needs  go  whom  the  devil  drives;" 
these  devil-driven,  creatures  did  but  the  more  furiously  push  themselves 
upon  the  government,  for  the  sharp  which  had  been  turned  upon  them ; 
whereupon  the  government  unhappily  proceeuod  unto  the  execution  of 
the  laws  in  scourging,  and  then  banishing,  and  (upon  their  mad  return) 
executing  three  or  four  of  the  chief  offenders:  but  they  considered  these 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


525 


wretches,  Non  qua  errones,  sed  qua  Turhones*  in  thus  proceeding  against 
them.  If  the  reader  enquire  with  what  spirit  they  died,  I  must  sincerely 
say  that,  as  far  as  I  can  learn,  they  show'd  little  enough  of  the  spirit  of 
martyrdom.  They  died  not  like  the  true  martyrs  of  Jesus  Christ,  with 
the  "glorious  spirit  of  God  resting"  on  them.  A  fierce,  a  raging,  a  sullen, 
and  a  revengeful  spirit,  and  a  degree  of  madness  rather  inspired  them; 
nor  is  the  fallacious  history  of  Gerard  Croese  concerning  these  matters  to 
be  credited. 

§  2.  A  great  clamour  hath  been  raised  against  New-England  for  their 
"persecution  of  the  Quakers;"  and  if  any  man  will  appear  in  the  vindica- 
tion of  it,  let  him  do  as  he  please ;  for  my  part,  I  will  not.  I  am  verily 
perswaded  these  miserable  Quakers  would  in  a  little  while  (as  we  have 
now  seen)  have  come  to  nothing,  if  the  civil  magistrate  had  not  inflicted 
any  civil  penalty  upon  them;  nor  do  I  look  upon  haereticide  as  an  evan- 
gelical imy  for  the  extinguishing  of  heresies;  but  rather  say,  with  the 
judicious  Hommius,  Magistratus,  propter  solum  hcereseos  crimen,  non  quern- 
quam  occidat,  nisi  forte  horrendve  atque  intolerandce  in  deum  blasphemioi,  vel 
manifestce  seditionis  crimen  acccdat.f  'Tis  true,  these  Quakers  did  manifest 
an  intolerable  contempt  of  authority,  and  needlessly  pull  upon  themselves 
a  vengeance,  from  which  the  authority  would  gladly  have  released  them, 
if  they  would  have  accepted  of  a  release;  but  it  is  also  true,  that  they 
were  madmtn — a  sort  of  lunaticks,  dcemoniachs  and  energumens:  He  was  a 
wise  and  a  good  counsellor  in  Plymouth-Colony  who  propounded,  "that 
a  law  might  be  made  for  the  Quakers  to  have  their  heads  shaved;"  the 
punishment,  I  confess,  was  in  some  sort  capital:  but  it  would  have  been 
the  best  remedy  for  them;  it  would  have  both  shamed  and  curVZ  them: 
Or  perhaps  the  punishment  which  A.  Gellius  reports  the  Eomans  on  cer- 
tain special  occasions  usud  upon  their  soldiers,  namely,  "to  let'em  bleed," 
had  been  very  agreeable  for  these  Quakers.  A  Bethlehem  seems  to  have 
been  fitter  for  them  than  a  galloivs.  Nevertheless,  I  am  not  unwilling  to 
transcribe  one  pahsnge  on  this  occasion,  that  so  my  reader,  upon  the  whole, 
may  proceed  unto  what  censure  he  shall  please  to  bestow  upon  the  matter. 

It  shall  be  a  few  lines  of  "A  Declaration  of  the  General  Court  of  the 
Massachusets,"  held  at  Boston  October  18,  1659,  published  for  the  satii?- 
foction  of  the  people,  a  great  part  of  whom  were  much  dissatisfied  at  what 
had  been  done: 

"About  llirep  yeas  since,  diverse  persons  professing  tlieniselves  Quakers,  (of  wliose  per- 
nieious  opinions  and  praetiees  we  lind  received  intelligence  froin  good  hands)  both  from 
Barbados  and  England,  arrived  at  Boston,  whose  persons  were  only  secured  to  be  sent  away 
by  the  lirst  opportunity,  without  censure  or  punishment,  although  their  professed  tenets, 
turbulent  and  contemptuous  behaviour  to  authority,  would  have  justified  ii  severer  uninind- 
vorsiou. — A  law  was  lUiulc  and  published,  prohibiting  all  masters  of  ships  to  bring  any 

*  Not  08  iTi'orliils,  but  ns  ilostroyprs. 

t  lii'tiuiinimlsitmU'  tiilii'  lln'  liCiMif  nnofrcmli'i'  >>iiU'lyri]i'  llu'  cilinonf  ht'roBy:  bill  only,  when  to  licrenyiiiudded 
tome  bui'i'iblu  uiiil  iiu'UIIV'iablu  bliiti()lu'iiiy  iiUHliial  (iuJ,  or  i>|)i'U  «i'dlliuii  agnliiiil  (liu  mule. 


^  H 

ill  1 

1    1 

1       f 

•    If 

i 

'  n 

ll 

,  4 

^  ■', 

'j 

■I 

■  ) 
■i 

'i; 

iS' 

'■  i. 

i!^ 

'lit 

i     ■■ 

^} 

M: 

i'    ' 

"■; 

1  >  ■] :,' 


,;  I 


iw 


o26 


MAGNALIA    C1IRIS7:     AMERICANA; 


■if 
111" 

■•■'  8 


iil 


ill 
ill 


I   : 


Quakers  into  this  jurisdiction,  and  tliemselves  from  coining  in,  on  penalty  of  the  house  of 
correction,  till  they  could  be  sent  away.  Notwithstanding  which,  by  a  back'door  they  found 
entrance ;  and  the  penalty  inflicted  on  tliem  proving  insufiiciunt  to  restrain  their  impudent 
and  insolent  obtrusions,  was  increased — which  also  being  too  weak  a  defence  against  their 
impetuous  and  fanutick  fury,  necessitated  us  to  endeavour  our  security;  and  upon  serious 
consideration,  a  law  was  made  that  such  persons  should  be  banished  on  fain  (^  death,  accord- 
ing  to  the  example  of  England,  in  their  provision  against  Jesuites;  which  sentence  being 
regularly  pronounced,  at  the  lust  Court  of  Assistants  against  these  parties,  and  they  either 
returning,  or  continuing  presumptuously  in  this  jurisdiction  after  the  time  limited,  were 
apprehended,  and  owning  themselves  to  be  the  persons  banished,  were  sentenced  by  the 
Court  to  death — which  hath  been  executed  upon  two  of  them.  M.  D.,  upon  the  intercession 
of  a  son,  had  liberty  to  depart,  and  accepted  of  it. — The  consideration  of  our  gradual  pro- 
ceedings,  will  vindicate  us  from  the  clamorous  accusations  of  severity.  Our  own  just  and 
necessary  defence  calling  upon  us  (other  means  fulling)  to  offer  the  point,  which  these 
persons  have  violently  and  wilfully  rushed  upon,  and  thereby  become  felones  de  se,* — as  well 
as  the  sparing  of  one,  upon  an  inconsiderable  intercession,  will  manifestly  evince  we  desire 
their  lives  absent,  rather  than  their  deaths  present." 

Thus  the  declaration.  Eeader,  if  this  also  will  further  alleviate  the  busi- 
ness, I  must  not  conceal  it;  that  it  was  very  enraging  unto  the  zeal  of 
those  godly  men,  who  then  govern'd  us,  to  hear  these  wretches  ordinarily 
saying  among  the  people,  "We  deny  thy  Christ!  We  deny  thy  God,  which 
thou  callest  Father,  Son  and  Spirit  1  Thy  Bible  is  the  word  of  the  devil !" 
And  the  spirit  of  that  crew  was  yet  more  provoking,  pernicious  and  per- 
rillous,  as  one  of  them  has  discovered  it  in  a  writing  published,  "Against 
all  earthly  powers,  parliaments,  laws,  charters,  magistrates  and  princes." 
George  Fox,  who,  of  a  shoemaker,  became  the  grand  apostle  of  the  Quakers, 
tho'  he  were  unable  to  write  common  sense,  yet  wrote  several  pamphlets; 
in  one  of  which  (entituled  ^^ Papers  given  forth,^^)  he  bitterly  inveigh'd 
against  those  who  "doated  on  an  earthly  king;"  and  added,  "Neither  do 
you  read  that  there  were  any  kings  since  the  Apostles'  days,  but  among 
the  apostate  Christians  and  the  false  church."  And  one,  who  yet  calls 
himself  a  Quaker,  hath  lately  so  far  forsaken  them,  as  to  publish  a  dis- 
covery of  the  horrible  doings  that  he  hath  found  among  his  friends;  and 
he  particularly  proves,  that  they  do  not  own  any  government  for  GocVs 
ordinance,  but  that  of  those  who  witness  to  their  light  within;  and  that 
they  call  every  other  government — consisting  of  rulers,  judges,  justices, 
lawyers,  and  constables — a  "  tree  that  must  be  cut  down,"  for  the  light  alone 
to  rule.  I  appeal  to  all  the  reasonable  part  of  mankind,  whether  the  infant 
colonies  of  New  England  had  not  cause  to  guard  themselves  against  these 
dangerous  villeins.  It  was  also  thought  that  the  very  Quakers  themselves 
would  say,  that  if  they  had  got  into  a  corner  of  the  world,  and  with  an 
immense  toyl  and  charge  made  a  wilderness  habitable,  on  purpose  there 
to  be  undisturbed  in  the  exercises  of  their  worship,  they  would  never  bear 
to  have  New-Englanders  come  among  them,  and  interrupt  their  public 
worship,  and  endeavour  to  seduce  their  children  from  it,  yea,  and  repeat 

*  Guilty  of  Hiiiclde. 


such 
oblig 
the  o 
the! 


il  I 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


527 


the  house  of 
>or  they  found 
heir  impudent 

against  their 

upon  serious 
death,  accord- 
mtence  being 
id  they  either 
limited,  were 
;enced  by  the 
e  intercession 
gradual  pro- 
Bwn  just  and 

which  these 
se,* — as  well 
ce  we  desire 

be  the  busi- 
he  zeal  of 

ordinarily 
rod,  which 
he  devil!" 
i  and  per- 
,  "Against 
princes." 
e  Quakers, 
)amph]ets; 

inveigh'd 
"Neither  do 
'Ut  among 
>  yet  calls 
'lish  a  dis- 
ends;  and 

for  God's 

and  that 
,  justices, 
'i(/ht  alone 
the  infant 
in  St  these 
lemselves 
\  with  an 
osc  there 
ever  bear 
ir  public 
id  repeat 


such  endeavours  after  mild  entreaties  first,  and  then  just  banishments,  to 
oblige  their  departure.  What  shall  I  say?  There  was  the  phrensie  of 
the  old  circuincellions  in  those  Quakers ;  and  according  to  that  passage  of 
the  Tragedian  in  his  ^^  Hercules  Furtns,"  Solus  ie  jam  prcestare  potest  furor, 
insontem*  I  must  say  upon  the  mad  subjects  of  these  tragedies:  If  they 
had  not  been  mml,  they  had  been  worthy  to  die.  But  I  will  inform  the 
world  of  a  better  vindication  for  my  country  than  all  this;  namely,  that 
they  did  by  a  solemn  act  afterwards  renounce  whatever  laws  are  against  a 
just  "  liberty  of  conscience."  I  would  also  entreat  the  world,  that  they 
would  not  be  too  ready  to  receive  all  stories  told  by  the  Quakers  about 
their  New-England  persecidion;  because  the  Quakers  have  in  print  com- 
plained of  a  New-England  persecution  upon  two  women  of  their  sect,  who 
came  stark  naked  as  ever  they  were  born  into  our  publick  assemblies,  and 
they  were  {baggages  that  they  were !)  adjudged  unto  the  whipping  post  for 
that  piece  of  devilism.  Their  stories  about  the  sufferings  are  as  little  to  be 
credited,  as  their  stories  about  their  miracles;  and  particularly  that  of 
George  Fox  having  the  "gift  of  tongues;"  because  that  proud  fool,  who 
could  scarce  write  his  name,  hath  set  his  name  to  a  book  of  above  thirty 
languages,  [called  ^^The  Battledoor,''']  when  it  was  afterwards  found  that 
certain  Jews  were  hired  to  do  that  work,  and  had  fourscore  pounds  for 
their  pains,  and  a  dozen  bottles  of  wine  over  and  above. 

§  3.  The  more  sensible  sort  of  men,  that  go  under  the  name  of  Quakers, 
finding  the  gross  heresies  of  the  old  Foxian-Quakerism  to  be  so  indefens- 
ible and  abominable  in  the  resentmen'^s  of  reasonable  people,  have  of  later 
time  set  themselves  to  refine  it  with  su'ih  concessions  and  confessions  of 
truth,  as  that  in  their  system  it  is  quite  another  thing  than  what  once  it  was. 
But  the  New-England  Quakerism,  in  those  nooks  of  the  country  where 
this  "choak-weed  of  Christianity"  yet  remains,  is,  as  far  as  I  can  under- 
stand, still  that  old  Foxian-Quakerism,  which  does  utterly  renounce  the 
letter  of  every  thing,  that  the  finer  sort  of  new  Quakers  are  compelled  now 
to  own  something  of;  nevertheless  these  new  Quakers  cover  their  senti- 
ments with  such  fallacious  and  ambiguous  expressions,  that  all  Fox's  gross 
Quakerism  can  be  at  once  either  asserted  or  denied,  under  those  "modes 
of  speaking,"  which  Penn,  Barclay,  Whitehead,  and  others  use  to  serve 
their  finer  hypothesis;  and  in  our  combates  with  them,  Difficilius  est  invenire 
quam  vincere.j"  There  was  one  Keith  particularly,  who  differed  almost  as 
much  from  the  generality  of  the  New-English  Quakers,  as  tve  that  perse- 
cuted them;  and  yet  he  did  such  an  unaccountable  thing,  as  to  appear  like 
a  champion  for  them,  in  opposition  to  the  churches  of  New-England,  until 
the  ministers  of  Boston  were  put  upon  publishing  of  divers  books  to  main- 
tain the  religion  of  our  churches  against  his  impetuous  batteries.  But  it 
came  to  pass,  that  afterwards  this  very  Keith  appeared  publickly  in  the 
Confutation  of  those  Quakers,  that  are  by  far  the  most  numerous  of  any 

*  MadnefR  nlnno  can  prove  thee  gulltloBS. — Seneca,  H.  F,  10B7. 

t  It  is  hurder  to  flud  their  muauing  than  to  confute  their  urguments. 


nH 


it 


Silll 


't : 


U^i 


t        r  I 


528 


MAGNALIA    CHBI8TI    AMERICANA; 


I 


m 


i? 


I 


so  denotniaated,  not.  only  in  New-England,  but  also.in  Pennsylvania.  In 
the  year  l(j94  he  printed  a  quarto  Treatise,  in  confutation  of  above  thirty 
[P'oss  errors,  commonly  held  among  them ;  and  his  testiynonies,  at  last,  pro- 
cured him  and  his  few  adherents  a  storm  of  persecution  from  the  Friends 
at  Pennsylvania,  who  had  formerly  made  such  tragical  outcries  against 
the  persecution  which  New-England  had  heretofore  used  upon  far  greater 
provocation.  By  the  same  token  that  an  Almanack  for  the  year  1694, 
composed  by  one  of  them,  has  this  article  of  chronology : 

Since  the  English  in  New-England  hanged  their  countrymen  for  religion,     .    .    Years  36. 
Since  at  Philtidelphia  some  did  little  less,  by  taking  awuy  goods,  and  imprisoning 
some,  and  condemning  others  without  trial,  for  religious  dissent, "       3. 

There  are  many  grounds  of  hope,  "that  the  days  of  prevailing  Quaker- 
ism will  be  but  threescore  years  and  ten;  and  if  by  reason  of  men's  weak- 
ness they  be  fourscore  years,  yet  the  strength  of  it  will  then  be  wasted,  it 
will  soon  be  cut  off  and  fly  away :"  And  among  those  grounds,  I  cannot 
but  reckon  the  alterations  which  the  sect  of  Quakers  do  experience,  not 
only  in  the  points  of  iheir  faith,  but  also  in  that  odd  symptom  of  quaking, 
which  by  its  using  to  arrest  the  bodies  of  their  converts,  gave  denomina- 
tion to  them;  for  as  one  of  their  o^vn  expresses  it,  "The  mighty  motions 
of  the  bodies  of  the  Friends  are  now  ceased,  and  Friends  are  still  cool  and 
quiet ;  the  shaking  and  quaking  of  Friends'  bodies  were  to  purge  out  sin ; 
but  the  stillness  being  come,  the  mind  is  brought  into  a  capacity  to  dis- 
cern the  voice  of  the  Lord."  And  indeed,  as  the  quaking  which  distin- 
guished these  poor  creatures,  was  a  symptom  of  diabolical  possession;  so, 
ere  I  dismiss  this  matter,  I  must  observe  to  my  reader,  that  there  could 
be  nothing  less  than  a  diabolical  possession,  in  many  other  things  that 
attended  and  advanced  Quakerism  at  its  first  appearance  in  the  world,  and 
that  are  in  some  sorts  of  Quakers  unto  this  day  to  be  exemplified.  It  was 
no  rare  thing  for  the  old  set  of  Quakers  to  proselyte  people  meerly  by 
stroaking  or  by  hrealhing  on  them;  they  had  so  sooner  used  some  such 
action  toward  such  as  they  had  a  design  upon,  but  the  bewitched  people 
would  behave  themselves  just  as  if  a  philtre  had  been  given  them,  and 
would  follow  their  converters  in  every  thing,  without  being  able  to  render 
any  reason  for  it.  And  there  is,  even  at  this  day,  a  crew  of  Quakers  called 
"Case's  crew,"  the  disciples  of  one  Tom  Case,  who  have  been  so  trouble- 
some and  vexatious,  even  to  the  other  Quakers  themselves,  that  they  have 
denied  these ;  but  of  this  prodigious  Tom  and  his  crew,  there  are  things 
well  known  throughout  this  country  that  I're  indeed  prodigiously  diabolical. 
'Tis  well  known,  that  some  of  those  wl.om  this  villain  had  "led  captive 
at  his  will,"  were  so  much  under  his  influence,  that  if,  upon  their  coming 
where  he  was,  he  fa.stned  his  eye  upon  'em,  they  would  presently  tremble, 
and  stagger,  and  fall,  and  foam  like  epileptical  persons,  and  roul  about 
upon  the  ground,  until  they  had  roul'd  themselves  unto  his  feet,  where  he 


did 

dev 
low 


the: 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


529 


Ivania.  In 
bove  thirt  J 
it  last,  pro- 
;be  Friends 
'ies  against 
far  greater 
year  1694, 

.    Years  36. 

"       3. 

ig  Quaker- 
ten's  weak- 
i  wasted,  it 
s,  I  cannot 
srience,  not 
of  quaking, 
denoraina- 
ty  motions 
11  cool  and 
ge  out  sin; 
ity  to  dis- 
ich  distin- 
wssioii;  so, 
acre  could 
hings  tliat 
world,  and 
It  was 
meerly  by 
ome  such 
icd  people 
them,  and 
to  render 
ers  called 
o  trouble- 
thei/  have 
iro  things 
liabolical. 
d  captive 
ir  coming 
r  tremble, 
Dul  about 
where  he 


did  what  he  pleased  unto  them.  I  am  well  acquainted  with  one  very 
devout  gentleman,  recovered  happily  from  the  captivity  wherein  this  fel- 
l(tw  for  many  years  had  held  the  soul  of  him,  who  has  assured  me  that  he 
was  himself  thus  epileptical  as  often  as  this  Elymas  would  please  with  his 
fascinating  eye  to  make  him  so,  but  never  any  such  way  affected  before 
or  after,  or  upon  any  other  occasion.  'Tis  well  known  that  this  villain, 
pretending  to  show  a  miracle,  did  but  look  upon  a  very  mad  bull,  one  per- 
haps as  mad  as  himself,  and  one  that  would  approach  no  man,  except  it 
were  to  mischief  him,  and  this  bull  would  come  tamely,  gently,  strangely 
to  him,  and  lick  his  hands  like  a  spaniel.  Nevertheless,  when  this  cox- 
comb once  attempted  the  miracle  of  a  resurrection  upon  a  dead  Friend, 
the  Friend,  it  seems,  was  not  in  a  disposition  to  rise  upon  his  calling  of  him. 

I  will  give  my  reader  the  entertainment  of  two  or  three  very  well  attested 
stories,  and  then  ask  his  leave  to  have  done  with  a  generation  which  it 
can  be  no  great  satisfaction  to  meddle  with. 

About  the  beginning  of  November,  1681,  a  man,  whose  name  was  Den- 
ham,  with  two  women,  all  belonging  to  Case's  crew,  went  unto  Southold 
upon  Long-Island,  where  they  met  with  one  Samuel  Banks,  of  Fairfield, 
the  most  blasphemous  wretch  in  the  world.  These  joining  together  with 
some  others  of  their  Bran  at  Southold,  went  into  the  company  of  one 
Thomas  Harris,  a  young  merchant  of  Boston,  who  had  before  this  been  a 
little  inclining  to  the  Quakers;  and  they  fell  to  dancing  and  singing  after 
their  devilish  manner  about  him.  After  some  time,  Thomas  Harris  fell 
to  dancing  and  singing  like  them,  and  speaking  of  extraordinary  raptures, 
and  calling  those  devils  that  were  not  of  this  religion,  and  a  perfect  imita- 
tion of  all  their  devilism.  When  he  had  shown  these  tokens  o(  conversion, 
as  they  accounted  it,  they  solemnly  admitted  him  into  their  society,  and 
one  of  them  thereupon  promised  him,  "henceforward  thy  tongue  shall  be 
as  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer,  to  declare  the  praises  of  our  Lord."  The 
young  man,  who  before  this  was  of  a  compos'd  behaviour,  now  ran  about 
with  an  odd  note  of  "joy!  joy!  joy!"  And  called  them  devils  that  any 
way  opposed  him,  and  said,  (more  than  he  intended)  "that  his  own  father 
was  a  devil!"  Quickly  after  this,  going  to  lodge  at  a  farm  not  far  off, 
where  dwelt  a  Quaker  of  the  same  sjnrit,  he  would  go  to  bed  before  the 
rest  of  the  family;  but  upon  another  young  man's  coming  to  him,  he  said 
he  must  get  up,  and  return  that  night  unto  Southold,  where  he  had  left 
his  company;  and  though  the  young  man  would  have  perswaded  him  to 
lye  still  until  day,  he  would  not  be  perswaded;  up  he  got,  and  went  his 
way.  Within  some  while  he  was  missing,  and  upon  enquiry  he  could  not 
be  heard  of,  only  his  hat  and  gloves  and  neckcloth  were  found  in  the  road 
from  the  flirm  to  the  town ;  two  days  after  which,  Banks  looking  into  a 
Bible,  suddenly  shut  it  again,  crying  out,  his  Iriend  Harris  was  dead.  On 
the  day  following,  Harris  was  found  by  the  sea-side,  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  from  the  place  where  his  appurtenances  had  been  found  before,  hav- 
VoL.  IL— 34 


1 1 


4 


I'-VI 


m'.i 


I 


•'■i  .1 


'hii 


1:^ 


■ii 


.  MV 


■^'1 


I 


680 


MAGNALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


ing  three  holes  like  stabs  in  his  throat,  and  no  tongue  in  his  head,  nor 
the  least  sign  thereof,  but  all  clear  to  his  neck-bone  within,  his  mouth 
close  shut,  and  one  of  his  eyes  hanging  down  upon  his  cheek  out  of  hiA 
head,  the  other  sunk  so  deep  in  his  head,  that,  although  it  was  whole  thero, 
it  was  hardly  to  be  come  at.  This  was  the  end  of  a  tongue  that  was  to 
be  "as  the  pen  of  a  ready  writer  1"  The  night  after  he  was  buried,  Colonel 
Young,  the  high  SheriflF,  as  himself  assured  me,  was  in  the  dead  of  the 
night  awaked  by  the  voice  of  this  Harris,  calling  very  loudly  at  his  win- 
dow, with  a  demand  of  him  to  see  justice  done  him;  the  voice  came  three 
times  that  night  with  the  like  demand;  and  the  night  after  it  came  into 
the  Colonel's  house,  close  to  his  bed-side,  very  loudly  repeating  of  it.  But 
the  author  of  the  murder  could  never  be  discovered  I 

About  a  year  or  two  before  this  tragical  accident,  there  was  another  not 
quite  so  tragical.  Some  of  Case's  crew  howled  a  young  woman  into  their 
company,  who  immediately  fell  to  railing  on  all  the  world,  and  then  to 
raving  at  such  a  rate,  that  several  persons  watched  her,  though  she  was 
now  grown  so  preternaturally  strong,  as  to  break  away  from  them,  let  'em 
do  what  they  could.  In  the  dead  of  the  night,  those  that  watched  her 
heard  a  doleful  noise,  like  the  crying  of  a  young  child,  in  the  yard  or  field 
near  the  house,  which  filled  the  auditors  with  fearful  apprehensions;  but 
the  young  women  then  violently  broke  from  them,  saying,  ''The  Lord 
calls  me,  and  I  must  go  I"  It  was  a  considerable  while  before  they  could 
find  her,  and  when  they  did  find  her,  she  was  bereaved  of  her  understand- 
ing, full  of  horrid  and  uncouth  actions;  and  so  she  continued  until  justice 
Wood,  by  the  use  of  means,  recovered  her,  which  none  of  her  qual-ing 
friends  were  able  to  do;  but  this  convinced  the  neighbours  that  the  devil 
was  among  them ! 

I'll  give  but  one  instance  more  of  their  exorbitancies.  It  was  much 
about  this  time,  that  one  Jonathan  Dunen,  of  Case's  crew,  drew  away  the 
wife  of  a  man  to  Marshfield  in  Plymouth-colony,  to  follow  him,  and  one 
Mary  Ross  falling  into  their  company,  presently  was  possessed  with  as 
frantick  a  dremon  as  ever  was  heard  of;  she  burnt  her  cloaths;  she  said 
that  she  was  Christ;  she  gave  names  to  the  gang  with  her,  as  apostles^  call- 
ing one  Peter,  another  Thomas;  she  declared,  that  she  would  be  dead  for 
three  days,  and  then  rise  again;  and  accordingly  she  seemed  then  to  die. 
Dunen  then  gave  out  that  they  should  see  glorious  things  when  she  ?  we 
again:  but  what  she  then  did,  was  thus:  that  upon  her  order  Dunen  sac- 
rificed a  dog.  The  men  and  the  two  women  danced  naked  altogether;  for 
which,  when  the  constable  carried  'em  to  the  magistrates,  Ross  uttered 
stupendous  blasphemies,  but  Dunen  lay  for  dead  an  hour  on  the  floor,  say- 
ing, when  1  e  came  to  himself,  that  Ross  bid  him,  and  he  could  not  resist. 

O  Capita  Anticyris  vix  Expurgnnda  duabua."* 

*  O  heads  too  crazy  fur  a  double  couiw 
or  hullf  boru  tu  cluar  t 


0R«    TUE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


581 


head,  nor 
is  mouth 
>ut  of  liis 
ole  thcro, 
at  was  to 
I,  Colonel 
id  of  the 
;  his  win- 
ime  thiee 
iame  into 
■it.     But 

other  not 
nto  their 
i  then  to 
she  was 
n,  let  'em 
ched  her 
d  or  field 
ons;  but 
^he  Lord 
ley  could 
derstand- 
til  justice 
•  qual-ing 
the  devil 

ns  much 

iway  the 

and  one 

with  as 

she  said 

stles^  call- 

dead  for 

m  to  die. 

she  ?  we 

nen  sac- 

ther;  for 

I  uttered 

loor,  say- 

ot  resist. 


More  passages,  akin  to  these,  may  be  read  ia  Dr.  More's  addition  to  Mr. 
Glanvii'a  " Saduccismus  Tnumphatus.^''* 

Reader,  I  can  foretel  what  usage  I  shall  find  among  the  Quakers  for 
this  chapter  of  our  church-history;  for  a  worthy  man  that  writes  of  them 
has  observed,  "For  pride,  and  hypocrisie,  and  hellish  reviling  against  the 
painful  ministers  of  Christ,  I  know  no  people  can  match  them."  Yea, 
pre{)are,  friend  Mather,  to  be  assaulted  with  such  language  as  Fisher  the 
Quaker,  in  his  pamphlets,  does  bestow  upon  such  men  as  Dr.  Owen: 
"Thou  fiery  fighter  and  green-headed  trumpeter;  thou  hedge-hog  and 
grinning  dog;  thou  bastard  that  tumbled  out  of  the  mouth  of  the  Babilo- 
nish  bawd;  thou  mole;  thou  tinker;  thou  lizzard;  thou  bell  of  no  metal, 
but  the  tone  of  a  kettle;  thou  wheelbarrow;  thou  whirlpool;  thou  whirle- 
gig.  O  thou  firebrand ;  thou  adder  and  scorpion ;  thou  louse;  thouccw- 
dung;  thou  moon-calf;  thou  ragged  tatterdemallion ;  thou  Judas;  thou 
livest  in  philosophy  and  logick  which  are  of  the  devil."  And  then  let 
Penn  the  Quaker  add,  "Thou  gormandizing  Priest,  one  of  the  abominable 
tribe;  thou  bane  of  reason,  and  beast  of  the  earth;  thou  best  to  be  spared 
of  mankind;  thou  mountebank  priest."  These  are  the  very  vvords  (I 
wrong  them  not!)  which  they  vomit  out  against  the  best  men  in  the  Eng 
lish  nation,  that  have  been  so  hardy  as  to  touch  their  "light  within:"  hat 
let  the  quills  of  these  porcupines  fly  as  fast  as  they  will,  I  sha',1  r!ot  feel 
them!  Yea,  every  stone  that  these  Kildebrands  throw  at  me,  C  wi:l  wear 
as  a  2^carl;  and  as  Dr.  Holland,  when  he  took  his  leave  of  his  friends; 
would  sa}',  Comviendo  vos  omnes  dilectioni  dei,  et  odio  j)(ipcitus,'\  thus,  I  will 
here  take  my  leave,  with  saying,  "I  commend  thee  to  the  love  of  God,  and 
the  dislike  of  Quakerism." 

In  nliia  Mansuetua  ero  ;  at  in  Blasphemiis  contra  Christum,  non  ita.t 

§  4.  Now,  having  done  with  the  Quakers,  let  it  not  be  misinterpreted, 
if  into  the  sarne  chapier  we  put  the  inconveniences  which  the  churches  of 
New-England  have  also  suffered  from  the  Anabaptists;  albeit  they  have 
infinitely  more  of  Christianity  among  them  than  the  Quakers,  and  have 
indeed  been  useful  defenders  of  Christianity  ag'^ 'i.-'  the  assaults  of  the 
Quakers;  yea,  we  are  willing  to  acknowledge  for  our  brethren  as  many  of 
them  as  are  willing  to  be  so  acknowledged. 

It  hath  been  a  sore  disadvantage  unto  the  reputation  of  the  Anabaptist 
way,  that  wherever  any  reformation  has  been  carried  on,  a  sort  of  people 
under  that  name  have  been  most  unhappy  impediments  unto  the  progress 
of  it;  and  thrown  it  into  those  confusions  that  have  extreamly  scandalized 
it,  if  not  utterly  extinguished  it.  The  histories  of  the  prodigious  heresies 
that  have  been  held,  and  actions  that  have  been  done,  by  a  set  of  men 
wearing  the  Anabaptist  name,  not  only  in  the  low  countries  in  Germany, 

*  Sndducisin  confuted.  f  I  commend  you  all  to  the  lovo  at  God  and  the  hatred  of  the  Papacy, 

X  In  other  matters  I  will  be  moduratu ;  but  in  respect  to  blasphemies  against  Christ,  not  so. 


:1|J 


■Ci 


532 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTl    AMERICANA; 


Switzerland,  Swedeland,  and  Poland,  which  Mclancthon,  Luther,  Culvin, 
Bullinger,  Zuinglius,  Gualteb,  Sleidan,  Zanchy,  who  lived  in  the  very  time 
of  those  extravagances,  have  related,  but  in  England  and  Ireland  also,  long 
since  that  time,  have  been  improved,  in  perpetaam  Erroris  Injamiam.*    All 
the  world  knows,  that  the  most  eminent  reformers,  writing  against  the  Ana- 
baptists, have  not  been  able  to  forbear  making  their  treatises,  like  what 
Jerome  says  of  Tertullian's  polemical  treatises,  Qnot  Verba,  tot  Fubnina;f 
and  the  noble  martyr  Philpot  expressed  the  mind  of  them  all,  when  he 
said,  "the  Anabaptists  are  an  inordinate  kind  of  men,  stirred  up  by  the; 
devil  to  the  destruction  of  the  gospel,  having  neither  Scripture,   nor 
antiquity,  nor  any  thing  else  for  them,  but  lies  and  new  imaginations, 
feigning  the  baptism  of  children  to  be  the  Pope's  commandment."   Never- 
theless, it  is  well  known,  that  of  later  times  there  have  bCen  a  great  many 
Anti-pedobaptists  who  have  never  deserved  so  hard  a  character  among 
the  churches  of  God;  infant-baptism  hath  been  scrupled  by  multitudes  in 
our  days,  who  have  been  in  other  points  most  worthy  Christians,  ami  ns 
holy,- watchful,  fruitful,  and  heavenly  people,  as  perhaps  any  in  the  world. 
Some  few  of  these  people  have  been  among  the  planters  of  New-England 
from  the  beginning,  and  have  been  welcome  to  the  communion  of  our 
churches,  which  they  have  enjoy 'd,  reserving  their  ^n?-//c«/or  opinion  unto 
themselves.     But  at  length  it  came  to  pass  that,  while  some  of  our  churches 
used,  it  may  be,  a  little  too  much  of  cogency  towards  the  brethren,  which 
would  weakly  turn  their  backs  when  infants  were  brought  forth  to  be  baj)- 
tized  in  the  congregation,  there  were  some  of  these  brethren  who,  in  a  day 
of  temptation,  broke  forth  into  schismatical  practices  that  were  justly  oflbn- 
sivc  unto  all  the  churches  in  this  wilderness;  which  wore  ou  that  occasion 
willing  to  justifie  what  the  renowned  Parker  said  on  the  behalf  of  the  old 
non-conformists,  when  the  prelates  charged  thein  with  being  favourers  of 
Anabaptism,  DiscipUna  EccJesiastica  tantopcre  distat  ab  anabaptistica  confn- 
sione,  quantopiere  Chridus  ab  antichristo\ — "we  have  as  much  favour  for 
Anabaptism,  as  Christ  for  antichrist."     And  it  nuiy  be  there  was  herein 
too  much  occasioi'  to  think  on  the  observation  which  I  lind  made  by  ]\lr. 
Flavel:  "The  non-improvement  of  our  baptismal  covenant  unto  the  great 
and    solemn  ends  thereof,  in  our  mortilieation,  vivillcation,  and  regular 
communion  with  the  church  of  Christ,  into  which  society  we  were  matricu- 
lated by  it,  is  punished  in  those  liery  heats,  and  tierce  oppositions,  [about 
infant  baptism]  unto  which  God  seems  to  have  penally  delivered  us."    Our 
Anab.Mitists,  ^', hen  somewhat  of  exasperation  was  l)(>gun,  formed  a  ehuieli 
at  Boston,  on  May  28,  1()65,  besides  one  which  they  had  before  at  S'.vaii- 
zey,  not  only  with  a  manifest  violation  of  the  laws  in  the  Commonwealtli, 
relating  to  the  orderly  manner  of //(j//(c/v"»;f/  a  church,  but  also  with  a  mani- 
fold provocation  unto  the  rest  of  our  churches,  by  admitting  into  their  own 

•  To  Iho  porpolunl  diHuriiCf  of  I'nlno  ilocti'iiic.  t  Kvcry  woril  In  ii  IlitniitorlinU, 

I  True  cbiircli  tlUcl|illtiu  ia  uh  unllko  tlio  uiiarcliy  of  AiiabHplliiii,  m  UlirUt  lu  Antloluiiit. 


ba 
of 


r,  Ciilvln, 
very  time 
also,  long 
Ail 


an 


* 


i  the  Ana- 
like  what 
'\dmina;\ 
when  he 
»p  by  the 
ture,  nor 
E?inati()ns, 
"  Never- 
eat  nianv 
3r  among 
titudes  in 
IS,  anil  as 
he  w(>rl(l. 
•England 
•n  of  our 
'lion  unto 
churches 
Jn,  which 

0  be  bap- 
,  in  a  day 
tly  ofl'oM- 

occasioti 
)f  the  old 
aurers  of 
ica  coii/n- 
■vour  for 
IS  herein 
e  by  Mr. 
the  groiit 

1  reguhu' 
matricii- 
s,  [about 
IS."  Our 
a  oluuvli 
Hi  Swan- 
n  weal  til, 

a  maiii- 
lie  ir  own 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


588 


society  such  as  our  churches  had  excommunicated  for  moral  scandals;  yea, 
and  employing  such  persons  to  be  administrators  of  the  two  sacraments 
among  them.  Unto  these  dissatisfactions  of  good  rnen  at  their  proceedings, 
there  was  added  the  consideration  of  their  uncharitable  disposition  to  un- 
church all  the  faithful  upon  earth  besides  themselves:  'tis  a  principle  iu 
the  confession  of  their  faith,  "believers  being  baptized  are  visible  saints, 
and  the  true  matter  of  a  visible  church."  Now,  they  declared  our  infant 
baptism  to  be  a  meer  nullity,  and  they  arrogate  unto  themselves  the  title 
of  Baptists,  as  if  none  were  baptized  but  themselves;  with  them  therefore 
our  churches  were  no  churches  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  nor  are  there  any 
"visible  saints"  among  us.  Accordingly,  when  a  publick  disputation  was 
had  with  them,  it  was  earnestly  and  charmingly  put  unto  them  in  a  great 
assembly,  whether  they  did  own  the  churches  of  New-England  for  true 
churches  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ;  but  they  would  not  own  it;  and  when 
I  my  self  have  told  some  of  them,  that  without  putting  themselves  to  so 
much  of  travel  and  expence,  as  their  separation  cost  them,  they  might 
enjoy  all  ordinances  in  the  fellowship  of  our  churches,  without  being 
treated  as  offenders  for  it,  if  their  conscience  tied  them  up  to  withdraw  when 
an  infant  was  baptized;  they  have  replied  unto  me,  "that  inasmuch  as  I 
was  in  their  judgment  an  unbaptized  man,  they  could  not  communicate 
with  me  at  the  table  of  the  Lord."  Nor  did  it  at  all  take  off  the  prejudice 
of  many  wise  men  against  them,  that  they  did  seem  to  do  what  Jereboam 
was  taxed  for,  in  "making  priests  of  the  lowest  of  the  people;"  or,  as  the 
Belgic  and  others  do  read  it,  "of  both  ends  of  the  people;"  and  as  the 
learned  Zepperus  lamented  the  wrong  done  to  religion  in  it,  that  they  made 
Ministros  de  exlremitatihus  Populi,  ^artorilus^  Sutorihus,  Idiotis;*  taylors, 
and  coblers,  and  other  inochanicks,  to  be  ministers,  thus  these  people  chose 
an  honest  shoemaker  to  be  their  pastor,  and  used  other  mechanicks  in  the 
constant  preaching  of  the  gospel:  which  caused  some  other  people  of  a 
more  liheral  education  to  reflect,  that  if  Good^nian  such  an  one,  and  Oajfer 
such  an  one,  were  fit  for  ministers,  we  had  befool'd  our  selves  in  building 
ofColledges: 

Flange  levee  calamoa,  et  acinde  Thalia  licelloa  Sa  dare  autori,  ealceua  iata poteat?f 

Yea,  some  observed,  and  in  print  asserted,  that  this  thing  was  the  real 
bottom  of  their  combining  into  a  distinct  society  by  themselves  from  divers 
parts  of  the  colony:  '^I'hese  men  having  privately  exercised  their  gifts  in 
meetings  with  api)lause,  began  to  think  themselves  wronged  that  their  light 
was  put  under  a  bushel :  and  finding  no  remedy  in  our  churches,  they  threw 
on  a  cloak  of  Anabaptism,  and  so  gained  the  thing  that  they  aimed  at  in 
a  disguise."  However  it  were,  the  General  Court  were  so  afraid,  lest 
matters  might  at  last  from  small  beginnings  grow  into  a  New  "Munster 

•  MInliitorB  »)iit  of  iho  dtt'gn  of  Iho  riiblilo— tiillorc,  coliblore,  fools. 

+  What  new!  of  Miwo*,  uliico  thli  cubblur  stole   |    nich  Inspiration  IVotn  a  loathern  solo? 


,'  1 ' 


n   ■ 


IM 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEKICANA; 

tragedy,"  that  they  enacted  some  laws  for  the  restraint  of  Anabaptistical 
exorbitances;  which  laws,  though  never  executed  unto  the  extremity  of 
them,  yet  were  soon  laid  by,  as  to  any  execution  of  them  at  all.  Tliero 
were  in  this  unhappy  schism  several  truly  godly  men,  whom  it  was  thouglit 
a  very  uncomfortable  thing  to  prosecute  with  severe  ini'pnsonmefnt'i  on 
these  controversies;  and  there  came  also  a  letter  from  London  to  the  gov- 
ernour  of  the  Massachuset-colony,  (like  that  which  our  blessed  martyrologist, 
John  Fox,  once  wrote  unto  Queen  Elizabeth,  to  prevent  the  persecuti*  >n 
with  which  the  Anabaptists  were  then  threatned,)  subscribed  by  no  less 
persons  than  Dr.  Goodwyn,  Dr.  Owen,  Mr.  Nye,  Mr.  Caryl,  and  nine  other 
very  reverend  ministers,  wherein  were  these  among  other  passages : 

"Wo  ahall  not  here  undertake  (in  the  least)  to  make  any  apology  for  the  persons,  opin> 
ions  and  practices  of  those  who  are  censured  among  you.  You  know  our  judgment  nnd 
practice  to  be  contrnry  unto  theirs,  even  as  yours;  wherein  (God  assisting)  wo  shall  continue 
to  tiie  end.  Neither  shall  we  return  any  answer  to  the  reason  of  the  reverend  eldersj  for  the 
justification  of  your  proceedings,  as  not  being  willing  to  engage  in  the  management  of  i>ny 
the  least  difference  with  persons  whom  we  so  much  love  and  honour  in  the  Lord. — But  tlie 
sum  of  all  which  at  present  we  shall  offer  to  you  is,  that  though  the  court  might  apprehend 
that  they  had  grounds  in  general  warranting  their  procedure  (in  such  coses)  in  the  way 
wherein  they  have  proceeded,  yet  that  they  have  any  rule  or  commAnd  rendring  their  so 
proceeding  indispensably  necessary,  under  all  circumstances  of  fines  or  places,  wo  are  alto- 
gether  unsatisfied;  and  we  need  not  represent  unto  you  how  the  case  stands  with  ourselves, 
and  all  your  brethren  and  companions  in  the  services  of  these  hitter  days  in  these  nations. 
We  are  sure  you  would  be  unwilling  to  put  an  advantage  into  the  hands  of  some  who  seek 
pretences  and  occasions  against  our  liberty,  and  to  reinforce  the  former  rigour.  Now,  we 
cannot  deny  but  this  hath  already  in  some  measure  been  done,  in  that  it  hath  been  vogued, 
that  persons  of  our  way,  principles  and  spirit,  cannot  bear  with  dissenters  from  them.  And  as 
this  greatly  reflects  on  us,  so  some  of  us  have  observed  how  already  it  has  turned  unto  your 
own  disadvantage. — We  leave  it  to  your  wisdom  to  determine  whether,  under  all  these  cir- 
cumstanccs,  and  sundry  others  of  the  like  nature  that  might  be  oddcd,  it  be  not  advisable  at 
present  to  put  an  end  unto  the  sufferings  and  confinements  of  the  persons  censured,  and  to 
restore  them  to  their  former  liberty.  You  have  the  advantage  of  truth  and  i»rder;  you  have 
the  gifts  and  learning  of  an  able  ministry  to  manage  and  defend  them ;  you  have  the  care 
and  vigilancy  of  a  very  worthy  magistracy  to  countenance  and  protect  them,  and  to  preserve 
the  peace ;  and  (above  all)  you  have  a  blessed  Lord  and  Muster,  who  hath  the  keys  of  David, 
who  openeth  and  no  man  shutteth,  living  for  ever  to  take  care  of  his  own  concernments 
among  his  saints;  and  assuredly  you  need  not  be  disquieted,  though  some  few  persons 
(through  their  own  iufirniity  and  weakness,  or  through  their  ignorance,  darkness  and  preju- 
dices) should  to  their  disadvantage  turn  outof  the  way,in  some  lesser  matters,  into  by-paths 
of  their  own. — ^We  only  make  it  our  hearty  request  to  you,  that  you  would  trust  God  with 
his  truths  and  ways  so  far,  as  to  suspend  all  rigorous  proceedings  in  corporal  restraints  or 
punishments,  on  persons  that  dissent  from  you,  and  practise  the  principle  of  their  dissent 
without  danger,  or  disturbance  to  the  civil  peace  of  the  place.     Dated  March  26,  1669." 

I  cannot  say  that  this  excellent  letter  had  immediately  all  the  effect  wliich 
it  should  have  had;  however,  at  length  it  hns  had  its  effect;  and  as  Ori- 
gen  pleads  against  Celsus,  that  there  ever  were  differences  among  profi.«sors 
of  Christianity  from  the  beginning,  and  it  was  impossible  but  thnt  there 
should  be  so;  nevertheless,  these  differences  hindered  not  their  faith,  and 


lov( 

tlie 

giiti 

tliei 

the 

wlu 

bo 

of  J 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


535 


baptistical 
remit V  of 
1.  There 
IS  thought 
imeftiti  on 
)  the  gov- 
ijrologist, 
rsecution 
y  no  les-s 
line  other 
[es: 

rsoris,  opin- 
Igment  jind 
ill  continue 
lers,  for  tiio 
lent  of  jiny 
I.— But  the 

npprehund 
in  the  wny 
ig  their  so 
'0  are  alto- 

ourselves, 
se  nations. 
!  who  seek 

Now,  we 
en  vogucd, 
a.  And  as 
unto  your 

these  fir. 
Ivisable  iit 
ed,  and  to 

you  have 
e  the  care 
9  preserve 
i  of  Duvid, 
Jernments 
V  peraons 
nd  preju- 
'  by-pntiis 
God  with 
trainta  or 
r  dissent 
669." 

t  which 
a.s  Ori- 

t  there 
bh,  and 


]<we,  and  obedience:  as  Justin  Martyr  pleaded  for  forbearance,  even  in 
the  churches,  towards  Christians  that  yet  thought  themselves  under  obli- 
gation to  observe  the  Mosaic  ceremonies — as  Ignatius,  before  either  of 
them,  in  his  epistle  to  the  Philadelphians,  professes,  "to  persecute  men  on 
the  account  of  religion,  is  to  make  ourselves  conformable  to  the  heathen, 
wlio  know  not  God" — the  Christians  of  New-Kngland  seem  generally  to 
bo  of  such  a  tolerating  disposition  towards  the  Anabaptists;  with  the  synod 
of  Alexandria,  condemning  all  external  force  in  religion,  of  which  the  Arians 
were  the  first  among  pretended  Christians,  that  were  the  inventora  and 
promoters:  nor  hath  Anabaptism  had  one  jot  the  more  of  growth,  I  sup- 
pose, for  it.  But  the  alienation  continued  so  long,  that  a  synod  of  our 
churches,  in  the  year  1679,  having  mentioned  the  miscarriages  of  these 
people  among  the  sins  to  be  reformed  in  the  land,  there  was  published  the 
year  following,  **a  narrative  of  some  considerable  passages"  relating  to 
their  church,  by  their  pastor,  "  with  consent  of  the  whole :"  which  narra- 
tive had  so  many  gross  mistakes  in  it,  making  . « 

Candida  de  nigris  et  de  candentibut  atra,* 

that  such  an  answer  unto  it,  as  is  directed  for  Cretians,  was  published 
under  the  title  of  "iVe  Sutor  ultra  Crepidam.^^\  And  that  answer  endeav- 
ours to  demonstrate,  that  if  persons  of  any  perswasion  whatsoever,  even 
the  very  same  with  what  is  held  by  the  churches  of  New-England,  should 
have  acted  with  as  much  irregularity  as  our  Anabaptists,  they  would  have 
deserved  greater  punishment  than  any  that  had  been  inflicted  upon  these. 

§6.  Sed  jam  temptts  equum  spumantia  solvere  coWa;:j:  'tis  time  to  have 
done  with  these  contentious  matters;  and  thanks  be  to  God  we  have  done 
with  them;  and  all  the  foam  whereinto  we  were  chafed  by  them,  is  now 
comfortably  wiped  off. 

The  great  noise  that  hath  been  made  in  the  world  about  the  persecution 
made  in  New-England,  I  will  now  stop  with  only  transcribing  the  words 
uttered  in  the  sermon  to  the  first  "great  and  general  assembly"  of  the 
province  of  the  Massachuset-Bay,  after  the  two  colonies  of  Massachuset 
and  Plymouth  were  by  a  royal  charter  united : 

"Things  will  'go  well,'  when  magistrates  are  great  promoters  of  the  'thing  that  good  is,' 
and  of '  what  the  Lord  requireth  of  them.'  I  do  not  mean  that  it  would  bo  well  for  the  civil 
mngistrate,  with  a  civil  penalty,  to  compel  men  to  this  or  that  way  of  worship,  which  they  are 
conscientiously  indisposed  unto.  He  is  most  properly  the  officer  of  humane  society;  and  a 
Christian,  by  non-conformity  to  this  or  that  imposed  way  of  worship,  does  not  break  the 
terms  on  which  he  is  to  enjoy  the  benefits  of  humane  society. 

"A  man  has  a  right  unto  his  life,  his  estate,  his  liberty,  and  his  family,  although  he  should 
rot  come  up  unto  these  and  those  blessed  institutions  of  our  Lord.  When  a  man  sins  in 
his  political  capacity,  \vt  political  societies  animadvert  upon  him;  but  when  he  sins  only  in  a 
religious  capacity,  societies  more  purely  religious  are  the  fittest  then  to  deal  with  him.  In- 
deed, in  the  Old  Testament  the  miigistruto  was  an  ecclesiastical  officer;  and  compliance  with 

*  Whito,  liliiok,  mill  bluok,  white.  f  The  Shoemaker  should  Btlck  to  hlB  Lost. 

X  TIs  time  to  luoae  tlio  ruamlnK  steodt,— Viroil, 


if. 

'ill' 


.SI  n'i 


''m 


\rrM 


f^;  fei 


':  ;l 


r 


I'm 


; 


:i' 


'B  I 


I'ly  1' 


r\ 


■•: 


'Hi 


m 


MAQNALIA    CHKI8TI    AMEEICANA; 


tho  Mosnick  rites  was  that  which  entitled  men  unto  tne  benefits  of  Canaan,  the  typical  and 
KinowiuHi  land:  But  now  those ./^ro/tve  things  huvo  more  spiritual  things  to  answer  them. 
It  nitty  be  feared  tliat  things  will  not  'go  well,'  when  heresies  are  not  exterminated;  but,  I 
pniy,  when  (except  once  perhaps  or  so  in  the  case  of  Donatism)  did  Jinea  or  gaols  ever  sig- 
nifie  any  thing  for  tho  cure  of  hon'ticks?  The  primitive  church,  for  the  first  three  hundred 
yvnrs  of  Christianity,  cut  off  a  thousand  new  Hydra's  heads,  without  borrowing  such  penal 
laws  «8  havo  since  been  used;  it  was  by  sound  preaching,  by  discipline,  by  catechising,  and 
by  disputatinnt  ^bat  they  'turned  to  flight  the  armies  of  the  aliens.'  Then  'twas  that  Chris- 
tians did  use  to  say,  Aon  gladih,  au'  jaculis,  aut  militari  manu,  Veritas  pradicatur,  sed  sua- 
dfiuh'rl  consulendo.*  Afterwards,  ii.ueed,  the  orthodox  engaged  the  emperors  unto  severities 
upon  tho  hereticks  of  those  days,  b*  t  v  'xit  got  they  by  it?  Wh'^n  a  wicked  Maniehee,  a  sort 
of  Quaker,  was  put  to  death,  an  xceLnt  historian  says,  "twas  a  most  wretched  example, 
and  it  made  the  hcrcsie  spread  thv  more.'  Such  prosecutions  do  but  give  a  principle,  wliieh 
would  bo  but  most  fatal  to  tho  cliurch  of  God ;  yen,  they  do  but  riford  a  root  for  Cain^s  club 
to  gi"ow  upon.  Theso  violences  may  bring  the  erroneous  to  be  hypocrites,  but  they  will  never 
ni.'iko  them  to  be  beliovor^ ;  no,  tliey  naturally  prejudice  men's  minds  against  the  cause,  which 
is  therein  pretended  for,  as  being  a  weak,  a  wrong,  an  evil  cause.  Wherefore,  thut  things 
may  *  go  well,'  I  would  willingly  put  in  a  barr  against  the  persecution  of  any  that  may  con- 
8eiiMU<iously  dissent  from  our  way.  Possibly  the  zeal  in  some  famous  and  worthy  disciples 
of  our  l.ioni  among  (»ur  selves  has  been  reported  and  reckoned  as  having  once  had  a  little 
t<u>  much  Jire  on  this  account;  but  the  churches  of  God  abroad  counted  that  things  did  not 
•go  well'  among  us,  until  they  judged  us  more  fully  come  up  unto  the  apostolical  rule, 
'to  leave  the  otherwise  minded  unto  God.'  Nor  would  I  desire  myself  to  suffer  per8ecuti«>n 
upon  a  cK>ar«>r  cause  than  that  of  testifying  agai'jst  our  persecution  of  other  Christians  that 
«rv>  not  of  my  own  opinion.  I  a>n  sure  that  things  will  not  'go  v/ell'  us  long  as  we  incur 
the  fulliUmentof  iaatawel'ul  word, 'If  ye  bite  and  devour  one  another,  take  heed  that  ye  be 
not  consumed  one  of  another.'  Nevertheless,  when  things  '  go  well,'  there  are  magistrates 
that  will  set  themselves  to  advance  all  the  truths  and  ways  of  God  among  their  people:  Jlagis- 
trntes  are  ni>t  orily  themselves  to  profess  the  truths,  and  practise  the  ways  of  God,  but  also 
to  jtroftxt  and  favour  all  thetn  that  shall  do  the  like.  There  is  an  aspect  of  singular  kind- 
ness, delenoe  and  8U|)port,  which  magistrates  are  to  bear  unto  them  that  embrace,  and  much 
ttu>n>  to  them  that  dtxlare  the  truths  and  ways  of  God.  'Things  went  well'  when  it  could 
be  said,  as  in  2  Chron.  xxx.  22,  'Hczekiah  spake  comfortably  unto  all  that  taught  the  good 
knowlcii-fe  of  the  Lord.'  IMorcover  it  belongs  unto  magistrates  to  punish  all  the  vices  wiiich 
disturb  the  good  oi-derand  repose  of  humane  society;  and  hence  also  'liberty  of  conscience' 
Is  not  to  be  admitted  as  a  cloak  for  'liberty  of  prophaneness.'  To  live  without  any  worship 
of  (Sod, or  to  blaspheme  and  reiile  his  blessed  name,  is  to  be  chastised  as  abominably  criminal; 
for  thore  can  be  no  pri'tence  of  ronscieme  thereunto.  Things  will  'go  well'  when  we  go  thus, 
and  when  there  is  an  nceompltshmcnt  of  that  word  in  Rom.  xiii.  3:  "Rulers  are  not  a  terror 
to  good  works,  but  unto  the  evil.' " 

Those  things  (which  were  then  utcer'd  with  many  others,  from  2  Chron. 
xii.  12,  "In  Jutlah  things  went  well:")  having  the  thanks  of  them  that 
represented  tho  province  then  returned  for  them,  I  chose  in  these  terms 
hoiv  to  ropresont  tlic  temper  in  this  matter,  which  I  suppose  the  considerate 
port  of  tho  province  are  now  come  unto:  and  so  long  as  they  continue  of 
it,  I  durst  almost  prophesie,  that  sectaries  will  never  be  able  to  make  any 
groat  impressions  upon  them. 

Well,  the  enemy  of  the  New-English  churches  is  hitherto  disappointed: 
hac  iwn  succtiisit,  alia  afj/t/ridiatur  via.* 

•  N<it  by  llio  »wonl,  tir  dart,  or  wmlike  mlRtit,  Is  Inilh  priiniiilRAU>d  j  but  by  pcteuMloli  and  oonvlctlon, 
t  IIk  Imt  uol  iHtu  ducci'Mful  III  till*  rt'tjlnii ;  lot  hint  Iry  aiiulliur. 


.^.1 


68T 


OB,    THE   HISTORY    01    NEW-ENGLAND. 

CHAPTER  ?. 

■*■■■■  ■■■I''    ■  ••'    ;  -.-.ifl 

WOLYES  IN  SHBEPS'  ClOATHING: 

OR,   AN  HISTORY  OF  SEVERAL  IMi'OSTORS,  PRETENDING   TO  BE  MINISTERS, 

REMARKABLY  DETECTED  IN  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND, 

WITH  A  FAITHFUL  ADVICE  TO  ALL  THE  CHURCHES,  EMITTED  BY  SOME  OF  THE  PASTORS  ON  THAT  OCCASION. 

Mendacia  ad  modicum  plaeent,  Bed  diu  non  durant.* — Hieron. 

Since  De  Tristibusf  may  be  a  proper  titk  for  the  book  I  am  now  writing, 
it  will  not  be  an  improper  chapter  in  the  book,  if  some  things  calling  for 
the  sorrow  of  all  that  count  sin  a  sorrouiful  thing,  be  now  related.  But  can 
any  things  more  do  it,  than  horrible  and  villainous  impostures  detected 
among  the  churches  in  pretended  preachers  of  the  "glorious  gospel  of 
God?"  Reader,  consider  the  advice  here  fetch'd  from  and  to  the  ministers 
of  New-England ;  and  then  consider  our  account  of  the  criminals  that  occa- 
sion'd  it.  In  considering  these  things,  thou  wilt  not  only  observe  some 
of  our  temptations,  but  thou  wilt  also  observe  many  notable  and  wonderful 
displays  of  the  divine  Providence. 

A  Faithful  Advice  from  several  Ministers  of  the  Gospel  in  and  near  Boston. 

tNTO  THE  CHURCHES  OF  NEW-ENOLAND,  P.EI.ATINO  TO  THE  DANQER.S  THAT  MAY  ARISE  FROM   IMPOSTORS, 

PRETENDING    TO   BE    MINISTERS. 

It  is  not  without  some  concern  upon  our  minds,  that  in  the  late  writings  of  our  Presbyterian 
breihren  in  England,  we  find  nweful  complaints  about  "bold  intruders"  into  the  work  of  the  minis- 
try, and  the  swarming  of  that  vermine,  with  an  hideous  noise,  not  in  corners  and  chtimhers,  but  in 
the  very  pulpits,  liliely  to  prove  an  Egyptian  plague ;  upon  which  they  add, "  If  these  illiterate 
Ui'urpers  are  not  speedily  ond  eift-ctuaily  discountenanced  by  ministers,  and  people  too,  they  who 
ore  already  the  blemish  cf  non-conformity,  will  quickly  prove  the  total  ruin  of  it."  But  it  satifified 
us  more  than  a  little  to  hear  of  their  care,  that  the  confusions  thus  complained  may  be  prevented  by 
a  vote  uf  this  importance,  that  they  would  employ  none  to  preach  in  any  of  their  pulpits,  but  such 
Bs  either  arrived  unto  them  with  credible  testimonials,  or  submitted  themselves  unto  a  solemn  trial 
of  their  qualifications  for  the  evangelical  ministry.  Our  Congregational  brethren  in  Engkiiid  being 
ainrumed  with  a  clamour  of  the  dangers  hence  arising  to  the  interests  of  our  holy  religiui),  wc  do 
with  a  like  satisfaction  find  they  have  lately  published  a  declaration,  wherein  signifying, "  That  ina!«- 
niuch  as  they  count  none  meet  to  dispence  the  oracles  of  God  unto  others,  who  ore  not  themselves 
qualified  for  communi9n  in  all  ordinanc  -s,  their  joining  themselves  .0  a  particular  cliurcii  of  Christ 
would  be  a  good  expedient  to  prevent  ignorant  mid  rash  intruders  into  the  ministry;  seeing  then 
it  would  be  the  duty  of  particular  c'.urches  and  their  officers  to  take  special  care  that  none  of  their 
rxjiiitiiunion  who  are  not  qualified,  may  enter  on  that  work;"  they  thereupon  add,  "We  express 
our  dislike,  and  witness  agains'.  all  ignorant  and  scandalous  persons  entring  o;i  the  ministry; 
niid  we  do  in  the  bowels  of  o'.(  Lord  Jesus  Christ  prny  and  beseech  ail  suck  os  fear  Ciod,  that  they 
give  not  the  least  encouragement  unto  the  preoching  of  men,  either  ignorani  or  erroneous  in  the 
preiit  nrticl<  3  of  faith,  or  scandalous  in  their  lives  and  converfutlons,  or  otl-erwise  unmeet  for  this 
hohi  employment,  lest  they  bring  the  guilt  of  these  men's  sins  on  their  oun  souls." 

Ill  eoiiforniity  to  this  u: Uchfulness  of  our  United  Brethren,  we  ca.mot  but  in  the  most  public 


•)  4 II 


(  I 
t  ir 

1!' 
I  I 


*  Fiilbi'lioutlD  cimrm  fur  n  Ultle  while,  but  they  nut  lung  endure. 


f  Melsnchuly  Iiiclileuti. 


f 

'1 


li,i 


638 


MAONALIA    CH&IStI    AMERICANA; 


\'A 


niaiiuer  call  upon  our  churches,  that  tl:ey  beware  of  all  undue  preeipitaney,  i%  their  admitting 
unqualified  persons  to  be  received  and  employed  in  the  character  of  preachers  unto  them. 

We  have  indeed  often  wished  thai  the  young  men  brought  up  in  our  own  university,  might 
appear  with  testimunialt  under  the  hands  of  the  President  and  Fellows,  that  upon  trial  they  are 
found  able  and  pious,  and  likely  to  be  Hesaings  unto  the  churches,  before  the  churches  venture  too 
far  in  setting  of  them  up  for  preachers. 

But  inasmuch  as  there  have  sometimes  arrived  among  us  deceitful  itrangers,  who  hitve  ^H  up 
thenisi'lvcs  for  preacheiii,  and  many  unwary  people  have  discovered  much  jintui  folly,  iii  sufllnng 
themselves  tu  be  strangely  deceived  by  those  impostors,  it  obliges  us  unto  a  further  punt  of  pastoral 
vigilance  over  the  churches,  whereof  wo  are  made  the  overseers. 

'Tis  well  known  that  worthy  ministers'  of  the  gospel,  retiring  to  New-Eng!ai;d  fronii  other  ooim- 
tries,  have  all  along  met  with  respects  fmm  our  churches,  equal  (t  j  say  no  rnme)  unto  whr.t  tiiey 
have  shown  unto  any  of  the  pastors  bred  among  thetuselvp? :  Heaven  is  witnetv  to  the  injustice  of 
the  slander  by  some  uttered  against  us, 'that  we  hove  ever  been  uncivil  to  eiiangers;"  and  the 
strangers  themselves  have  been  witnesses,  tliiit  no  where  under  heaven  could  they  expect  more 
civility  than  that  wherewith  we  have  ever  treated  them. 

Nevertheless,  we  have,  upon  sufficient  occasions,  resolved,  "Tlint  for  tli«  future,  no  'tranKc 
roming  as  a  preacher  among  us,  without  8ufi;cien»  assurances  of  his'  being  wiiat  he  pretends  to  i  e, 
fihiil!  be  employed  in  our  pulpits  without  a  soleinu  examination  of  hi*^  capacities  for  *he  tr<'r>iendous 
work  cf  preaching  the  'glorious  pospel  of  God.'  "  And  we  earnestly  reqiiest  the  n^vcrend  ivij  i.ster«» 
of  the  gos)if  1,  in  the  several  associations  and  vicinities  throughout  the  country,  to  join  with  us  in 
auch  a  necessary  i-r.oli.uion. 

We  do  also  solei'  riy  (idv'.w  all  our  pfople  to  beware  of  running  after  new  preachers,  of  whose 
rndowuients  and  piinc'pled  (iuy  have  not  had  a  reasonable  ottestation,  lest  they  unawares  run 
themselves  into  shameful  r.r.l  woful  n  tlpctions.  The  apostolical  injunc ions,  "to prove  all  things," 
does  not  invite  unstable  p'Ojiie  to  ruti  after  all  preachers,  (as  they  too  olt<  n  pervert  the  sense  of  it,) 
but  it  only  directs  poopi-::  to  examine,  by  the  word  of  God,  the  doctrine  which  they  hear  from 
tho^e  that  in  nn  orderly  way  are  to  be  heard  as  their  teachers. 

The  "preaching  of  the  gospel,"  being  that  grand  institution  whereon  depends  the  everlasting 
salvation  of  men,  Satan  seeks  it  as  a  mighty  triumph,  to  pervert  it  unto  their  everlasting  deetruciion. 
And  a  peoj>!i-  that,  "  having  itching  ears,  do  after  their  own  lusts  heap  up  tenchers  tu  ihemselves," 
do  miserably  render  themselves  obnoxious  unto  the  impressions  of  those  ne.'.'i  preachers  that  will 
seduce  them  unto  "damnable  heresies."  Or  suppose  the  new  preachers  do  broach  no  new  errors, 
yet,  if  they  shall  prove  cheats,  that  have  made  the  "preoching  of  the  gospel"  only  a  cloak  for  ihrir 
covetous  or  lascivious,  or  other  profane  designs,  they  that  shall  have  too  suddenly  improved  those 
m>  n,  will  be  partakers  of  their  sins.  And  the  glorious  ordinances  of  God  will  be  likely  to  fall  into 
lo.'uhsome  contempt  among  the  people,  if  contemptible  fellows  can  easily  prostitute  them  unto  their 
pemldoua  purposes. 

The  sermons  wherein  the  "everlasting  gospel  is  preached,"  as  well  as  the  prayers  made  in  our 
congregations,  are  to  be  comidered  as  a  principal  port  of  the  "  worship  of  God"  among  the  people 
of  God :  they  are  to  glorifie  God  and  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  with  agreeable  confessions  of  the 
truths  he  has  reveoled  untj  us;  and  as  in  the  peace-offering  of  old,  God  hath  his  part  in  them,  ns 
well  as  the  people  theirs.  Hence,  whether  the  people  that  are  the  hearers  be  many  or  few,  learned 
or  weak,  froward  or  meek,  the  preacher  must  prepare  nn  offering,  as  far  as  he  con,  suitable  for  that 
God,  who  is  a  "great  kiny;,  and  whose  name  is  dreadful."  But  if  every  piece  of  ignorance  and 
arrogance  be  set  up  for  n  preacher,  the  name  of  the  holy  God  will  be  prophaned  with  an  offering 
that  is  made  a  ridicule  in  the  repetition. 

We  are  not  unsensible  that  one  thing  which  has  much  exposed  some  injudicious  people  otnong 
us,  is  on  opinion  thot  illiterate  men  may  be  serviceable  ond  admirable  preachers.  Now,  inasmuch 
as  the  Jesuites  have  given  this  among  their  instructions  to  their  emi!>saries,  "  to  teach  that  learning 
is  needless  in  a  minister,  and,  if  they  understand  the  gospel,  it  is  sufficient,"  we  are  sorry  that  nny 
of  our  people  should  be  so  besotted,  not  to  say  bejesuited.  When  the  knowledge  of  the  tongues 
and  arts  tt\\ved,  religion  had  a  revivn!  with  it :  and  though  some  unlearned  men  hove  been  u.^i'lul 
to  the  interests  of  religion,  yet  no  man  ever  decried  learninfr,  but  what  wos  nn  enemy  to  relii;inn, 
whether  he  knew  it  or  no.  When  our  Lord^chose  fahermen  to  he  ministers,  (which  often  is 
impertinently  pleaded)  he  would  not  send  them  forth  until  they  had  been  a  considerable  while  undur 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


539 


heir  admitting 
hem. 

iversity,  might 

trial  they  are 

eg  venture  too 

ho  hrtve  set  up 

ly,  ill  stid'.iving 

nt  of  pristornl 

m  ether  coiin- 
ito  whr.t  tliey 
he  injustice  of 
;er3;"  and  the 
y  expect  more 

e,  no  'Xmipfi'. 
retenda  to  re, 
he  irffiendous 
rend  i'>i  i.steri» 
An  with  U8  in 

lers,  of  whose 
unawares  run 
•ve  all  things," 
he  sense  of  it,) 
ley  hear  from 

he  everlasting 
ngdeBtruction. 
i  themselves," 
chers  that  will 
o  new  errort, 
cloak  for  thrlr 
nproved  those 
ely  to  fall  into 
lem  unto  their 

made  in  our 
ig  the  people 
•stiona  of  the 
■t  in  them,  as 
ir  hw,  ienrned 
itnble  for  that 
gnornnce  and 
th  an  offering 

jeople  among 
ow,  innstnueh 
that  ienrning 
orry  that  any 
f  the  longuet 
'e  been  useful 
y  to  reli).;lon, 
hifh  often  is 
&  while  under 


ii 


his  tuition,  (a  better  than  the  best  in  any  colledge  under  heaven  !)  and  then  also  he  miraculously 
furnished  'em  with  more  learning  than  any  of  us  by  «eren  yeanf  hard  study  can  attain  unto.  If 
God  should  be  provoked,  by  the  unthankfulnesa  of  men,  to  send  the  plague  of  an  unlearned  miniV 
try  upon  poor  New-England,  soon  will  the  "  wild  beasts  of  the  desart  lye  there,  the  houses  will  be  full 
of  doleful  creature  ,  and  owls  will  dwell  there."  Ordinarily,  that  man  who  undertakes  the  ministry 
of  the  gospel  withotrt  some  education  for  h,  ia,  we  doubt,  in  as  presumptuous  an  error  as  the 
unhappy  Uzznh  that  perished  in  his  error ;  though  we  also  allow  different  measurea  and  places  for 
tliot  education.  And  that  man  was  n'civer  worthy  to  preach  one  sermon,  who  did  not  feel,  and 
would  not  own,  that  all  the  learning  '.hat  can  be  had,  is  little  enough  to  accomplish  an  able  minister 
of  the  New  Testament. 

Upon  the  whole,  as  Luther  observed,  that  God  punished  the  primitive  churches  with  false  leachera, 
for  their  starving  and  slighting  of  their  faithful  ministers,  thus  we  fear  the  churches  of  New -England 
may  suffer  mischiefs  in  time  to  come,  from  false  teachers;  and  we  see  cause  to  admin.'  the  com- 
pne^sion  of  Heaven  unto  this  land,  that  such  dangerous  things  have  all  this  time  done  so  Utile  damage 
unto  any  of  our  churches.  But  as  the  church  of  Ephesus,  having  been  warned  hy  the  apostle, 
"  that  grievous  wolves  would  enter  in  among  them,"  was  afterwards  commended  by  our  Saviour  for 
go  taking  the  warning,  "  they  tried  them  who  said  they  were  apostles  when  they  were  not  so,  and 
found  them  liars ;"  even  so  we  would  hope,  that  after  this  day  no  untried  persons  will  be  enter- 
tained for  preachers  in  any  of  our  colonies. 

We  lay  this  advice  before  our  churches,  purposing  to  do  our  part  in  attending  to  it. 

Increase  Mather,  John  Danfortr, 

,  James  Am.en,  Cotton  Mather, 

Samuel  Willard,  Nehemiah  Walter, 

Moses  Fiske,  Jonathan  Pierfont, 

Nehemiah  Hobart,  Joseph  Belcher. 

Bottoitf  December  38, 1690. 

AN    HISTORY    OF    SOME    IMPOSTORS, 

REMRKABIT  AND  SEASONABLY  DETECTED  IN  THE  CHURCHES  OP  NEW  ENGLAND; 

written  to  maintain  the  advice  published  by  some  of  the  pastors  in  those  churches 
relatinq  to  impostors,  and  prevent  all  future  mischiefs  from  them. 

It  was  a  notable  discipline  by  which  the  reformed  chu,ches  in  France 
preserved  themselves  from  the  intolerable  mischiefs  arising  by  the  allow- 
ance of  "unworthy  preachers:"  their  national  synods,  every  time  they  sat, 
would  publish  a  roll  of  those  "unworthy  preachers"  that  could  be  found 
creeping  in  among  them,  and  with  a  description  of  their  feature  and 
stature,  and  other  circumstances  like  what  uses  to  be  given  in  an  "  hue  in 
cry,"  this  roll  would  notifie  the  crimes  laid  unto  their  charge,  and  admonish 
all  people  to  beware  of  entertaining  them. 

The  churches  of  New-England  have  heretofore  been  in  such  good  order, 
that  no  man  could  be  oidained  and  received  as  a  pastor  in  them,  without 
the  concurrence  of  the  churches  in  the  vicinity,  and  a  very  solemn  and 
publick  action.  But  a  good  order  has  never  yet  been  provided  among  us, 
that  no  untried  and  unfit  person  sliall  set  up  for  a  preacher,  and  run  about 
from  town  to  town,  getting  into  the  too  much  unguarded  pulpits,  and 
threatening  our  holy  religion  with  no  little  inconvenience.  Now,  to 
prevent  and  redress  this  inconvenience,  it  has  been  by  some  considerate 
persona  desired,  that  something  like  the  French  roll  may  be  exhibited 
unto  the  churches  of  New  J^ngland,  which  may  exemplifie  some  few  of 
the  many  cheats  that  have  gone  to  impose  upon  them.    It  is  unreason- 


f 


.1  ir 


I     [ 


\: 


I  3* 


I    '  >  I 


I  if 


I 

1     I 


I 


640 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


able  to  complain  that  the  crimes  of  those  cheats  are  thus  openly  exposed; 
for  I  beseech  you,  sirs,  are  they  not  as  openly  committed?  Men  are 
too  insensible  of  the  horrid  vilkiny  and  blasphemy  in  the  crimes  of  those 
fellows,  who  set  up  for  teachers  to  the  people  of  God,  when  God  knows 
they  are  wicked  vagrants  and  varlets,  designing  to  abuse  the  honest  people, 
if  they  imagine  it  a  severe  thing  to  stigmatize  them  in  the  view  of  all  the 
aifronted  churches.  The  faults  of  the  penitent,  indeed,  should  be  concealed; 
but  these  pretended  preachers  of  repentance  are  not  known  to  practice  the 
repentance  which  they  preach.  A  pillory  were  a  very  gentle  punishment 
for  the  '^vretches,  who,  wholly  unqualified,  steal  into  a  pulpit,  and  foi'^e  a 
commission  from  the  King  of  Heaven  unto  his  churches.  Our  laws  not 
providing  such  a  punishment  for  them,  they  that  would  be  faithful  to  the 
churches,  will  do  well  (for  did  not  the  apostle  as  much  to  Hymena;us  and 
Alexander?)  to  set  them  up  in  an  history,  instead  of  &  pillory,  with  vnorilinrf 
as  it  were  in  capitals,  to  signifie,  these  were  impostors  that  avould 

HAVE  BEEN  ESTEEMED  MIiaSTERS. 

The  consequence  and  advantage  of  this  action  'tis  hoped  will  be,  that 
both  pastors  and  peoi)le  will  be  more  wary  of  being  too  sudden  in  asking 
to  preach  for  them  those  to  whom  they  are  utter  strangers ;  that  needy 
and  prophane  strangers  will  no  more  venture  to  preach  in  a  country,  where 
their  detected  wickedness  will  be  proclaimed  for  the  terror  of  all  that  shall 
come  after  them :  thnt  all  pious  minds  will  give  glory  to  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  who  "walks  in  the  midst  of  his  churches,"  when  they  see  what 
quick  ivork  he  has  ordinarily  made  in  these  churches,  to  discover  those 
Atheistical  preachers  that  have  so  horribly  mocked  him ;  and  admire  hia 
gracious  and  watchful  providence,  in  still  delivering  his  churches  from 
those  "little  Foxes"  that  would  have  spoiled  them.  And  now  we  will 
address  our  selves  to  do  that  which,  when  'tis  done,  what  will  they  merit 
but  the  cardinal's  blessing  who  will  take  no  warning? 

§  1.  The  wery  first  minister  (one  Lyford)  that  ever  came  into  New-Eng- 
land, (which  was  in  the  year  1624,)  at  his  first  coming  did  caress  the  good 
people  at  Plymouth  with  such  extream  show  of  affection  and  humility, 
that  the  people  were  mightily  taken  with  him;  nevertheless,  within  a  little 
while  he  used  most  malignant  endeavours  to  make  factions  among  them, 
and  confound  all  their  civil  and  sacred  order.  At  last  there  fell  into  the 
hands  of  the  Governour  his  letters  home  to  England,  fiU'd  with  wicked 
and  lying  accusations  against  the  people,  of  which  things  being  shamefully 
convicted,  he  did  publickly  in  the  church  confess  with  tears,  "  that  he  had 
slanderously  abused  the  good  people,  and  that  God  might  justly  lay  inno- 
cent blood  unto  his  charge;  for  he  knew  not  what  hurt  might  have  come 
through  his  writings,  and  that  pride,  vain-glory,  and  self-love  had  been 
the  causes  of  his  miscarriages."  These  things  he  uttered  so  pathetically, 
that  they  again  permitted  him  to  preach  among  them;  and  yet,  in  two  or 
three  mouths,  ho  so  notoriously  renewed  his  miscarriages,  which  he  had 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


541 


thus  bewailed,  that  hia  own  wife,  thro'  the  afHiction  of  her  mind  at  his 
liypocrisie,  could  not  forbear  declaring  her  fears  that  God  would  bring 
some  heavy  judgment  upon  their  family,  not  only  for  these,  but  some 
former  impieties  by  him  committed,  especially  in  fearful  breaches  of  the 
seventh  commandment,  which  he  had  with  an  oath  denied,  though  they 
were  afterwards  evinced.  Being  thereupon  banished,  he  went  unto  Vir- 
ginia, where  he  soon  ended  his  days. 

The  disaster  thus  befalling  of  this  country  in  the  first  minister  that  ever 
came  into  it,  seems  to  have  been  an  intimation  from  Heaven  unto  the 
country,  to  beware  of  all  after-times  how  they  suftered  cheats  in  the  evan- 
gelical ministry  to  be  imposed  upon  them.  Nevertheless,  there  have  crept 
in  several  cheats  among  the  churches,  which  have  been  speedily  and  nota- 
bly detected.  It  will  be  neither  needful  nor  useful,  that  they  should  be 
all  enumerated :   some  of  them  shall. 

§  2.  Many  among  us  do  still  remember  a  fellow  that  made  himself 
memorable  by  preaching  zealously  on  that  text,  "Let  him  that  stole,  Steal 
no  more ;"  when  he  had  at  that  very  time  a  parcel  of  stolen  money  in  his 
pocket.  The  sum,  as  I  remember,  was  five  pounds;  but  in  the  dozed 
conscience  of  the  thief,  it  hardly  made  the  weight  of  a  scruple. 

§  3.  I  have  been  informed  that  a  certain  gentleman  in  the  southern  part 
of  this  land,  having  with  much  pains  taught  an  Irish  servant  in  his  family 
to  be  almost  able  to  read  English,  this  fellow,  after  his  time  was  out,  set 
up  for  a  preacher  in  a  neighbouring  plantation;  but  the  gentleman  his 
master  happening  some  time  after  to  meet  our  preaching  Teague,  severely 
chid  him  for  his  presumptuous  arrogance;  and  among  other  expressions, 
bestowed  this  pretty  satyrical  scourge  upon  him:  "If  such  fellows  as  thou 
art  may  set  up  for  preachers,  there  will  be  one  text  impossible  ever  to  be 
preached  upon,  or  to  be  fulfilled  or  understood:  the  Almighty  in  one  text 
threatens  as  a  judgment,  *a  famine  of  hearing  the  word  of  the  Lord;'  but 
if  such  varlets  as  thou  art  may  be  preachers,  'tis  impossible  that  such  a 
judgment  should  ever  be  executed!" 

§  4.  Many  of  those  persons  who  have  gone  to  insinuate  themselves  into 
our  churches,  with  spirits  in  them  that  were,  for  their  covetous,  or  conten- 
tious, or  ambitious?,  or  otherwise  evil  inclinations,  displeasing  to  the  "God 
of  the  spirits  of  all  flesh,"  have  been  immediately  and  remarkably  con- 
founded by  their  being  left  unto  the  criminal  folly  of  preaching  stolen 
sermons.  The  detected  plagiaries  have  gone  off,  "as  a  thief  is  ashamed 
when  he  is  found."  One  happy  hindrance  to  the  designs  of  the  "fiery 
serpent "  have  been  this  way  afforded  among  us. — Others  remember  instances ; 
I  shall  not  mention  them. 

§  5.  A  young  fellow,  (one  Dick  Swayn,)  that  had  been  servant  unto  a 
coptain  of  a  ship  in  Boston,  after  a  thousand  rogueries,  had  his  time  given 
him  by  the  widow  of  the  captain,  when  she  became  so,  because  that  she 
would  not  be  troubled  with  so'thievish,  lying  and  wicked  a  villain.     This 


II 


r: 


t 


U: 


5 


'1." 


"f 


542 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


1; 

i  In 

'l  w 

ml 

1  m- 
I'M 

1 

[  i 

ii 

M I 

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11 

ijl 

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1 

t,.,s 

'■1 

.1  '^1 

ifiif'' 

''  'fla 

III 

■ii 

fellow  was  afterwards  detected  in  villanies  enough  to  fill  a  volume,  which 
procured  his  going  in  miserable  circumstances  to  Virginia;  from  whence 
he  got  through  several  stages  at  length  unto  the  Island  of  Providence! 
There  the  monster  set  up  for  a  preacher  of  the  Gospel,  and  putting  on  a 
mighty  show  of  religion,  he  was  mightily  followed  and  admired;  and  the 
people  treated  him  with  more  than  ordinary  liberality.  Perceiving  that 
it  was  time  to  be  going  from  thence,  he  forged  letters  of  his  father's  death 
in  England,  by  which  a  vast  estate  had  fallen  to  him ;  under  the  umbrage 
of  that  forgery,  he  gets  off  immediately  by  a  vessel  that  must  first  carry 
him  to  New-England.  Having  preached  several  sermons  in  the  southern 
parts  of  New-England,  he  comes  to  Boston  in  the  year  1698,  where  in 
private  houses  he  would  be  ridiculously  forward  in  thrusting  himself  upon 
prayer,  which  he  would  manage  with  a  noise  that  might  reach  all  the 
neighborhood.  He  began  to  court  opportunities  of  preaching  among  tlie 
neighbours:  but  forgetting  to  change  his  name,  the  gentlewoman  to  whose 
deceased  husband  he  had  been  a  servant,  accidentally  coming  into  the 
house  where  he  lodged,  and  hearing  one  of  that  name  exceedingly  cried 
up,  as  a  worthy,  able,  eminent  man,  asked  for  a  sight  of  him.  When  to 
her  astonishment  she  found  it  was  Dick — even  that  very  scandalous  Dick 
that  had  play'd  so  many  abominable  pranks  in  her  own  family  some  years 
ago — the  gentlewoman  could  scarce  believe  lier  own  eyes ;  and  finding  the 
vagrant  not  give  her  any  intelligent  account  how  he  became  a  Christian, 
it  was  yet  more  unintelligible  to  her  how  he  became  a  minister.  He  beg 
ged  her  pardon  for  all  his  old  knaveries,  but  she  being  advised  that  he  was 
now  practising  of  new  ones,  took  a  course  that  the  people  should  be  de- 
prived of  so  "charming"  a  preaching,  as  no  doubt  some  of  the  giddy 
populace  would  have  counted  him.  So,  without  any  more  disturbance, 
but  only  the  cheating  some  credulous  folks  of  considerable  sums  of  money, 
he  marched  off. 

§  6.  A  fellow  in  this  present  3'ear  (1699)  appeared  in  Boston,  pretending 
to  be  a  minister;  concerning  whom  an  honest  and  a  discreet  man  in  the 
country  having  a  just  fear,  lest  our  cKarity  should  unjustly  and  unawares 
take  too  kind  notice  of  him,  wrote  me  the  following  account: 

"This  dny  a  man  whose  nnnie  is  Eleazer  Kingsberry, in  discourse  with  him,  told  me 

he  had  preached  thu  goaptl  four  months;  he  shewed  me  a  certificale  to  prove  it,  with  about 
twelve  names  to  it,  uU  written  by  his  own  hand,  (the  instrument  was  drawn  by  another:)  lie 
also  told  me  he  preached  the  lust  Sabbath  between  Tanton  and  Freetown,  before  a  consid- 
erable  assembly;  which  was  confirmed  by  a  man  of  Tanton  then  present.  Considering  how 
God  is  likely  to  be  dishonoured,  and  the  gospel  scandalized  by  him,  I  thought  it  my  duty  tn 
undeceive  you,  by  giving  you  the  following  relation:  He  was  born  and  brought  up  in  Wrciil- 
ham,  and  bound  prentice  to  n  taylor,  but  so  vicious  a  servant,  that  his  master  could  do  no 
good  with  him.  He  got  free,  and  married  a  wife;  but  not  long  after  stok,  and  left  her;  and 
ndding  to  his  felony  several  other  vicious  tricks,  he  went  to  the  westward.  From  thence  he 
wrote  a  letter  to  Wrenthara,  which  consisted  chiefly  of  lies  and  curses.  When  I  now  spake 
with  him,  I  advised  him  to  follow  his  calling,  and  provide  for  his  wife,  and  not  seek  to  dis- 
honour God  and  deceive  his  people.    He  replied,  as  for  his  wife,  she  was  a  devilish  jade,  and 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


543 


he  would  never  take  her  more ;  but  when  he  wn-  'ettled,  and  had  an  houM,  he  would  take 
her  as  a  servant;  and  if  she  would  not  obey  l)iu),  he  would  kick  her  into  the  fire;  but  he 

would  go  on  in  preaching, and  he  *  would  wage  twenty  pieces  to  eight,  he  would  got 

money  and  credit  in  a  short  time.* — I  could  fill  a  sheet  of  paper,  but  I  hope  I  have  said 
enough  to  prevent  his  having  any  encouragement  from  you;  and  what  further  ought  to  be 
done  concerning  him  I  leave  to  your  consideration." 

One  of  the  ministers  in  Boston  immediately  sent  after  him  a  letter  under 
a  flying  seal,  solemnly  charging  him  to  leave  off  the  presumptuous  and 
blasphemous  course  that  he  had  thus  taken  up,  and  return  unto  his  family 
and  employment;  and  giving  him  to  understand,  that  the  justices  every 
where  should  be  informed  of  him,  as  being  a  vagabond.  Hereupon  the 
vagabond,  as  I  am  told,  changed  his  name  into  Berry,  and  ran  away  to  a 
place  called  Cape  May,  where  I  am  also  told  the  people  were  so  bewitched 
with  him,  that  they  were  almost  ready  to  tear  in  pieces  any  man  that 
should  speak  diminutively  of  him. 

§  7.  But  tho'  this  bird  flew  away  to  the  southward,  unto  Cape  May, 
another,  whose  pretended  name  was  May,  came  upon  this  coast  about  the 
same  time.  And  on  that  occasion  an  excellent  and  ingenious  person  wrote 
unto  me  such  passages  as  these : 

"Mat  uses  to  prove  pleasant  and  healthy;  but  the  mob  are  wont  to  d.ince  at  the  entrance 
of  it,  let  it  prove  ho w  it  will.  Mr.  Parker  used  to  say, '  The  people  love  to  tap  a  new  barrel.' 
I  think  I  once  told  you  of  E.  F.  and  M.  J.,  but  lest  I  have  not,  Til  give  you  a  word  of  each. 

"E.  F.  sometimes  of  Salem,  coming  to  New-Haven  on  Saturday  even,  being  cloathcd  in 
black,  was  taken  for  a  minister,  and  was  able  to  npe  one,  and  humoured  the  misttiko  like  him 
that  said.  Si  vult  populus  decipi,  decipialur,*  Word  being  carried  to  Mr.  J.  T.  that  a  minister 
was  come  to  town,  he  immediately  procured  him  to  preach  both  parts  of  the  day.  The  first 
was  to  acceptation;  but  in  the  last  exercise  he  plentifully  shewed  himself  to  be  a  whimsical 
opinionists,  and  besides  railed  like  Rnb^hakeh,  and  reviled  the  magistrates,  ministers  and 
churches  at  such  a  rate,  that  the  people  were  ready  to  pull  him  out  of  tho  pulpit." 

§  8.  The  same  worthy  person  goes  on : 

"  M.  J.,  a  Welch  tanner  by  trade,  sometime  servant  unto  Captain  P.  at  Salem,  left  Salem, 
went  to  Siiybrook,  work'd  at  his  trade,  and  stole  Mr.  W.'s  leather  breeches.  Thence  he 
went  to  Staten-Island  by  New- York,  and  set  up  for  a  pre.icher,  being  a  ready  prater.  At 
the  information  of  a  pedling  trader,  he  had  an  invitation  by  some  few  of  Killingswoith  to 
visit  them,  and  preach  in  order  to  settlement.  Ho  came,  but  happening  t.  speak  irreverently 
of  something  in  the  Scripture  before  some  of  the  people,  it  occasioni'd  such  division  and 
tumult,  that  he  w.is  not  suffered  to  preach  before  Mr.  Buckingham's  advice  and  consent  was 
obtained:  which,  when  sought,  he  advised  them  to  enquire  first  whether  this  were  not  the 
fellow  that  stole  the  leather  breeches.  This  proving  even  so,  prevented  him  at  Killings- 
worth.  Thence  he  went  to  Brninford,  the  night  before  the  fist,  and  making  known  his 
pretended  function,  it  was  counted  a  good  providence;  for  tliey  had  no  minister, and  ho  was 
earnestly  desired  to  preach,  and  as  readily  accepted  it.  But  one  Peter  Stent,  n  brother  that 
used  to  pray  and  read  a  good  sermon  among  the  people,  when  they  had  no  minister,  knew 
nothing  of  this,  (for  he  lived  at  a  farm,)  but  in  the  morning  came  provided  to  read  one  of 
Mr.  A.  Gray's  sermons.  But  he  found  Morgan  at  it  when  he  came;  and  when  he  named 
his  text,  it  was  the  same  his  intended  sermon  was  on ;  and  out  of  the  curiosity  to  see  how 

*  If  folks  want  to  be  cliealed,  lut  them  be  cheated. 


fi" 


1 
I 


«.  I 


•+ 


,tii 


544 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMERICANA; 


men's  wits  jumpt  in  prosecuting  the  same  text,  ho  turned  to  his  book,  nri'1  'mud  ^lorgnn 
the  same  with  Mr.  Gray,  word  for  word.  Ho  followed  him  while  he  w.::  -  t'!iry,  and  at 
length  run  before  to  a  place  in  the  sermon  that  spoke  of  Glasgow  sinne7-s,  and  theri-  liy 
wait  for  Morgan ;  but  when  he  came  there,  he  turned  \t,  New-Englajtd  sinners;  and  liw.t 
was  all  tile  variation  in  the  whole  sermon.  The  people  were  mightily  affected  with  the 
sermon,  and  were  hot  upon  calling  Morgan  to  the  ministry.  But  Stent  discovered  the  cheat. 
So  they  dismissed  him,  and  the  tanner  departed,  with  liberty  to  go  as  far  as  a  new  pair  of 
shoes  would  carry  him." 

§  9.  Fascination  is  a  thing  whereof  mankind  has  more  experience  than 
comprehension;  and  fascination  is  never  more  notoriously  sensible,  than  in 
men's  running  after  false  teachers  of  religion.  When  false  teachers  imposed 
on  the  Galatians,  the  apostle  said,  "O,  foolish  Galatians,  who  hath  be- 
witched youl"  One  cannot  easily  ascribe  unto  a  truer  cause,  than  a 
Satanick  energy,  the  strange  hiass  upon  the  minds  of  a  multitude,  forceiibly 
and  furiously  sometimes  carrying  them  into  follies,  from  whence  the  plainest 
reason  in  the  world  will  not  reclaim  them.  What  but  such  an  energy 
could  be  upon  the  n;inds  of  many  people  in  Boston,  after  the  arrival  of 
one  that  went  by  the  name  of  Samuel  May,  about  the  beginning  of  July, 
1699.  The  wonderful  success  of  Mahomet  upon  a  world,  where  Chris- 
tianity was  to  another  degree  lost  than  it  is  yet  in  Boston,  was  no  longer 
a  wonder  unto  us,  when  we  saw  the  success  of  May  in  a  place  of  so  Chris- 
tian a  character  as  Boston,  It  was  all  over  pure  enchantment!  He  show'd 
unto  one  minister  at  his  first  arrival  a  testimonial  of  little,  but  some  hopes 
of  his  being  a  man  of  "a  sweet  gospel  spirit,"  signed  with  two  names, 
whereof  one  was  of  a  man  that  once  had  been  a  scandalous _^re-s/«)j  among 
the  churches  in  this  country:  which,  when  this  blade  understood,  he  would 
never  after  show  his  testimonial  to  any  more  of  our  ministers,  tho'  tliey 
earnestly  and  frequently  ask'd  him  for  it.  So  silly  and  shallow  a  person 
he  was,  that  it  was  impossible  for  any  but  such  to  be  many  minutes  in  his 
company  without  being  sensible  of  it.  The  first  thing  that  made  some  to 
suspect  him,  was  his  using  to  lift  up  his  eyes  and  hands,  with  strains  of 
devotion  used  by  none  others  in  the  assembly,  after  he  had  first  look'd 
about  to  see  who  look'd  upon  him.  Numberless  marks  of  a  cheat  were 
daily  more  and  more  discover'd  in  him;  nevertheless,  he  was  able  to 
imitate  a  plausible  idterance  and  action,  and  seem'd  so  zealously  set  upon 
"inviting  men  to  Christ,"  that  after  sermon  was  over  he  would  make 
another  speech  to  put  'em  in  mind  on't.  Abundance  of  the  people  became 
so  fiercely  set  for  him,  that  they  poured  out  a  thousand  expressions  of  rage 
upon  the  faithful  pastors  of  the  town,  that  thought  not  such  an  illiterate 
creature  (who  by  his  own  confession  had  never  been  one  year  under  any 
education,)  worthy  to  be  set  up  in  the  publick  pulpits.  Though  the  bigger 
and  wiser  part  of  the  town  were  not  seized  with  this  bigotry,  yet  a  multi- 
tude became  so  furious,  that,  making  it  their  business  to  solicit  all  sorts  of 
persons  to  go  a  Maying  with  them,  if  any  refused,  they  could  hardly 
escape  some  reproach  for  it.     The  Jews  were  hardly  more  engaged  for 


OB,    THE    HISToIy    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


645 


U-^iry,  and  at 
and  ther<-  l.-y 
lers;  and  llu.t 
cted  with  the 
ired  the  cheat. 
.  new  pair  of 

erience  than 
ble,  than  in 
;rs  imposed 

0  hath  be- 
se,  than  a 
B,  foroejibly 
the  plainest 

1  an  energy 
arrival  of 

ng  of  July, 
acre  Chris- 
no  longer 
jf  so  Cliris- 
He  show'd 
3ome  hopes 
;wo  names, 
ship  among 
1,  he  would 
3,  tho'  they 
V  a  person 
lutes  in  his 
ide  some  to 
.  strains  of 
first  look'd 
cheat  were 
as  able  to 
y  set  upon 
Duld  make 
)le  became 
ons  of  rage 
an  •illiterate 
under  any 
the  bigger 
et  a  multi- 
ill  sorts  of 
dd  hardly 
igaged  for 


their  Sahatai  Sevi.*  The  disciples  of  this  money-catcher  became  so  exceedimj 
fierce^  many  of  them,  that  some  sober  men  became  afraid  of  "passing  by 
that  way"  where  one  must  encounter  them.  Though  he  were  detected  in 
several  crimes,  as  pretending  to  languages  which  he  knew  nothing  of,  and 
this  in  the  special  service  and  presence  of  the  Lord ;  and  preaching  stolen 
sermons,  wherein  he  could  not  produce  one  material  sentence  of  his  own ; 
and  horrid  lying  in  very  repeated  instances:  yet  his  followers  would  go  on, 
making  ridiculous  dpologies  for  him,  and  malicious  invectives  against  any  that 
would  not  yet  believe  him  an  eminent  saint.  Yea,  they  began  to  throw 
libels  into  the  houses  of  the  ministers,  the  most  insolent  that  ever  I  saw. 
The  Anabaptists  employed  him  at  their  meeting-house,  which  was  now 
filled  with  great  congregations;  and  it  was  an  undeserved,  an  astonishing, 
a  very  memorable  mercy  of  God  unto  the  town,  that  this  man  was  now 
kept  from  venting  any  heresies  among  a  people  that  made  themselves  to 
become  such  a  tinder  for  sparks  that  he  might  strike  into  them.  And  yet 
it  was  another  mercy  as  great  as  this,  that  the  young  women  in  the  town 
were  not  betray 'd  and  debauch'd  into  fearful  whoredoms:  for  at  length 
witnesses — good,  virtuous,  credible  witnesses — appear'd,  that  shew'd  him 
to  have  been  as  dangerous  a  devil  as  the  poor  young  women  could  have 
met  withal,  when  by  a  certain  reverence  for  him  as  a  minister  they  were 
prepared  for  his  vile  solicitations.  He  perceived  these  things  beginning 
to  break  out,  and  away  he  flew;  none  of  the  endeavours  used  by  his 
admirers  to  make  him  stay  could  stop  him.  The  pastors  of  the  churches 
had  before  made  this  reflection,  that  after  men  of  the  most  unspotted 
piety  had  spent  whole  prenticeships  of  years  in  the  faithful,  watchful, 
painful  service  of  the  churches,  and  have  served  them  day  and  night  with 
prayers,  with  tears,  with  fastings,  with  their  most  studied  sermons  and 
writings,  and  have  never  such  a  reputation  with  the  churches  in  countries 
afar  oft';  yet,  if  any  "wolf  in  sheep's  cloathing"  do  come  with  a  few  good 
words  among  them,  the  "simple  souls"  of  many  will  not  only  follow  the 
woJf,  but  on  his  account  bark  at  the  shepherds.  This  is  a  "  vanity  that  I 
have  seen  under  the  sun."  But  the  people  had  now  this  reflection  to  make, 
that  since  they  had  sinfully  slighted  their  most  serviceable  pastors,  who 
never  craved  the  riches  of  this  world,  they  should  by  the  just  judgment  of 
God  be  lefl  unto  such  an  infatuation,  as  to  enrich  a  craving  beggar  with  many 
pounds  of  their  substance ;  which  beggarly  stranger  immediately  apply'd  him- 
self (not  to  instil  the  fear  of  God,  and  love  of  Christ,  into  your  children,  0 
injured  people,  as  your  pastors  do,  with  a  most  indefatigable  application !  but) 
to  teach  them  that  fornication  and  adultery  is  no  sin,  and  to  watch  opportu- 
nities of  making  them  like  himself,  the  "children  of  the  Devil."  Repent,  0 
infiituated  people !  repent  of  what  you  have  done ;  and  let  the  ensuing  let- 
ter help  you  more  thoroughly  to  consider  the  occasions  for  your  doing  so. 

Seligio  contaminata  ad  omnium  pertinet  injuriam.f 
*  Seventh-Day  Sabbaths.  f  A  contuminBted  religion  tends  to  unlrersal  disaster. 

Vol.  II.— 35 


■  t 


.11 


546 


MAGNALIA    CIIR18TI    AMERICANA; 


A  LETTER,  CONTAINING  A  REMARKABLE   HISTORY  OF  AN  IMPOSTOR. 

Boston,  25  d.  10  m.  1G99. 

Sir  :  I  am  going  to  entertain  you  with  a  very  surprising  story,  by  the  coininunicotion  whereof 
the  wisdom,  and  goodness,  and  justice  of  Heaven,  will  become  observable  to  many  Christian  minds, 
and  the  devices  of  Hell,  against  the  interests  of  Heaven,  be  a  Uitle  more  fully  understood,  for  the 
future  prevented. 

The  last  summer,  in  the  very  ship  that  brought  us  letters  from  our  friends  in  England,  advising 
us  of  nmch  inconvenience  arising  to  the  non-conPjrmists,  from  ill  fellows^ thnt  pretended  unto  the 
"  preaching  of  the  glorious  gospel,"  there  arrived  unto  us  a  man  that  pretended  the  name  of  Sunuiol 
May,  and  the  character  of  a  preacher,  having  with  him  a  woman  whom  he  coU'd  his  wife,  but  used 
her  with  an  utiwifely  crabbcdness,  that  gave  scandal  to  the  people  aboard.  Albeit  this  man  gnve 
me  much  cause  to  be  suspicious,  lest  he  might  be  one  of  those  whom  our  letters  coniplain'd  of,  yet 
my  compassion  towards  a  needy  stranger,  whom  I  saw  in  ragged,  wretched,  forlorn  circumstances, 
caused,  mo  among  other  ways  of  being  helpful  unto  him,  to  seek  that  he  might  be  twice  employ'd 
in.  Olid  requited  for  preoching  at  ourprteafe  meetings;  hoping  thereby  to  have  a  little  trinl  of  him. 
His  plausible  delivery  presently  enchanted  abundance  of  honest  people,  who  thought  "  all  was  gold 
that  glittered ;"  but  many  days  passed  not  before  I  found  several  things  which  made  me  say,"! 
doubt  he  wos  a  wolf  in  sheep's  cloathing."  They  that  now  sny,  they  follow'd  this  man  because  I 
commended  him,  wrong  me  very  much;  for  though  'tis  noi  my  manner  to  speak  ill  of  men,  till  I 
know  whiit  I  speak,  and  that  it  is  my  duty  to  speak,  yet  I  let  fall  words  from  the  very  first,  that 
any  intelligent  hearer  might  see  I  had  some  fear  about  him.  The  cause  of  that  fear  was  this:  I 
found  that,  altho'  'tis  no  time  of  any  persecution  that  should  force  any  but  ill  tnen  to  conceal  them- 
selves, yet  he  came  oboard  the  vessel  under  some  concealment,  not  professing,  nor  supposed  for  to 
be  a  minister,  but  rather  a  rncnf/tconf,  until  they  had  sailed  many  leagues,  I  found  that  he  could 
mention  the  name  of  no  one  minister  in  London  with  whom  he  durst  say  that  he  had  any  acquaint- 
ance; lest,  as  it  should  seem,  he  should  happen  to  mention  one  with  whom  we  should  be  belter 
acquainted.  I  found  that  he  was  unaccountably  shy  of  giving  us  any  satisfactory  account  of  his 
original,  his  education,  his  former  circumstonces ;  by  no  means  could  I  get  him  to  tell  me  in  whiu 
employment  he  hud  spent  the  first  six  or  seven  and  twenty  yeiirs  of  his  life.  What  appeared  most 
probable  (and  since  more  probable)  was,  that  he  was  n  haiuier.  A  6/iri(/  charity  woull  still  have 
perswnded  me  to  keep  alive  some  hope,  ihat  folly,  rather  than  design,  might  lye  at  the  bottom  of 
his  odd  conduct ;  but  I  soon  observed  something  that  made  me  say  to  some  of  my  intimate  friends, 
"that  I  fear'd  he  would  prove  at  last  a  smutty,  filthy,  wanton  fellow."  However,  things  not  being 
yet  come  to  that  maturity,  I  contented  myself  with  calling  to  mind  the  rule  which  the  old  Briinin 
gave  his  countrymen,  to  discover  whether  "Austin  the  monk"  were  a  "mnn  of  God"  or  no. 
Thought  I,  "  If  this  be  on  honest  mnn,  he  is  nn  humble  man:  if  he  be  a  faithful  servant  of  Christ, 
he'll  plainly  let  his  fellow  serrants  know  what  he  is,  what  he  intends,  wlint  he  can  do,  ond  hunil)ly 
refer  himself  to  Ihcm  for  direction  and  assistance."  We  found  nothing  of  this:  but  though  he  wns 
wholly  illiterate,  and  not  able  even  to  write  a  little  eoinmon  Kuglish,  (for  instance,  there  were 
eighteen  horrid  false  spells,  and  not  one  point,  in  one  very  short  note  that  I  received  from  him)  yet 
this  proud  Thraso  would  in  his  preaching  osientate  skill  in  Latin,  and  in  (Jreek,  yeo,  and  in  Hebrew; 
but  God  left  him  to  such  folly  in  his  pride,  that  he  frequently  pronounced  the  exotic  taords  in  a 
moiincr  so  ridiculous,  ns  to  render  it  plain  that  he  knew  nothing  of  them:  and  in  one  of  those  two 
or  three  private  preachments,  by  which  'twas  hop'd  we  might  have  some  taste  of  his  faculties,  he 
wos  under  such  an  infatuation,  that  lie  would  needs  give  some  IMreio  to  us;  but  what  he  gnve  us 
might  be  Welch  or  Irish,  or  the  vagabond's  cant,  for  ought  I  knew ;  one  minister  present  knew  it 
wns  not  in  six  or  seven  Inngungrs,  in  nil  which  himself  had  in  various  writings  nddress'd  the  world, 
and  others  of  his  heaters,  besides  I,  knew  ihnt  there  was  no  such  Hebrew  in  the  Lexicon  Who 
but  one  hypocritically  disposed  would  have  done  bo?  If  he  were  n  sharer, 'wn»  plnin  however  ho 
wns  not  the  most  cunninfr  in  the  world:  in  the  mean  tinte,  'twas  a  strange  enchantment  upon  the 
people,  thot  they  should  after  these  things  put  themselves  into  *i«  hands.  Hut  that  his  humility 
might  be  the  more  notorious,  I  wns  presently  iiiliirmed  ihnt  the  blade,  with  nn  arrogance  eqiinl 
to  his  ignorance,  bepnii  to  eomplnin,  thnt  the  ministers  of  the  town  did  not  inimedintely  invite  him 
into  their  pulpits;  and  upon  his  complaints,  many  sinful  people  (who  have  great  cause  to  take  no 


UPOSTOR. 

m.  1G99. 
ition  whereof 
iristion  minds, 
"Stood,  for  the 

land,  advising 
ided  unto  the 
me  of  Sonuiol 
wife,  but  used 
his  mnn  gnve 
plain'd  of,  yet 
ijircumstnnces, 
vice  employ'd 
e  trial  of  him. 
all  was  gold 
\e  nie  say,  "I 
lan  because  I 
of  men,  till  I 
very  first,  that 
If  was  this;  I 
concal  ihem- 
ipposed  for  10 
that  he  could 
any  acqimint- 
3uld  be  belter 
account  of  his 
11  me  in  wliiu 
appeared  moat 
}ul',l  still  have 
he  bottom  uf 
timate  friends, 
ngs  not  being 
lie  old  Britain 
God"  or  no. 
vnnt  of  Christ, 
o,  and  humbly 
hough  he  was 
ce,  there  were 
from  him)  yet 
nd  in  Hebrew; 
ic  words  in  a 
'  of  those  two 
is  faculties,  he 
lat  he  gnve  us 
escnt  knew  it 
ss'd  the  world, 
?xkon.  Who 
in  however  ho 
lent  upon  (he 
,  his  humility 
rogiince  equal 
I'ly  invile  him 
Hi  to  take  no 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


547 


little  shame  un.o  themselves  for  their  couseleu  and  shameless  iniquity)  began  to  defame  the  minis- 
ters with  slanderous  outcries, "  that  they  were  always  uncivil  to  strangers ;"  and  some  could  bestow 
this  comparison  upon  them,  "  that  here  was  come  a  better  workman  than  theinselvee,  whom  there- 
fore they  would  not  suffer  to  stay  in  the  town  if  they  could  help  it."  The  pastors  of  the  churches 
being  desirous  to  answer  the  expectations  of  the  people,  as  far  as  they  could  in  conscience  unto  the 
people  themselves,  and  with  credit  unto  the  evangelical  ministry,  they  sent  unio  this  man,  in  as 
loving  and  as  tender  terms  aE.  they  could,  a  message  to  this  purpose,  "that  they,  being  sincerely 
desirous  to  encourage  him  in  doing  all  the  good  he  should  be  found  able  to  do,  and  he  not  having 
brought  satisfactory  testimonials  into  the  country  with  him,  they  pray'd  a  visit  from  him,  in  which 
they  would  inform  themselves  of  his  abilities  for  the  evangelical  ministry,  and  with  all  possible  easi- 
ness proceed  in  their  examining  and  advising  of  him."  To  this  message  there  was  brought  us  from 
him  an  answer  of  this  purport,  "  that  he  knew  no  authority  the  ministers  had  to  enquire  after  him, 
and  he  was  not  bound  to  give  them  an  account  of  himself,"  and  more  to  that  effect.  The  minis- 
ters had  now  done  but  the  duty  of  watchmen  that  would  be  faithful  to  the  churches  and  neighbours; 
but  none  of  their  watchfulness  could  hinder  many  of  the  people  from  the  great  fault  of  "running 
themselves  into  temptation"  by  giddily  running  after  the  instructions  of  a  fellow  that  had  "shunii'd 
the  light,  because  his  deeds  were  evil."  The  people  (whose  charity  has  been  for  the  most  part  so 
exemplary,  that  methinks  'tis  pity  it  should  ever  be  misjilaced  and  perverted)  Kome  of  them  nut 
only  made  a  large  collection  to  pay  the  passage  of  this  mischievous  beggar,  and  put  money  into  his 
pocket;  but  also  fill'd  the  town  with  so  much  lying  ond  outrage  against  their  faithful  ministers,  for 
not  counting  such  an  unlettered  thing  a  fit  instructor  for  their  flocks,  that  I  could  not  but  think  an 
hundred  times  of  the  people  "  bewitched  by  Simon  the  sorcerer,"  and  soy,  "  that  the  greatest  blem- 
ish that  ever  befel  the  town,  was  in  the  modness  which  they  now  discovered."  Who  would  have 
believed  it,  that  in  a  town  so  illuminated  as  Boston,  there  should  be  any  people  of  such  n  principle, 
that  if  the  greatest  villain  in  the  world  should  arrive  a  total  stranger  among  us,  and  for  his  true 
name  give  us  perhaps  only  the  first  syllable  of  his  name,  and  of  a  barber  turn  a  preacher,  the  pas- 
tors here  must  immediately  set  him  up  in  the  publick  pulpits,  or  else  the  people  unjustly  load 
them  with  all  the  caluminous  indignities  that  can  be  thought  of?  However,  the  ministers  bore 
with  patience  all  the  contempt  which  their  great  Lord  saw  the  people  foolishly  cast  upon  them  ;  and 
no  two  of  them,  that  ever  I  heard  of,  ever  let  fall  one  word  publickly  to  rebuke  their  folly;  Uut,  sir, 
you  i-hall  see  anon  whether  the  Lord  himself  will  not  rebuke  it,  and  make  the  people  wish  "they 
had  hearkned  unto  the  voice  of  their  teachers." 

We  have  in  our  vicinity  a  small  congregation  of  Anabaptists,  with  whom  I  had  always  lived  in 
a  good  correspondence.  Forgive  me  the  vanity  if  I  siiy,  without  judging  proper  in  this  place  to 
prove  what  I  soy,  that  never  o.iy  mini.ster,  so  distant  from  their  pcrswosioti,  carried  it  with  more 
civility  and  nfTection  towards  persons  of  their  perswasion,  than  I  made  it  my  endeavour  to  do. 
Because  I  believed  there  were  godly  persons  among  them,  I  ofTcred  them,  that  if  they  should  come 
(as  they  were  likely)  to  have  the  divine  institutions  fail  among  themselves,  I  would  freely  accej^t 
them  to  communion  with  my  own  lloek;  and  though  they  sl")ui(l  be  so  senipulous  as  to  turn  their 
backs  OS  often  ns  an  infiint  svns  baptised,  it  hhoiiM  not  be  nuule  an  ofTtiice.  This  offer  I  made 
them,  I  hope  not  out  of  a  sinful  nfleeiation  to  enlarge  my  tlock;  the  most  undeserved  favour  of 
Heaven  has  employ'd  my  poor  services  in  such  as-semblies,  that  I  have  cause  to  study  how  I  may 
serve  them  t/cf/cr,  before  I  go  to  gei  them  larger;  but  it  was  purely  (iom  a  spirit  of  charity. 
Indeed,  1  had  no  answer  but  this,  "  We  look  upon  you  ns  an  iiiibnptised  mnn,  and  therefore  we 
cannot  hold  communion  with  you;"  But  tho'  thi.^  new  comer  were  in  their  opinion, "an  unbaptised 
mnn,"  yet  they  now  took  this  opportimity  to  invite  him  unto  puliliok  and  eonstnnt  preaching  every 
Lord's-day,  and  a  lecturi' ln'sides  in  tln'ir  meeting-house.  Indeed,  I  inu.ft  so  far  vindicate  these 
brethren,  as  to  tell  yon,  tlint  they  do  not  sci'iii  to  me  so  much  in  fault,  as  divers  other  people  of  my 
own  profesBiiin  wlm  solicited  ihi'iii,  and  instigated  iliem,  to  set  np  a  prencher  for  them,  which  their 
own  pastors  ha<l  refused ;  and  it  was  on  some  accounts  a  lime  of  Irniptalion  with  them.  Never- 
llu'li'ss  I  cannot  wholly  JH«fi/?<'  l\m  faulty  action :  and  their  t^ettlng  up  siieh  a  fellow,  under  all 
tliene  il,  fircumstnnees,  to  In-  their //hWicA-  teacher,  ho\i' A  the  wor.«e,  because  they  could  not  but 
see  iliiit  it  nourished  in  his  numerous  proselytes,  not  only  the  sleight  of  n  learned  ministry,  but  also 
n  (li-posilion  which  ordiimrily  inspired  those  that  were  proselyted  by  him  to  breoine  enemies  nrul 
rcvikm  of  ihe  ministers  uf  the  town.     One  of  those  ministers,  beholding  the  spirit  which  '.his  thing 


\i   ' 


sP 


^  i 


i 


■I  M 


I't  I 

•A  ' 

(     . 


548 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


was  done  witlinl,  freely  told  the  Annbnpti9t8,"that  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  sow  whnt  prinrip'cs 
they  acted  upon,  would  certninly  mnke  this  very  man  the  occasion  of  the  greatest  confusion  iIku 
eve  befel  them;"  And  at  the  same  time  saw  cause  to  foretel  unto  many  others,  "  That  the  devii-cs 
of  Satan  in  tliis  matter  were  for  this  man  to  engage  many  of  oir  weaker  people  to  be  his  hearers, 
by  his  not  professing  himself  an  Anabaptist,  but  when  he  had  them  fast,  then  about  three  or  four 
months  hence  to  profess  himself  an  Anabaptist,  and  lead  them,  who  could  say  whither,  with  him." 
Unto  the  man  himself,  also,  that  person'  having  signified  his  dislike  of  wh^*.  he  Imd  seen  in  him, 
concluded,  "  The  ministers  of  this  town,  who  have  by  your  means  been  greatly  and  ungratefully 
reviled,  will,  I  suppose,  trouble  themselves  no  farther  about  you,  except  some  remarkable  occnsion 
oblige  them  to  it:  but  they  will  carry  their  flocks  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  they  will  carry  thi-jr 
namea  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  they  will  carry  you  also  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;  but  I 
believe  the  eontequence  of  this  will  very  speedily  be  unto  you  very  uncomfortable."  He  and  his 
creatures  went  on  filling  the  town  with  slander,  in  instances  which  I  desire  to  forgive  and  forget; 
only  one  of  them  I  will  mention,  because  they  made  more  than  ordinary  noise  about  it.  Having 
too  just  cause  to  fear  that  this  insolent  fellow  would  steal  an  admission  to  the  Lord's  Table  in  my 
own  church,  I  went  unto  his  house  on  purpose  to  forbid  him  from  it ;  but  they  spread  a  story  over 
the  town  that  I  came  to  invite  him  to  it.  Many  days  did  not  now  pass  before  I  did,  by  a  singular 
accident,  meet  with  a  book  of  Dr.  Samuel  Bolton's,  wherein  th?'';  is  a  discourse  about  "  The  Boy- 
alties  of  Faith;"  and  this  discourse,  to  my  surprize,  I  found  so  very  much  the  same  with  whu  I 
had  my  self  heard  this  man  deliver,  that  I  thought  the  two  boys  in  Plautus  were  not  more  aliko— 
Dixitque  aibi  tua  concio.fur  «».•  I  sent  for  many  other  of  the  hearers,  who  had  belter  menioricii 
thon  my  sel*".  and  offered  them  to  give  them  a  considerable  price  for  every  sentence  they  could  rail 
to  mind  in  their  Dr.  Samuel  May's  discourse,  that  I  could  not  show  them  in  my  Dr.  Samuel  Bol- 
ton's; which  offer  they  some  of  them  took,  but  could  not  find  one  sentence  for  their  advantage: 
The  exact  agreement  between  Samuel  the  Doctor  and  Sam.  the  Dunce  was  a  diverting  surprize  to 
all  that  saw  it.  Hereupon  a  minister  of  the  town  visited  the  man  himself,  and  profered  him  a  pieee 
of  eight  for  every  material  sentence  that  hr  could  produce  of  his  own  discourse  obout  "  The  Hoyul- 
ties  of  Faith,"  which  could  not  be  produced  from  the  author,  and  in  the  order,  and  with  his/oHr- 
t»Ae«  and  expressions,  that  were  most /)eru2tar;  and  he  set  before  him  the  cheat  and  the  criiiii- 
that  there  is  in  preaching  stolen  sermons.  Indeed,  because  the  man  had  no  academical  educfiiioii 
(except  one  should  suppose  at  Samourgan,  a  certain  famous  academy  in  Lithuania,)  it  wos  to  nu 
purpose  to  quote  unto  him  the  saying  of  Synesius,  Magis  impium  esse  mortuorum  liicubratioiies, 
quam  testes  furari  :f  But  I  did  in  plain  English  tell  him  the  dit^honcsty  of  the  matter.  He  no' 
only  denied  that  ever  he  had  us'd  or  seen  any  of  Dr.  Bolton's  works,  (though  he  was  also  d»'tecif(l 
of  stealing  three  or  four  more  sermons  out  of  this  very  book!)  but  he  also  called  the  great  ami 
dreadful  God  to  witness,  "that  the  discourse  he  delivered  was  the  pure  effect  of  his  own  indu^'lrv 
and  invention  ;"  adding,  that  he  had  no  other  way  to  give  satisfaction,  but  by  preaching  on  any  text 
that  minister  should  gi''t  him.  The  mini.sisr  told  him  that  he  was  astonished  at  his  horrid  xnicked- 
ness  and  atheism,  and  that  if  he  were  to  be  believed  in  this  thing,  nil  humane  proof  of  any  tliinu 
must  come  to  an  end.  He  proceeded,  that  he  Imd  ontpone  all  the  cheats  that  ever  had  nppenr'd 
among  us,  for  being  so  hnrdned  in  impiety  and  stupidity,  as  to  deny  a  fact  wherein  he  was  an 
plainly  detected  as  ever  any  thief  that  was  taken  with  the  stolen  goods  about  him.  And  he  con- 
cluded, "  Miserable  mon,  do  you  n^k  me  for  a  text  to  preach  upon?  I  have  a  text  more  than  out- 
for  you  to  think  upon.  Go  preach,  if  you  dare  to  do  it,  upon  that  text,  Psal.  ci,  7, '  He  that  toll.ili 
lies,  shall  not  torry  in  my  sight.'  Preach,  if  you  dare  to  do  it,  upon  that  text,  Peal.  1.  16, '  I'nio 
the  wicked  God  saith,  What  hast  thou  to  do  to  declare  my  statutes!'  Preach,  if  you  dare  to  do  ii, 
upon  that  text,  Rev.  xxi.  8, '  All  liars  shall  have  their  part  in  the  lake.'  And  if  you  dare  cany  on 
your  impiety  so  far,  prcoch  upon  that  text,  Rev.  ii>  S3,  'All  the  churches  shall  know,  that  I  st'inrh 
the  reins  and  the  hearts.'  But  let  me  faithfully  and  solemnly,  and  os  n  minister  of  God,  and  as  mie 
►peaking  to  you  in  the  name  of  God,  and  in  the  fear  of  God,  admonish  you  to  repent  of  your  wick- 
edness, I  doubt  you  will  not  repent,  and  therefore  I  tell  you,  /  am  verily  perswaded  the  Lmd 
Jesus  Christ,  who  knouss  your  secret  wickedness,  will  bring  it  out.  1  verily  believe,  that  in  yniir 
detection,  the  glorious  Lord  JKst;s  Christ  wii.i,  maice  am,  the  churches  to  know,  that  lit 

*  Illn  own  harangue  tnlcl  to  him,  you  are  a  thluf. 

t  U  ti  more  wicked  to  rob  the  dead  of  their  Idoas,  than  of  their  grave-clothoa. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


549 


what  prinripip!, 
confusion  i!i;it 
mt  the  devircs 
)e  his  henreni, 
three  or  four 
er,  with  him." 
seen  in  hitn, 
d  ungratefully 
table  occnsion 
will  cnrry  thrir 
Christ ;  but  I 
He  and  Uk 
i«  and  forget; 
It  it.     Hnviiig 
Tnbie  in  n)y 
i  a  Btory  over 
by  a  singiilnr 
ut  "  The  Buy- 
e  with  whit  I 
more  niiki' — 
'Iter  meni<)ri<"3 
hey  could  mil 
Samuel  Bol- 
ir  advontnge: 
ng  surprize  to 
ed  him  n  piere 
"  The  Knyal. 
with  \najlmir- 
ind  the  crinif 
icnl  educfilioii 
)  it  was  to  m 
liirulrationca, 
tter.     He  iic: 
also  d^'tecled 
he  great  nnd 
own  indu.'irv 
g  on  any  text 
orrid  tinckul- 
of  any  thins 
had  nppenr'd 
in  he  wns  ns 
And  he  con- 
ore  than  one 
e  that  telleili 
1.   Ifi.-l'iiK. 
dare  to  do  ii, 
are  carry  on 
hot  I  seiiruh 
1,  and  IIS  one 
if  your  wirk- 
'(i  the  Liiid 
that  ill  yniir 

iV,  THAT    11 1 


SKARCiit^s  Ti'G  REINS  AND  TUE  HEARTS  o/  the  children  of  men.  Remember  I  told  you  to,  and  that 
many  months  will  not  past  before  thi,'  come  to  pass:  It  may  he  I  may  live  to  tee  it."  He  trem- 
lilt'd  and  ((Uivered  when  the  minister  spoke  these  things  uilto  him ;  yet  he  repented  not,  but  in  a 
few  hours  he  set  the  people  a  railing  at  that  minister  in  many  corners  of  the  town,  for  "abusing  a 
prt'ciuus,  godly,  worthy  man."  Some  advised  the  arretting  of  that  minister  in  great  aetioni  for 
ilef  liming  of  this  excellent  person ;  and  others  had  the  fear  of  God  so  little  in  exercise  with  them, 
88  to  cry  out, "  that  if  this  man  had  been  guilty  of  all  that  was  charg'd  on  him,  yet  for  that  minister 
tu  8peak  such  things  to  him,  was  as  great  an  offence  as  his." 

I  had  reason  to  desire  that  the  truth  might  now  appear  a  little  more  irrefragably,  anJ  therefore  I 
went  unto  the  officers  of  the  Anabaptist  church,  declaring, "  that  I  apprehended  myself  able  to  con- 
vict the  man  whom  they  employ'd  as  a  publick  teacher  among  them  of  being  a  cheat,  and  of  having 
horribly  ly'd  against  his  conscience  in  several  repeated  and  notorious  instances ;  and  that  i  desired 
on  my  own  behalf,  and  on  the  behalf  of  the  other  ministers  in  the  town,  that  they  would  appoint  a 
place  the  next  week,  where  I  might  prove  my  charge  to  his  face,  and  they  should  be  judges  of  it." 
I  could  not  have  imagined  it,  but  the  church  being  informed  of  my'dcmand,  immediately  renewed 
(ns  I  am  told)  their  call  unto  him,  to  continue  his  preaching  among  them ;  and  by  their  minitter 
and  another  there  was  an  answer  of  this  importance  brought  unto  me,  "  that  inasmuch  ns  this  man 
wns  not  a  member  of  their  church,  they  did  not  apprehend  themselves  concerned  to  take  any  notice 
of  whot  I  had  offered."  Whereto  my  reply  was,  "  Well,  I  have  done  my  duty,  and  I  hope  you 
have  considered  whether  it  will  be  for  Christ's  honour,  or  for  your  own,  to  employ  a  man  as  a  publick 
preacher,  against  whom  such  a  charge  is  urg'd,  and  may  be  proved,  if  you  will  but  hear  ii."  And, 
thought  I,  how  much  will  Christians  act  beside  themselves  when  "led  into  temptation."  From  this 
time,  even  from  September  (I  think)  to  December,  I  conccrn'd  myself  no  further;  being  satisfied 
ihnt  it  would  not  be  long  before  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  saw  how  impiously  this  man  mocked 
him,  would  "search  him  out,"  and  cloath  with  perpetual  confusion  those  that  would  persist  in  assist- 
ing  such  a  mocker  o(  Heaven.  One  would  have  thought  that  considerate  people,  after  this  warning, 
would  have  been  as  niiioh  afraid  of  seeing  such  spectre  in  a  pulpit,  ns  if  he  hud  been  the  holder- 
forth,  which  they  say  sotnetimes  oppears  in  the  copper  mines  of  Sweden.  But  many  people, 
instead  of  taking  the  warning,  went  on  still,  under  the  influences  of  this  ignus  fntuus,  to  treat  nie 
(and  nmch  briter  men)  with  numberless  and  furious  abuses  for  giving  it ;  and  with  a  practical  com- 
mentary upon  the  di.>iteinper8  mentioned  in  the  first  epistle  to  the  Corinthians.  I  praise  the  Lord 
for  his  making  me  unwilling  to  remember  them,  and  I  pray  him  to  cast  them  out  of  his  remembrance. 
At  last  the  iriolice  wont  so  far,  that  they  began  to  throw  into  my  houiie  insolent,  bitter,  bloody 
libels,  wherein,  albeit  the  nomeless  writers  confess  "a  great  esteem  for  me,  for  my  moderate  spirit 
towards  them  that  differ  from  me,"  yet  they  now  in  most  venorroi!-!  terms  of  rage  flew  upon 
me  for  my  "reviling  an  eminent  worthy  stranger,"  (as  they  expresh  i',;  and  "persecuting"  one 
who  had  the  "root  of  the  matter  in  him,"  and  one  who  hod  now  the  lioerty  of  a  more  "unstained 
pulpit"  than  any  of  those  which  had  been  dcny'd  him.  Ail  these,  and  ninny  more  such  things, 
wherein  I  heard  the  defaming  of  many,  I  bore,  I  hope  I  may  say,  silently  find  patiently,  and  it 
wns  a  great  fault  in  me,  if  not  prayerfully :  And  if  I  did  n^t  get  myself  to  consider,  "  what  holy 
li  ssona  were  to  be  learnt  out  of  such  temptations" — in  which  It  i,.mns  I  should  have  been  sufficiently 
requited  good,  for  the  cursing  of  all  the  Shimei's  in  the  town.  Out,  thought  I,  what  spirit  pos- 
wsses  these  louchy  folks  thot  they  can't  lot  me  be  quiet  ?  I  do  nothing  to  disquiet  them :  Or  does 
that  spirit  see  that  his  time  is  but  short,  e'er  the  displeasure  of  Heaven  put  this  Boiitefeu  and  his 
disciples  to  the  bluih  which  had  been  foretold  unto  them.  Truly,  sir,  I  had  no  remedy,  but  humbly 
to  cnrry  my  complaints  unto  the  Lord,  who  knew  my  faithfulness. 

This  evil  worker  now  npply'd  himself  unto  the  Anabaptists  with  private  intimations,  that  for  four 
or  five  years  he  had  been  convinced  in  his  conscience  thot  their  way  was  the  right  way,  and  that 
he  was  now  in  some  trouble  of  conscience  for  his  having  delay'd  so  long  to  declare  himself,  but  it 
(liould  not  now  be  long  before  he  did.  When  things  were  now  become  just  ripe  for  the  devices 
of  8n ton  to  take  effect,  behold  how  the  wonderful  providence  of  Heaven  defeated  them!  "The 
Lord  sent  an  evil  spirit"  between  this  man  and  the  Analinptii>lB  that  had  adhered  unto  him,  Even 
thrii  began  to  find  their  "eminent  worthy  stronger"  guilty  of  such  tying,  nnd  such  lewdness,  nnd 
such  (Innmnble  riiri'inusness,  (enpeclnlly  when,  upon  their  not  carrying  money  to  him  on  n  Lord's 
day  wherein  he  preached  not,  he  flew  out,  as  I  am  told,  like  a  dragon,  spitting  this  imong  other 


M 


m- 


■! 


650 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


firt  at  them:  "I  see,  no  longer  pipe,  no  longer  donee!")  that  they  came  to  tear  he  was  a  cheat, 
and  wished  they  had  never  seen  him.  While  things  were  thus  operating,  the  guilty  fellow  having 
bubbled  the  silly  neighbours  of  incredible  scores  of  pounds,  and  thinking  that  the  answers  of  my 
letters  to  Europe  about  him  were  not  far  off,  all  on  the  sudden  he  will  be  gone ;  and  none  of  the 
charming  offers  that  were  made  him  if  he  would  continue,  could  procure  his  continuance  niiy 
longer  in  the  country.  He  that  had  often  told  us,  his  coming  from  England  was  with  a  purpose  in 
toe  his  uncle  in  Virginia,  whom  it  may  be  no  man  else  ever  saw,  now,  without  one  look  towarrtsi 
Virginia,  ships  himself  to  return  for  England.     But  God  will  no  longer  be  mocked! 

A  virtuous  and  laudable  young  gentleman  in  the  neighbourhood  lets  fall  a  word  unto  one  of  his 
friends, "  that  he  was  informed  this  man  had  used  some  uncivil  carriage  towards  a  woman  i\v,n 
belonged  unto  one  of  the  churches  in  the  town."  Some  of  the  hearers  go  and  complain  thnt  this 
gentleman  said,  "the  man  had  got  such  a  woman  with  child,"  whereupon  some  of  the  man's  fririuia 
began  to  be  obstreperous.  The  ingenuous  young  gentleman  was  too  well  beloved  by  all  that  knew 
his  constant  piety,  to  be  suspected  of  speaking  a  falaehood;  and  the  trouble  on  the  minds  of  his 
friends  for  him  immediately  made  several  discreet  and  honest  women  to  speak  out  more  plniiily, 
how  able  they  were  to  assert  the  truth  of  what  he  had  renlly  spoken.  Horrid  things  began  to  he 
muttered  about  this  wretch  for  divers  weeks  before ;  and  no  doubt  the  apprehension  of  their  tnkiiig 
air  hastened  his  flight;  but  a  modest  woman,  especially  if  she  don't  know  of  any  one  else  to  sustain 
with  her  the  weight  of  the  testimony,  appears  with  no  small  reluctancy  to  testiiie  an  aflront  oflercd 
unto  her.  It  had  been  remarked  by  some,  that  this  villain,  though  in  public  prayer  he  were 
eximordinary  devout,  yet  he  had  a  strange  indisposition  io  jfrivate  prayer.  And  there  was  enough 
to  render  prayer  uneasie  to  his  guilty  soul;  for  while  he  was  "feasting"  with  the  abused  neigh- 
bours, "he  had  eyes  full  of  adultery  that  could  not  cease  from  sin."  The  burning  jeolousie  of 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  now  bring  out  the  villainy  of  this  man,  and  make  all  the 
ciirRciiES  TO  XNOW  THAT  HE  SEARCHES  THE  REINS  AND  THE  HEARTS.  The  hypocrite  had  made 
Buoh  a  show  of  leal  in  his  performances  on  the  stage,  that  every  one  said,  "this  man  must  Le 
either  a  great  saint,  or  a  great  rogue ;"  and  as  to  one  of  these,  I  question  whether  a  greater  ever 
came  into  this  land. 

Sir,  I  durst  not  blot  my  paper  with  all  the  abominable  things  that  nre  testified  upon  oath  against 
this  "**minent  worthy  stronger."  But  the  sum  of  the  testimonies  deposed  upon  oath  before  the 
magistrate,  December  7, 1699,  by  several  women  of  unblemished  reputation,  is,  "  That  he  would 
o(\en  watch  opportunities  of  getting  them  alone,  and  then  would  often  affront  them  with  lewd,  vile 
and  lascivious  carriages,  which  rendered  it  a  dangerous  thing  to  be  alone  with  him,  and  abundantly 
assured  them,  that  he  was  a  '  great  rogue,'  and  that  if  they  had  been  for  his  turn,  he  would  have  stuck 
at  no  villainy  towards  them.  That  he  would  also  talk  at  a  vile  rate  ;  and  among  other  things,  he 
would  plead, '  that  there  was  no  sin  in  adultery.' " 

The  teslhnonies  aAer  this  increased  on  our  hands,  which  assured  us,  that  on  a  Saturdoy,  with  his 
Bible  in  his  hands,  he  could  solicite  young  women  to  wantonness  ;  yea,  and  endeavour  to  intoxicate 
tliem,  that  lu*  might  pursue  his  vile  purposes  upon  them.  Yea,  that  when  he  hud  heard  of  a  young 
woman  affected  with  his  ministry,  he  would  find  her  out,  and  spend  several  hours  together  in  rudo 
actions  and  speeehoa  to  her,  and  urging  her  to  lye  with  him,  which  he  said  was  no  sin,  for  DcviJ 
and  Solomon  did  as  ntueh  ;  and  adding,"  they  need  not  fear  being  with  child  by  him,  for  none  ever 
wen:  so  !"  More  of  this  prodigious  deviliHin  wos  testified  agninst  this  "  eminent  worthy  stronger  ;" 
and  other  horrid  stuff  begins  to  con  e  to  light,  and  I  suppose  would  soon  be  found,  if  sought  for ;  but 
I  abhor  to  rake  any  further  into  sujh  a  dunghil. 

Tjtey  that  fill'd  the  town  with  other  impiety,  by  setting  up  this  flthy  dreamer,  have  now  n  time 
to  admire  the  favour  of  ileuvcn,  (more  than  their  own  prudence)  that  there  was  not  set  up  a  eon- 
gregntion  of  Nicolaitniis  in  the  town,  and  thnt  the  young  people  hove  not  been  debauched  into 
fearful  whoredoms,  and  led  away  to  the  "  nncleon  spirit,"  like  the  Transylvanian  children,  which 
danred  after  the  riKD  piper  into  the  cave  of  Ilnmelen. 

But  t  have  observed  that  whereas  grievous  "times  of  temptation"  are  ever  now  and  tlien  sent 
uptm  our  ehureht's,  if  the  servants  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  can,  for  a  while,  bear  to  lie  hufit'd  Uy 
the  (iwilish  rnge  of  those  times,  and  npply  ihi'iiiselves  to  humble  prayer  and  faith  hffore  ilif  jii  at 
Lord,  who  holds  the  tentptrr  in  a  ehain  ;  and  if,  instead  of  answering  to  reviling  witli  rrrillne, 
ihey  are  only  quickened  unto  more  o(  ho' iness  and  usefulness!  the  times  do  not  prove  "  havs  of 


in 


OE,    THE    HISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENQLAND. 


551 


le  was  a  client, 
y  fellow  having 
answers  of  niy 
id  none  of  the 
intinuonce  ntiy 
th  a  purpose  \n 
look  towards 

into  one  of  his 
a  woman  that 
iplain  that  this 
5  man's  friuuls 
all  that  knew 
minds  of  his 
;  more  plain  iy, 
?3  began  to  be 
'f  their  taking 
else  to  sustain 
affront  oflt- red 
«yer  he   were 
e  was  enoujjh 
ibuscd  neigh- 
J  jealousie  of 

IKE    ALL    THE 

te  had  made 
nan  must  Le 
grcnter  ever 

oath  against 
'h  before  the 
lat  he  would 
ith  lewd,  vile 
J  abundantly 
d  have  stuck 
?r  things,  he 

lay,  with  hia 
lo  intoxicate 
I  of  a  young 
Iher  in  rudo 
'».  for  Dnvid 
T  none  ever 
'  stranger;" 
ht  for  ;  but 

iiow  a  time 
t  up  a  con- 
uched  into 
rcn,  which 

then  sent 
>iff't'd  liy 
ilip  ^rrat 
I  rrviliiig, 

"ilAVS  of 


temptation,"  but  meer  "hours  of  lemptaflon  ;"  and  nubecula  cito  transitura,"  presently  at  an  end. 
And  so  it  was  in  the  "  storm  of  teinptation."  which  by  Satan  was  now  raised  in  our  neighborhood. 

It  has  iki  i^ome  former  years  commonly  happened  unto  me,  that  when  I  visited  in  the  way  of  my 
ptutoral  dutp  persons  "  possessed  with  evil  spines,"  the  persons,  though  they  knew  every  one  else 
in  the  room,  yet,  through  the  unaccountable  openition  of  the  tvil  tpirta  upon  their  eyes,  I  must 
appear  so  dirty,  so  ugly,  so  ditgitiged  unto  them,  that  they  could  have  no  knowledge  of  me.  I  have 
a  thousand  times  thought  that  the  Lord  ordered  this  ibr  W)vne  intimation  unto  me,  that  when  "  limes 
of  temptation"  come,  wherein  evil  spirits  have  R'j  much  operation  on  the  vdvaa  of  many  piople 
08  they  have  upon  the  eyes  of  energumena,  t  r  mister  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  will  be  ioithfui 
unto  his  interests,  must  look  to  be  all  over  diaguiaed  by  misrepresentations  unto  the  minda  of  them 
that  are  under  the  power  of  temptation.  A  minister  shall  strictly  impose  that  ■<  law  of  kindness" 
upon  his  lips,  to  speak  not  one  intemperate  or  injurious  word  on  the  greatest  psovocation,  and  yet 
be  represented  as  a  nrfan  full  of  hitUrneaa.  He  shall  be  always  deviaing  thinga  to  relieve  the 
itiiserable,  and  spend  more  than  man  /  others  do  imagine  possible  to  be  spent  in  pioua  uaea,  and 
Ecorn  to  take  many  little  gaina,  that  n.igl/  lawfully  be  taken,  and  yet  they  shall  cry  out  of  him  for 
uncharitableneaa  and  incivility.  He  sha';  never  once  in  his  life  ask  a  aalary  from  his  flock,  nor 
agree  with  them  about  a  aalary,  nor  huve  his  dependance  on  the  Lord'a-day  coUectiona  for  a  aalary, 
nor  be  in  any  likelihood  of  seeing  the  Lord'a-day  coUectiona  to  fail,  and  yet  they  shall  flout  at  him, 
as  one  "  afraid  of  losing  his  contribution."  A  minister  shall  be  of  such  a  temper  that,  perci'iving 
a  considerable  and  valuable  paiC  of  his  flock  to  put  themselves  unto  a  deal  of  trouble  to  attend 
upon  his  ministry  (by  passing  a  large  ferry  every  Lord'e-day,)  he  shall  one  year  after  another  call 
upon  those  beloved  Christians  to  leave  his  ministry,  and  set  up  a  uew  church  by  themselves,  and 
set  a  worthy  pastor  over  them,  to  support  whom  he  shall  offer  to  contribute  not  a  little,  and  part 
with  some  of  his  own  aalary,  and  yet  this  minister  shall  be  represented  as  "  afraid  of  nothing  more 

than  losing  his  hearers."     He  shall But  I  don't  love  to  mention  these  things ;  the  Lord  of 

heaven  teach  us  by  these  things  to  "  long  for  heaven,"  and  even  while  we  are  on  earth  to  live 
in  heaven. 

You  will  doubtless  make  some  advantage  to  your  holy  thoughts  from  this  remarkable  story ;  and 
my  other  neighbours  will  make,  I  hope,  at  least  this  advantage  from  it,  that  if  another  Barber, 
instead  of  the  other  courses  that  bring  so  many  to  Tyburn,  come  over  from  London  hither,  to  recruit 
his  broken  fortunea  by  the  blaaphemiea  of  atolen  aermons,  plausibly  and  fervently  delivered ;  the 
people  have  now  learnt  a  little  more  wit,  than  to  pamper  such  a  fellow  with  their  plentiful  cookery, 
and  equip  him  with  score  of  pounds  in  his  pocket,  and  send  ...im  to  London  ogain  to  laugh  at  the 
folly  of  them  that  will  permit  themselves  to  be  so  abused. 

'Tis  time  for  me  now  to  subscribe  my  self,  (inasmuch  as  I  am  not  writing  a  libel,) 

Sir,  Your  sincere  Servant,  Cotton  Mather. 

Postscript. — The  country  has  been  so  filled  with  liea,  on  the  occasion  of  the  things  which  have 
been  truly  represented  in  this  my  letter,  that  I  suppose  I  shall  publish  the  letter  unto  the  country. 
And  if  nny  blame  the  publication,  I  think  they  will  forget  what  ia  required  in  the  ninth  command- 
ment;  and  I  fear  they  will  but  expose  themselves  unto  the  censures  of  wise  and  good  men,  as  the 
friends  of  this  impostor,  not  out  of  charity,  (as  divers  worthy  Christians  before  they  knew  him  were,) 
but  from  a  principle  of  impiety  and  malignity.  Among  the  ancient  Israelites,  when  a  falae  prophet, 
or  an  unclean  prieat,  was  found,  every  man  had  a  eommiaaion,  in  the  presence  of  ten  men,  to  exe- 
cute the  law  upon  him,  (as  Grotius  tells  us,',  Non  Expectnto  Judice.f  But  when  one  of  those 
wretches  received  his  punishment,  it  was  the  custom,  "that  a  letter  concerning  it  should  be  dis- 
patched unto  all  the  cities  of  Israel."  As  for  this  unclean  prophet,  the  letter  it  self  that  id  now 
dispatched  unto  nil  the  "churchea,"  is  the  chief  puniahment  hitherto  inflicted  on  him. 


*  Flyinu  clouds. 


t  Without  waiting  Tor  n  farmol  trini. 


H 


i 


^!l 


552 


MAONALIA    OHBISTI   AMEBIGANA; 


PI 


CHAPTER  Yl, 

ARMA    TIBOSqOE    CANO;* 

OE,  THE  TROUBLES  WHICH  THE  CHTSCHES  OF  NEW-ENGLAND  HAVE  UNDERGONE 

IN    THE  WARS   WHICH    THE  FSOFLE  OF  THAT  COUNTRY   BATE  HAD   WITH  THE  INDIAN   SALVAGES. 

§  1.  Two  colonies  of  churches  being  brought  forth,  and  a  third  conceived 
within  .the  bounds  of  New-England,  by  the  year  1636,  it  was  time  for  the 
devil  to  take  the  alarum,  and  make  some  attempt  in  opposition  to  the  pos- 
session which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  was  going  to  have  of  these  **  utmost 
parts  of  the  earth."  These  phvU  were  then  covered  with  nations  of  bar- 
b  .rous  Indians  and  infidels,  in  whom  the  "prince  of  the  power  of  the  air" 
did  "work  in  a  spirit;"  nor  could  it  be  expected  that  nations  of  wretches, 
whose  whole  religion  was  the  most  explicit  sort  of  devil-worship,  should  not 
i>e  acted  by  the  devil  to  engage  in  some  early  and  bloody  action,  for  the 
extinction  of  a  plantation  so  contrary  to  his  interests,  as  that  of  New-Eng- 
iund  was.  Of  these  nations  there  was  none  more  fierce,  more  warlike, 
more  potent,  or  of  a  greater  terror  unto  their  neighbours,  than  that  of  tlie 
i'lQUOTS;  but  their  being  so  much  a  terror  to  their  neighbours,  and  espe- 
cially to  the  Narragansets  on  the  east-side  of  them,  and  the  Monhegins  on 
the  west,  upon  whom  they  had  committed  many  barbarous  outrages,  pi-o- 
duced  such  a  "division  in  the  kingdom  of  Satan"  against  itself,  as  was 
very  serviceable  to  that  of  our  Lord.  In  the  year  1634  these  terrible  sal- 
vages killed  one  Captain  Stone,  and  Captain  Norton,  with  six  men  more, 
in  a  bark  sailing  up  Connecticut  'ver,  and  then  sunk  her.  In  the  year 
1635,  a  bark,  sailing  from  the  Ma.-:.,  ar'huset-bay  to  Virginia,  being  by  a 
tempest  cast  away  at  Long-Island,  the  same  terrible  salvages  killed  several 
of  the  shipvvTackM  Englishmen.  In  the  year  1636,  at  Block-Island,  com- 
ing aboard  a  vessel  i'-  trade,  they  murdered  the  master.  And  another 
Cuming  that  way,  found  tliat  thf^y  had  made  themselves  masters  of  a  bark, 
which  occasioned  the  sending  of  an  hundred  and  twenty  soldiers  thither, 
under  Captain  Endicot,  Captain  Underhil,  and  Captain  Turner,  by  the 
governour  and  council  at  Poston  upon  whom,  at  their  landing,  the  Indians 
violently  shot,  and  so  ran  v/ay  where  no  English  could  come  at  them. 
Travelling  further  up  to  the  Pequot  countr_ ,  the  Pequots  refused,  upon  a 
conference,  to  surrender  Uie  murderers  harboured  among  them,  which 
were  then  demanded;  whereupon  a  skirmish  ensued,  in  which,  after  the 
death  of  one  of  their  men,  the  Indians  fled,  but  the  English  destroyed 
their  com  and  their  HuUs^  and  so  returned. 

Moreover,  a  fort,  with  a  garrison  of  twenty  men,  being  by  some  agents 
that  were  sent  over  by  tlie  lord  Say  and  the  lord  Broi^k,  formed  at  the 
river's  mouth,  (a  place  called  Say-Bru> .k.)  the  Pequots  after  this  lay  sculk- 

*  I  niiig  ur  wnn  mill  heruei. 


RGONE 

SALVAOBS. 

I  conceived 
lie  for  the 
0  the  pos- 

"utmost 
IS  of  bar- 
f  the  air" 
wretches, 
lould  not 
n,  for  the 
few-Eng- 

warlike, 
at  of  the 
ind  espe- 
legins  on 
ges,  pi-o- 
as  was 
[•ible  sal- 
3n  more, 
-he  year 
ig  by  a 

several 
id,  com- 
another 

a  bai'k, 
thither, 

by  the 
Indians 
t  them. 

upon  a 

which 
'ter  tiie 
stroy«;d 

agents 
at  tiie 
sculk- 


OR,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


553 


ing  about  that  fort  almost  continually ;  by  which  means  divers  of  the 
English  lost  their  lives,  and  some  that  were  seized  by  the  Indians  going 
up  the  river,  were  most  horribly  tortured  by  them,  and  roasted  alive;  and 
afterwards  the  Ihwnies  would  with  derision  in  the  English  hearing  imitate 
the  doleful  ejaculations  and  invocations  of  the  poor  creatures  that  had  per- 
ished under  their  cruel  tortures,  and  add  infinite  blasphemies  thereunto. 
Unto  all  which  there  was  annexed  the  slaughter  of  nine  men,  with  the 
taking  of  two  maids,  by  this  horrid  enemy  lying  in  ambush  for  them  as 
they  went  into  the  fields  at  Weathersfield.  So  that  the  infant  colonies 
of  New-England,  finding  themselves  necessitated  unto  the  crushing  of 
serpents,  while  they  were  but  yet  in  the  cradle,  unanimously  resolved,  that 
with  the  assistance  of  Heaven  they  would  root  this  "nest  of  serpents" 
out  of  the  world. 

Reader,  it  is  remarked  concerning  one  Anah,  in  very  early  times,  (Gen. 
xxxvi.  24,)  that  he  "found  mules  in  the  wilderness."  But  these  mules 
were,  if  I  been't  mistakin,  as  very  men  as  the  Pequots,  whom  the  first 
planters  of  New-England  "found  in  the  wilderness."  We  are  convinced 
by  such  incomparable  writers  as  Bochart,  that  the  mountainous  parts  of 
Seir,  where  our  Anah  dwelt,  was  a  country  no  ways  famous  for  mules  *  but 
we  may  then  incline  rather  to  the  opinion  of  Sanbert,  who  maintains  that 
the  D'D'  here  by  us  translated  mules,  are  the  same  that  elsewhere  are  called 
D'OK  of  which  variety  in  writing  the  same  name  the  Scriptures  have  many 
instances.  Now,  these  Emim  were  the  well-known  giant  which,  inhabit- 
ing the  Ilorraaan  regions  in  the  neighbourhood,  struck  terror  (as  their  name 
signifies)  unto  all  the  neighbours,  till  the  posterity  of  Esau  vanquished 
them ;  a  matter  which  many  passages  in  the  Bible  intimate.  Our  Anah 
is  here  distinguished  from  another  so  called,  by  a  notable  exploit  which 
he  performed  for  the  service  of  his  country.  'Rq  found,  that  is,  he  surprized 
and  assaulted  the  Emim,  those  terrible  giants  with  which  the  neighbour- 
hood was  infested.  By  this  heroick  act  he  signalized  himself,  while  the 
prince  his  father  employed  him  in  managing  and  ordering  his  estate  "in 
the  wilderness,"  which,  according  to  the  use  of  those  times,  lay  more  in 
cattel  than  in  any  other  substance.  But  this  digression  serves  only  to 
excite  my  reader's  expectation  of  Pequot  giants  to  be  "found  in  our 
wilderness." 

§  2.  When  these  Ammonites  perceived  that  they  had  made  themselves 
to  stink  before  the  New-English  Israel,  they  tried  by  all  the  enchanting 
insinuations  that  they  could  think  upon,  to  reconcile  themselves  unto  the 
other  nations  of  Indians,  with  whom  they  had  been  heretofore  at  variance: 
demonstrating  to  them  how  easie  'twould  be  for  them,  if  they  were  united, 
quickly  to  extirpate  the  English,  who,  if  they  were  divided,  would  from 
theuoo  take  their  advantage  to  devour  them  one  after  another.  But 
although  no  Machiavel  or  Achitophel  could  have  insinuated  this  matter 

*  Emim,  Mules:— ahu  tho  itnme  of  a  tribo. 


¥ 


■  m 

M 


!,(! 


''11 


I  5  J 


■\''l    vii 


-;)  I 


mi 


554 


MAQNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMEBIUANA; 


with  more  of  plausibility,  yet  the  prospect  of  a  sweet  revenge,  which  the 
other  nations  of  the  Indians  did  now  hope  to  have  by  the  help  of  the  Eng- 
lish upon  these  their  old  enemies,  prevailed  with  them  to  renounce  all 
proposals  of  accommodation;  "  which  thing  was  of  the  Lord  I"  Wherefore, 
in  the  beginning  of  May,  1637,  Connecticut-colony  set  out  against  these 
Pequots  ninety  men,  under  the  command  of  that  worthy  gentleman,  Mr. 
John  Mason,  whose  worth  advanced  him  afterwards  to  be  the  deputy  gov- 
ernour  of  the  colony;  and  these  were  accompanyed  with  one  Uncas,  an 
Indian  sachem,  newly  revolted  from  the  Pequots.  Captain  Underhil  also 
being  with  the  garrison  at  Say-Brook,  obtained  leave  to  assist  the  service 
now  in  hand  with  nineteen  men  and  himself,  who  was  not  the  twentieth, 
but  as  good  as  twenty  more.  Massachu set-colony  were  willing  to  do  their 
part  in  this  expedition,  with  an  army  (reader,  considering  the  small  num- 
ber of  inhabitants  then  in  these  territories,  let  it  pass  for  an  army  !)  con- 
sisting of  an  hundred  and  sixty  men,  under  the  chief  command  of  Israel 
Stoughton,  Esq.,  a  gentleman  of  great  merits;  but  the  matter  calling  for 
a  real  expedition,  one  Captain  Patrick,  with  forty  men,  was  dispatched 
away  before.  Plymouth-colony  oLearfully  offered  fifty  men  as  their  quota, 
to  the  service  now  undertaken ,  but  it  being  accomplished,  as  well  as  under- 
taken, before  their  complement  of  men  could  arrive,  the  will  was  taken 
for  the  deed.  The  Connecticut  forces  being  shipp'd  in  Connecticut-river, 
they  chose  Narraganset-river  to  land  at,  rather  than  Pcquot-river,  where 
the  enemy  kept  a  continual  guard ;  and  from  thence  they  marched  with  a 
design  to  surprize  them,  while  the  Narrnganset-Indians,  whereof  about  five 
hundred  now  joined  them,  as  they  approached  near  to  the  enemies'  head 
quarters,  discovered  so  much  fear,  that  they  either  quite  ran  away  or  fell 
into  the  rear.  Captain  Mason  was  by  this  time  informed  that  the  Pequots 
had  retired  themselves  into  two  impregnable  forts,  whereof  one  was  the 
rendezvouz  of  Sassacus,  the  chief  tyrant,  and  that  fierce  tyger,  at  the  very 
mention  of  whose  name  the  Narragansets  trembled,  saying,  "he  was  all 
one  a  God — no  body  could  kill  him."  The  council  of  war  determined  it 
necessary  to  fall  first  upon  the  fort  which  they  could  find  first;  and  on 
their  silent  m:>rch  in  the  moonshiny  night,  an  Indian-spy  that  had  boon 
sent  upon  discovery,  brought  them  word  that  the  Pequots  were  in  a  pro- 
found sleep:  for  having  seen  the  English  vessels  not  come  to  any  port  in 
the  next  river,  they  presumed  the  English  people  to  be  afraid  of  them, 
and  had  newly  tired  themselves  with  dancing  and  singing  until  midnight 
upon  that  presumption.  Our  guide  was  one  Wequash,  an  Indian  revolted 
from  the  Pequots,  among  whom  he  had  been  a  captain ;  and  now  Captuin 
Mason,  with  Captain  Underhil,  coming  up  to  the  next  fort  about  break 
of  day,  the  Indian  auxiliaries  were  so  dis-pirited,  as  to  retire  where  thoy 
might  lya  post  principia*  hardly  so  much  as  the  spectators  of  the  ensuing 
action.     The  two  captains,  with  their  two  companies,  took,  Mason  the  east- 


•  Duhiud  tho  ttovA, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-BNGLAND. 


OOO 


side,  and  Underhil  the  west-side  of  the  fort,  for  them  to  make  their  assaults 
upon;  and  as  they  approached  within  a  rod  of  the  fort,  a  dog  barking 
awaked  another  Cerberus,  an  Indian  that  stood  centinel,  who  immediately 
cried  out,  "  Wannux,  Wannuxl"  *.  e.  "English,  English  I"  However,  the 
courageous  captains  presently  found  a  way  to  enter  the  fort,  and  thereupon 
followed  a  bloody  encounter,  wherein  several  of  the  English  were  wounded, 
and  many  of  the  Indians  killed :  but  the  wigwams  or  houses  which  filled 
the  fort,  consisting  chiefly  of  combustible  mats,  we  set  fire  to  them,  and 
presently  retiring  out  of  the  fort,  on  every  side  surrounded  it.  The  fire, 
by  the  advantage  of  the  wind,  carried  all  before  it;  and  sucli  horrible 
confusion  overwhelmed  the  salvages,  that  many  of  them  were  broiled  unto 
death  in  the  revenging  flames;  many  of  them  climbing  to  the  tops  of  the 
pallizadoz,  were  a  fair  mark  for  the  moitiferous  bullets  there;  and  many 
of  them  that  had  the  resolution  to  issue  forth,  were  slain  by  the  English 
that  stood  ready  to  bid  'em  welcome;  nor  were  there  more  than  two  Eng- 
lish men  that  lost  their  lives  in  the  heat  of  this  action.  It  was  on  Friday, 
May  20,  1637,  that  this  memorable  action  was  performed;  and  it  was  ren- 
dred  the  more  memorable  by  this,  that  the  very  night  before  what  was 
now  done,  an  hundred  and  fifty  Indians  were  come  from  the  other  fort 
unto  this,  with  a  purpose  to  go  .out  with  all  speed  unto  the  destruction  of 
some  English  town;  whereas  they  were  now  suddenly  destroy'd  them- 
selves ;  and  in  a  little  more  than  one  hour,  five  or  six  hundred  of  these 
barbarians  were  dismissed  from  a  worl(f  that  was  burdened  with  them ;  not 
more  than  seven  or  eight  persons  escaping  of  all  that  multitude.  But  ere 
we  pass  any  further,  we  will  take  this  place  to  commemorate  famous 
Wequash,  the  Indian  whom  we  newly  mentioned  as  the  guide  of  the  Eng- 
lish to  this  Indian  fort.  Know,  reader,  that  after  this  battel  Wequash 
had  his  mind  wonderfully  struck  with  great  apprehensions  about  the  glory 
of  "the  Englishman's  God;"  and  he  went  about  the  colony  of  Connecticut 
with  bitter  lamentations,  "that  he  did  not  know  Jesus  Christ,"  until  the 
good  people  there  instructed  him.  When  he  had  understood  and  embraced 
the  Christian  religion,  he  made  a  most  exemplary  profession  of  it;  he 
reformed  all  his  former  ways  of  sin  and  lust,  and  with  prodigious  patience 
bore  a  thousand  iiyuries  from  the  other  Indians  for  his  holy  profession, 
while  he  went  up  and  down  preaching  of  Christ  among  them.  At  last  the 
Indians  murdered  him,  and  poisoned  him  for  his  religion ;  and  I  find  no 
less  a  person  than  Mi .  Thomas  Shepard,  of  Cambridge,  in  print  reporting 
his  death  with  such  terms  as  these:  "Wequash,  the  famous  Indian  at  the 
river's  mouth,  is  dead,  and  certainly  in  heaven :  gloriously  did  the  grace 
of  Christ  shine  forth  in  his  conversation  a  year  and  a  half  before  his  death ; 
he  knew  Christ;  he  loved  Christ;  he  preached  Christ  up  and  down;  and 
then  suffered  martyrdom  for  Christ;  and  when  he  died,  he  gave  his  soul 
to  Christ,  and  his  only  child  to  the  English,  in  this  hope,  that  the  child 
should  know  more  of  Christ  than  its  poor  father  did." 


>J  ' 


i^    I 


I  i'  3 


I   i 


656 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTl    AMERICANA; 


§  3.  Samson  was  not  in  much  greater  distress  by  thirst,  after  his  exploit 
upon  the  Philistines,  than  our  friends  the  day  after  this  exploit  upon  the 
Pequots ;  being  distressed  with  the  wants  of  a  thousand  necessaries,  in 
the  country  of  an  enraged  and  numerous  enemy  in  the  itlier  fort,  from 
whence  they  expected  that  the  mighty  Sassacus,  with  all  b^s  raight,  would 
pour  forth  upon  them.    Nevertheless,  by  the  good  providence  of  God, 
their  pinnaces,  with  all  other  necessary  provision  for  'em,  arrived  in  the 
Pequot  harbour  at  the  very  nick  of  time,  when  they  were  most  wishing 
for  them ;  whither,  while  our  forces  were  marching,  the  enemy  came  up, 
three  hundred  of  them,  from  the  other  fort,  like  "bears  bereaved  of  their 
whelps."    They  now  continued  a  bloody  fight  for  six  miles  together;  in 
which  the  Indians,  meeting  with  much  loss,  notwithstanding  their  making 
a  fort  of  every  swamp  in  the  way,  were  so  discouraged,  that  for  the  present 
they  gave  over;  but  when  they  came  to  see  the  ashes  of  their  friends 
mingled  with  the  ashes  at  the  fort,  and  the  bodies  of  so  many  of  their 
countrymen  terribly  barbiketv'd,  where  the  English  had  been  doing  a  good 
morning's  work,  they  howl'd,  they  roar'd,  they  stamp'd,  they  tore  tlieir 
hair;  and  though  they  did  not  swear,  (for  ihey  knev/  not  how!)  yet  they 
curs' d,  and  were  the  pictures  of  so  many  devils  in  desperation.    Captain 
Patrick,  and  quickly  aft«r  him  Captain  Stoughton,  were  now  come  into 
those  parts  of  the  country,  to  prosecute  the  work  which  had  been  so  nota- 
bly begun  by  the  Connedicotians :  and  there  was  yet  work  for  them  to  do; 
we  have  sometimes  read  of  "a  gleaning  as  good  as  a  vintage."    For  the 
whole  body  of  t'p^.^  sarviving  Pequots  repairing  to  the  fort  where  Sassacus 
resided,  upbraidec^  him  as  the  author  of  all  their  disasters,  and  were  as 
full  of  muuity  as;ainat  him,  as  the  Ninevites  were  against  Sennacherib 
after  his  disastrous  expedition  against  Jerusalem;  upon  which  they  pre- 
sently dispersed  themselves  into  several  dangerous,  rambling  and  raging 
parcels,  and  became  like  so  many  "unkennell'd  wolves"  about  the  country. 
However,  Heaven  so  smil'd  upon  the  English  hunting  after  them,  that  here 
and  there  whole  companies  of  them  were  by  the  informations  of  other 
Indians,  trepanned  into  the  hunters'  hands;  particularly  at  one  time  sohmi 
hundreds  of  them  were  seized  by  Captain  Stoughton  with  little  opposition, 
who,  sending  away  the  females  and  children  as  captives,  put  the  men  on 
board  a  vessel  of  one  Skipper  Gallop,  which  proved  a  Charon's  ferry-boat 
unto  them,  for  it  was  found  the  quickest  way  to  feed  the  fishes  with  'em. 
Our  forces  pursued  the  rest  of  the  Pequots  which  way  soever  they  could 
hear  of  them,  and  frequently  had  the  satisfaction  of  cutting  them  off  by 
companies:  but,  among  others,  they  met  with  one  crew  which  afforded 
them  two  sachems,  both  of  which  they  beheaded,  and  unto  a  third  they 
gave  his  life,  on  condition  that  he  would  effectually  enquire  after  Sassacus, 
the  grand  one  of  them  all.    This  wretch,  overlooking  all  national  or 
natural  obligations,  proved  faithful  to  his  employers;  and  in  a  few  days 
returning  with  advice  of  the  place  where  Sassacus  was  lodg'd,  Sassacus, 


lis  exploit 
upon  the 
isariea,  in 
fort,  from 
fht,  would 
B  of  God, 
ed  in  the 
5t  wishing 
came  up, 
i  of  their 
jether;  in 
ir  making 
be  present 
jir  friends 
y  of  their 
ng  a  good 
tore  tlieir 
yet  they 

Captain 
2ome  into 
n  so  nota- 
5m  to  do; 

For  the 
!  Sassacus 

were  as 
macherib 
they  pre- 
tid  raging 
5  country, 
that  here 

of  other 
ime  sonM 
iposition, 
e  men  on 
erry-boat 
with  'em. 
ley  could 
m  off  by 

afforded 
lird  they 
Sassacus, 
tional  or 
few  davs 
Sassacus, 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


557 


from  his  withdraw,  suspected  the  matter,  and  so  fled  away  with  twenty  or 
thirty  of  his  men  to  that  people  which  are  known  by  the  name  of  Maqua's, 
a  fierce  generation  o{  man-eaters,  for  whom  the  name  of  cannibal  or  han- 
nibal,  (of  a  signification  originally  much  more  gracious/)  has  been  carried 
with  them  out  of  Africa  into  America;  but  these  Maqua's  being  by  the 
Narragansets,  as  was  thought,  hired  thereunto,  with  a  most  Indian  ha'spi- 
tality  cut  'em  all  to  pieces.  By  such  methods  as  these  there  was  a  quick 
period  given  unto  the  Pequot  war ;  and  the  few  Pequots  that  survived, 
finding  themselves  a  prey  to  all  the  other  Indians,  who  now  prided  them- 
selves in  presenting  the  English  with  as  many  Pequot  heads  as  they  could, 
whether  by  vioknce  or  by  stratagem,  seize  v  ubmitted  themselves  unto 

the  English  mercy.     But  the  rest  of  the  1  who  saw  a  little  handful 

of  Englishmen  massacre  and  captivate  sevt  of  their  adversaries, 

and  kill  no  less  than  thirteen  of  their  sac  ttle  kings  in  one  short 

expedition,  such  a  "terror  from  God"  feh  ipon  uiom,  that  after  this  the 
"land  rested  from  war  for  near  forty  years  together,"  even  until  the  time 
when  the  sins  of  the  land  called  for  a  new  scourge;  and  the  Indians,  by 
being  taught  the  use  of  guns,  which  hitherto  they  had  not  learnt,  were 
more  capable  to  be  made  the  instruments  of  inflicting  it.  The  English 
interest  in  America  must  at  last  with  bleeding  lamentations  cry  out, 

Heu!  Patior  Telis,  Vulnera  facta  meU.* 

For  after  this,  the  Anri  sacra  Fames,  that  "cursed  hunger  of  lucre,"  in 
the  diverse  nntions  of  Europeans  here,  in  diverse  colonies  bordering  upon 
one  another,  soon  furnished  the  salvages  with  tools  to  destroy  those  that 
furnish'd  them: 


Tools,  pregnunt  with  infernal  flame, 

Whicii  into  hollow  engine?,  long  ond  round, 
Thick  ramm'd  at  the  other  bore,  with  touch  of  Are 
Dilated  and  infuriate,  doth  send  forth 


From  far  with  thund'ring  nolso  among  their  fuea 
Such  implements  of  mischief,  as  tu  dash 
To  pieces  and  overwhelm  whatever  stands 
Adverse.— 


§  4.  Indeed,  there  were  some  approaches  towards  a  war  between  the 
Endish  and  several  nations  of  the  Indians  divers  times  after  this;  but 
they  were  happily  prevented  with  an  Obsta  Principiis.-f  In  the  year  1638, 
sundry  vagabond  English  murdered  an  Indian  in  the  woods,  upon  which 
the  Narragansets,  whereof  he  was  one,  were  going  to  rise :  but  when  they 
saw  the  justice  of  the  country  in  executing  three  English  for  the  murder 
of  one  Indian,  it  so  astonished  them  that  they  laid  aside  their  inclination 
to  insurrection.  In  the  year  1643,  Miantonimo,  the  king  of  the  Narra- 
gansets, having  foiiUy  hired  an  Indian  to  assassinate  Uncas,  the  king  of 
the  Moheags,  (but  fail'd  in  the  attempt)  a  disturbance  was  thereby  occa- 
sion'd;  which  proceeded  so  far,  that  Miantonimo  went  forth  to  a  battel 
against  Uncas,  wherein  Uncas,  though  he  had  but  half  the  number  of 
men,  took  Miantonimo  prisoner,  and  very  fairly  cut  off  his  head.  In  the 
next  year,  an  Indian  murdering  an  Englishman  in  the  woods  near  Con- 

•  'Tis  my  own  shaft  that  roiiklos  In  my  wound.  +  Clieck  at  the  Aral  outset. 


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MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


net-ticut,  and  the  sagamore  whereto  he  belonged  refusing  to  surrender  the 
murderer,  things  went  on  so  far  that  the  heady  Indians  began  to  do  hostile 
acHona,  until,  upon  second  and  wiser  thoughts,  the  salvages  did  make  a 
surrender  of  the  murderer,  and  then  those  clouds  blew  over  also. 

About  the  same  year,  the  Narragansets  were  so  set  upon  destroying  the 
Mohegins,  that  the  New-Englanders  reckon'd  themselves  bound  in  justice 
and  hondur  to  defend  Uncas,  who  had  ever  been  true  to  the  English 
interests;  and  upon  this  account  there  was  an  army  raised  from  all  the 
colonies,  which  being  on  their  march  towards  the  enemies'  country,  the 
principal  saohims  of  the  Narragansets,  by  an  early  application  to  Boston 
for  peace,  put  an  happy  stop  to  their  marching  any  further. 

The  Narragansets  obliged  themselves  to  pay  the  charges  which  in  this 
manner  they  had  put  the  English  unto,  and  send  the  sons  of  their  sachims 
for  hostages  until  the  said  payment  should  be  made;  but  the  Indians 
observing  but  a  Oreek  faith  in  the  slow  fulfilments  of  the'"  promises,  one 
Captain  Atherton  had  the  courage,  with  a  very  few  English,  to  visit 
and  enter  the  very  wigwam  of  the  old  sachim  Ninigret,  and  catching 
the  sachim  there  by  his  hair,  with  a  pistol  at  his  breast,  in  plain  English 
protested,  "that  if  he  did  not  immediately  take  effectual  order  to  answer 
the  English  demands,  he  was  a  dead  man."  An  horrid  consternation 
seized  all  the  Indians  upon  the  sight  of  so  extravagant  an  action ;  and 
though  multitudes  of  them  stood  ready  to  let  fly  upon  Captain  Atherton, 
yet  their  hearts  failed  them :  They  submitted,  and  there  was  an  end.  A  plot 
of  one  Sequasson,  an  Indian  prince,  near  New-Haven,  to  assassinate  the 
chief  magistrates  of  the  neighbour  colony,  and  some  other  villainous  and 
injurious  actions  of  the  Indians  towards  divers  other  English  people,  caused 
more  disturbance  in  the  year  1646,  but  at  last  this  also  came  to  nothing. 
In  the  year  1647,  not  only  the  Narragansets,  but  the  Moheags  also,  by 
new  insolencies,  obliged  the  English  to  demand  satisfaction  from  them, 
which  being  obtained,  they  proceeded  unto  no  further  action;  and  in  the 
year  following,  the  Narragansets,  hiring  the  Maqua's  to  assist  them  in  the 
prosecution  of  their  old  pique  against  Uncas,  were  again  upon  the  very 
point  of  committing  outrages  upon  the  English  too;  but  a  merciful  Provi- 
dence of  heaven  over-ruled  it,  as  it  in  like  manner  did  the  effects  of  a 
general  uproar  likely  to  ensue  upon  certain  murders  perpetrated  by  out- 
rageous Indians  upon  certain  persons  of  New-Haven,  and  of  Long-Island, 
in  the  year  ensuing.  About  the  year  1653,  there  was  a  great  commotion 
and  agony  raised  in  the  spirits  of  people  throughout  the  country,  upon 
the  apprehension  of  an  horrid  conspiracy  among  the  Indians  throughout 
the  country  to  cut  off  all  the  English ;  and  there  appeared  strong  evidences 
to  confirm  that  apprehension;  but  these  troubles  likewise  vanished.  In 
the  year  1662,  Alexander,  the  son  and  heir  of  old  Mnssnsoit,  not  being 
such  a  friend  to  the  English  as  his  father  had  been  before  him,  solicited 
the  Narragansets  to  join  with  him  in  a  rebellion;  upon  the  good  proof 


whereof, 
comman 
The  Maj 
assisted 
ing-hou& 
the  ragii 
to  him  i 
with  hir 
Alexand 
civility  w 
inward  J 
&  fever 
sagamore 
peace"  w 
of  war  u 
ually  defi 
articles  o 
did  arise 
ment  the 
Indeed,  ' 
Antwerp 
Spain,  th 
perform  \ 
you,  bod 
the  India 
of  New-] 
shall  anc 
became  c 
§5.  Ir 
sent  fortl 
addressee 
several  n 
tion  of  t 
the  son  ( 
Christiar 
Philip;  : 
as  read. 
from  his 
his  repen 
Lord's  n 
every  L 
there  wc 
original, 
some  to( 


OR,    THE    HI8T0KY    OP    NEW-ENOLAND. 


559 


whereof,  the  government  of  Plymouth  sent  that  valiant  and  excellent 
commander,  Major  General  Winslow,  to  fetch  him  down  before  them. 
The  Major  General  used  such  expedition  and  resolution  in  this  affair,  that, 
assisted  with  no  more  than  ten  men,  he  seized  upon  Alexander  at  an  hunt- 
ing-bouse, notwithstar  ding  his  numerous  attendants  about  him;  and  when 
the  raging  sachim  saw  a  pistol  at  his  breast,  with  a  threatning  of  death 
to  him  if  he  did  not  quietly  yield  himself  up  to  go  down  unto  Plymouth 
with  him,  he  yielded,  though,  it  may  be,  not  very  quietly  thereunto. 
Alexander  was  thereupon  treated  with  no  other  than  that  humanity  and 
civility  which  was  always  essential  to  the  Major  General ;  nevertheless,  the 
inward  fury  of  his  own  guilty  and  haughty  mind  threw  him  into  such 
9,  fever  as  cost  him  his  life.  His  brother  Philip  succeeded  him  in  the 
sagamore-ship,  who,  after  he  had  solemnly  renewed  his  "covenant  of 
peace"  with  the  English,  most  perfidiously  broke  it  by  making  an  attempt 
of  war  upon  them  in  the  year  1671,  wherein  being  seasonably  and  effect- 
ually defeated,  he  humbly  confessed  his  breach  of  covenant,  and  subscribed 
articles  of  submission,  whereof  one  was,  "  That  in  case  any  future  difference 
did  arise  between  him  and  the  English,  he  would  repair  to  the  govern- 
ment there  to  rectifie  matters,  before  he. engaged  in  any  hostile  attempts.". 
Indeed,  when  the  Duke  of  Archette,  at  his  being  made  Governour  of 
Antwerpe  Castle,  took  an  oath  to  keep  it  faithfully  for  King  Philip  of 
Spain,  the  oflficer  that  gave  him  his  oath  used  these  odd  words:  "If  you 
perform  what  you  promise,  God  help  you ;  if  you  do  it  not,  the  devil  take 
you,  body  and  soull"  And  all  the  standers-by  cried,  Armn.  But  when 
the  Indian  King  Philip  took  an  oath  to  be  faithful  unto  the  government 
of  New-England,  no  body  used  these  ivords  unto  him;  nevertheless,  you 
shall  anon  see  whether  these  words  were  not  expressive  enough  of  what 
became  of  him! 

§  5.  In  the  year  1674,  one  John  Sausaman,  an  Indian  that  had  been 
sent  forth  from  the  English  to  preach  the  gospel  unto  his  countrey-men, 
addressed  the  Governour  of  Plymouth  with  informations  that  Philip,  with 
several  nations  of  the  Indians  besides  his  own,  were  plotting  the  destruc- 
tion of  the  English  throughout  the  country.  This  John  Sausaman  was 
the  son  of  Christian  Indians;  but  he,  apostatizing  from  the  profession  of 
Christianity,  lived  like  an  heathen  in  the  quality  of  a  Secretary  to  King 
Philip;  for  he  could  lorite,  though  the  King  his  master  could  not  so  much 
as  read.  But  after  this,  the  grace  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  recovered  him 
from  his  apostasie,  and  he  gave  such  notable  evidences  and  expressions  v  f 
his  repentance^  that  he  was  not  only  admitted  unto  the  communion  of  the 
Lord's  Table  in  one  of  the  Indian  churches,  but  ho  was  also  employed 
every  Lord's  day  as  an  instructer  among  them.  Nevertheless,  because 
there  was  but  this  one  testimony  of  an  Indian,  and  therefore  of  a  suspected 
original,  there  was  little  notice  taken  of  it,  until  tlie  artificial  arguments  of 
some  too  probable  and  unhappy  circumstances  confirmed  it.    But  before 


.1 


i   i, 


'^i 


660 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


the  truth  of  the  matter  could  be  inquired  into,  poor  jhn  was  barbarously 
murdered  by  certain  Indians,  who,  that  the  murder  might  not  be  discov- 
ered, cut  an  hole  through  the  ice  of  the  pond,  where  they  met  with  hi  in, 
and  put  in  the  dead  body,  leaving  his  hat  and  his  gun  upon  the  ice,  tlmt 
so  others  might  suppose  him  to  have  there  drowned  himself.  It  being 
rumour'd  that  Sausaman  was  missing,  the  neighbours  did  seek,  and  find, 
and  bury  his  dead  body;  but  upon  the  jealousies  on  the  spirits  of  men 
that  he  might  have  met  with  some  foul  play  for  his  discovering  of  the 
Indian  plot,  a  jury  was  empanell'd,  unto  whom  it  appeared  that  his  neck 
was  broken,  which  is  one  Indian  way  of  murdering,  and  that  his  head  was 
extreamly  swoln,  and  that  he  had  several  other  wounds  upon  him,  and 
that  when  he  was  taken  out  of  the  pond,  no  water  issued  out  of  him.  It 
was  remarkable,  that  one  Tobias,  a  counsellor  of  King  Philip's,  whom  they 
suspt  jted  as  the  author  of  this  murder,  approaching  to  the  dead  body,  it 
would  still  fall  a  bleeding  afresh,  as  if  it  had  newly  been  slain ;  yea,  tliat 
upon  the  repetition  of  the  experiment,  it  still  happened  so,  albeit  he  hud 
been  deceased  and  interred  for  a  considerable  while  before.  Afterwards 
an  Indian,  called  Patuckson,  gave  in  his  testimony  that  he  saw  this  Tobias, 
with  certain  other  Indians,  killing  of  John  Sausaman ;  and  it  was  further 
testified,  that  John  Sausaman,  before  he  died,  had  expressed  his  fears  that 
those  very  Indians  would  be  his  death.  Hereupon  Tobias,  with  two  other 
Indians,  being  apprehended,  they  were,  after  a  fair  trial  for  their  lives,  by 
a  jury  consisting  half  of  English  and  half  of  Indians,  convicted,  and  so 
condemned ;  and  though  they  were  all  successively  turned  off  the  ladder 
at  the  gallows,  utterly  denying  the  fact,  yet  the  last  of  them  happening  to 
Ijreak  or  slip  the  rope,  did,  before  his  going  off  the  ladder  again,  confess 
that  the  other  Indians  did  really  murder  John  Sausaman,  and  that  he  was 
himself,  though  no  actor  in  it,  yet  a  looker  on.  Things  began  by  this  time 
to  have  an  ominous  aspect.  Yea,  and  now  we  speak  of  things  ominous, 
we  may  add,  some  time  before  th's,  in  a  clear,  still,  sunshiny  morning, 
there  were  divers  persons  in  Maldon  '  o  heard  in  the  air,  on  the  south- 
east of  them,  a  great  gun  go  off,  ano  "^ently  thereupon  the  report  of 
small  guns  like  musket  shot,  very  *hick  aischarging,  as  if  there  had  been 
a  battel.  This  was  at  a  time  when  there  was  nothing  visible  done  in  any 
part  of  the  colony  to  occasion  such  noises;  but  that  which  most  of  all 
astonished  them  was  the  flyii.g  of  bullets,  which  came  singing  over  their 
heads,  and  seemed  very  near  to  them;  after  which,  the  sound  of  drums 
passing  along  westward  was  very  audible;  and  on  the  same  day,  in  Ply- 
mouth colony  in  several  places,  invisible  troops  of  horses  were  heard 
riding  to  and  fro.  Now,  reader,  prepare  for  the  event  of  these  prodigies, 
but  count  me  not  struck  with  a  Livian  superstition  in  reporting  prodigies, 
for  which  I  have  such  incontestible  assurance. 

§  6.  Philip,  conscious  to  his  own  guilt,  pusht  on  the  execution  of  his 
plot  as  fast  as  ho  could;  he  armed  his  men,  and  sent  away  their  women, 


andente 

parts  of 

innocenc 

alarums, 

that  he 

among  1 

provokii 

the  riflit 

was  the  : 

vages;  a 

for  the  d 

humiliati 

and,  rcac 

then  disp 

of  Swanz 

a  volley  i 

wounded 

wounded 

murder  o 

war  was 

Christian 

aggressor 

against  t1 

Judge  be 

involved 

their  aid, 

confedera 

in  adversi 

Captain  ^ 

Daniel  H( 

some  of  a 

and  centrj 

hours  the 

yet  the  so 

Boman  g( 

than  of  Cc 

of  Captair 

mouth  for 

28.    Twe 

very  even 

killed  one 

put  unto  ( 

charge  up 


<■. 


OB,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


661 


and  entertained  many  strange  Indians  that  flock'd  in  unto  him  from  several 
parts  of  the  country,  and  began  to  be  tumultuous.    The  English,  whose 
iunocency  and  integrity  had  made  them  too  secure,  nevertheless,  on  these 
alarums,  made  several  friendly  applications  unto  Philip,  with  their  advice 
that  he  would  no  more  allow  of  any  thing  that  should  look  like  tumult 
among  his  people;  but  they  were  entertained  with  a  surly,  haughty,  and 
provoking  insolence.    The  Indians  proceeded  in  the  month  of  June  unto 
the  rifling  of  several  houses  in  the  plantations  near  Mount-Hope,  which 
was  the  seat  where  Philip  was  kennoU'd  with  the  rest  of  these  horrid  sal- 
vages; and  hereupon  the  Governour  of  Plymouth  sent  forth  a  small  army 
for  the  defence  of  the  exposed  plantations.    On  June  24,  a  day  of  solemn 
humiliation  was  kept  through  the  colony  for  the  success  of  the  expedition ; 
and,  reader,  behold  what  a  solemn  humiliation  the  displeasure  of  Heaven 
then  dispenced  unto  them ;  for  at  the  conclusion  of  the  day,  as  the  inhabitants 
of  Swanzy  were  coming  from  their  prayers,  the  lurking  Indians  discharged 
a  volley  of  shot  upon  them,  whereby  one  man  was  killed,  and  another 
wounded,  and  the  two  men  that  were  sent  for  a  chirurgeon  to  relieve  the 
wounded  were  also  killed:   which  slaughter  was  accompanied  with  the 
murder  of  six  men  more  in  another  part  of  the  town.    So  that  now  the 
war  was  begun  by  a  fierce  nation  of  Indians  upon  an  honest,  harmless, 
Christian  generation  of  English,  who  might  very  truly  have  said  unto  the 
aggressors,  as  it  was  of  old  said  unto  the  Ammonites,  "I  have  not  sinned 
against  thee,  but  thou  dost  me  wrong  to  war  against  me;  the  Lord  the 
Judge  be  judge  this  day  between  us!"     Plymouth-colony  being  thus 
involved  in  a  war,  immediately  sent  unto  the  other  United  Colonies  for 
their  aid,  who,  according  to  the  articles  of  the  Union  whereinto  they  were 
confederated,  immediately  approved  themselves  true  brethren  to  the  colony 
in  adversity.    On  June  26,  a  company  of  troopers,  under  the  command  of 
Captain  Thomas  Prentice,  and  footmen  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Daniel  Henchman,  marched  out  of  Boston  towards  Mount- Hope ;  and  tho' 
some  of  a  melancholy  compi'3xion  had  their  "dark  thoughts,"  that  a  total 
and  central  eclipse  of  the  moon  in  Capricorn,  which  gave  them  some  dark 
hours  the  first  night  of  their  march,  might  be  ominous  of  ensuing  disasters, 
yet  the  soldier?  were  generally  of  the  mind  with  Marcus  Crassus,  the  great 
Roman  general,  "that  there  was  more  cause  to  be  afraid  of  JSagiitarius* 
than  of  Capricornus,"   A  company  of  brisk  volunteers,  under  the  command 
of  Captain  Samuel  Mosely,  quickly  overtook  them,  and  so  joined  with  Ply- 
mouth forces,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Cudworth  at  Swansey,  June 
28.    Twelve  of  our  men,  unwilling  to  lose  a  minute  of  time,  went  that 
very  evening  to  discover  the  enemy,  who  from  the  bushes  fired  upon  them, 
^  killed  one,  and  wounded  another,  but  were  soon  by  our  handful  of  men 
put  unto  a  shameful  jlight.    Our  army  the  next  morning  made  a  resolute 
charge  upon  the  enemy,  who  presently  fled  from  their  quarters,  and  left 


Vol.  II.— 36 


*  The  Archer— sign  of  the  Zodiac. 


\  >' 


'5 


ii 


'r-\ 


\'.L 


i 


562 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


their  whole  territory  open  to  us;  entring  whereof  we  found  the  mangled 
bodies  of  some  of  our  countrymen,  whose  heads  they  had  also  stuck  upon 
poles;  and  we  found  Bibles  torn  to  pieces  in  defiance  of  our  holy  religion ; 
but  we  found  in  the  wigwams  of  the  enemy  all  the  marks  of  an  hasty 
departure;  nor  was  Philip  any  more  seen  in  his  country,  till  he  returned 
thither  the  next  year  to  receive  the  recompence  of  his  perfidy. 

§  7.  The  English  little  army  scowred  the  woods,  and  with  some  loss  to 
ourselves,  we  now  and  then  had  opportunity  to  inflict  a  greater  loss  upon 
the  enemy.  But  we  took  this  opportunity  to  march  over  into  the  Narra- 
ganset-country,  that  with  a  sword  in  our  hands  we  might  renew  and  con- 
firm our  peace  with  a  most  considerable  nation  of  the  Indians  there, 
of  whose  conjunction  with  Philip  and  his  Wampanoogs  (for  so  were 
Philip's  nation  called)  we  had  more  than  ordinary  cause  to  be  afraid. 
The  effect  of  which  was,  that  the  sachims  of  the  Narragansets  did,  on 
July  15,  sign  and  seal  articles  of  peace  with  us,  wherein  they  engaged  tliut 
they  would  not  only  forbear  all  acts  of  hostility  against  the  English,  but 
also  use  their  utmost  ability,  by  all  acts  of  hostility,  to  destroy  Philip  ami 
his  adherents,  calling  the  God  of  heaven  to  witness  for  the  true  perform- 
ance of  these  articles.  In  the  mean  time.  Captain  Cudworth,  with  his 
Plymouth-forces,  went  upon  the  like  account  unto  another  small  nation  of 
the  Indians,  at  a  place  called  Pocasset,  with  a  design  to  hasten  further 
afield  for  the  help  of  the  two  little  villages  of  Middlebury  and  Dartmouth, 
now  suffering  under  the  depredations  of  a  suckling  adversary.  Captain 
Fuller  and  Captain  Church,  with  two  small  detachments,  had  spent  some 
time  in  the  woods  of  Pocasset,  before  a  great  company  of  Indians  compelled 
Captain  Fuller,  with  his  men,  to  seek  some  shelter  from  a  shower  of  bullets, 
in  an  house  near  the  water  side,  where  they  defended  themselves  till  a 
sloop  from  Ehode-Island  fetched  them  off;  but  Captain  Church  was  got 
into  a  pease-field,  where  he,  with  his  fifteen  men,  found  himself  suddenly 
surrounded  with  an  hundred  and  almost  five  WmQS  fifteen  terrible  Indians; 
nevertheless,  this  gentleman,  like  another  Shamgar,  had  courage  enough 
in  himself  alone  to  have  served  an  army;  he  assured  his  men,  with  a 
strange  confidence,  that  not  a  bullet  should  hurt  them;  which  one,  that 
was  more  faint-hearted  than  the  rest,  not  believing,  this  valiant  commander 
set  him  to  gather  a  few  rocks  together  for  a  little  barricado  to  them;  in 
the  doing  whereof,  as  he  was  carrying  a  stone  in  his  arms  to  the  bank 
intended,  a  bullet,  which  else  would  have  killed  him,  struck  upon  that 
very  stone,  and  miss'd  him,  vvrhich  experiment  presently  restored  manhood 
unto  him;  so  they  fought  it  out  bravely  that  whole  afternoon,  without  the 
least  hurt  unto  any  one  of  their  number,  but  with  death  given  to  as  many 
as  thdr  number  of  their  enemies.  And  at  last,  when  their  guns  by  often 
firing  were  become  unserviceable,  a  sloop  of  Rhode-Island  fetched  them 
off  also.  This  action  was  but  a  whet  unto  the  courage  of  Captain  Church, 
who,  hastning  over  the  main,  borrowed  three  files  of  men  from  the  Mas- 


tilities. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


568 


sachuset-forces,  and  returned  unto  Pocasset,  where  he  had  another  skir- 
mish, in  which  he  slew  fourteen  or  fifteen  of  the  enemies,  and  struck  such 
a  terror  into  the  rest,  that  if  they  could  have  got  away,  those  quarters 
would  for  a  while  have  heard  no  more  of  them. 

§  8.  The  little  forces  of  the  two  colonies  coming  together  again  after  the 
treaty  of  Narraganset,  they  marched  from  Taunton,  July  18,  eighteen  miles 
to  a  mighty  swamp  where  the  Indians  were  lodged;  and  the  Indians, 
covering  themselves  with  green  boughs,  (a  subtilty  of  the  same  nature, 
though  not  of  the  same  colour,  that  they  affirm  to  be  used  by  the  Cuttle 
fish,)  took  the  advantage  from  the  thick  underwoods  to  kill  several  of 
the  English.  But  the  English  pursuing  of  them,  they  presently  deserted 
an  hundred  of  their  wigwams,  which  they  had  there  erected,  and  retired 
further  into  the  prodigious  thicket,  where  we  presumed  that  we  had  'em 
in  a  pound ;  and  so  scarce  two  hundred  men  being  left  there  to  keep  an 
eye  upon  them,  the  rest  (except  such  as  returned  unto  Boston)  were  dis- 
patched unto  the  relief  of  Mendham,  where,  about  July  14,  the  Nipmuck 
Indians,  another  nation  of  them  that  were  well-willers  to  Philip's  design, 
began  to  Philippize  in  barbarous  murders.  Our  forces  kept  a  strict  eye 
upon  the  motions  of  the  enswamped  enemy;  but  finding,  if  once  we 
squeezed  our  selves  into  those  inaccessible  woods,  we  meerly  sacrificed 
one  another  to  our  own  mistakes  by  firing  into  every  bush  that  we  saw  to 
stir,  as  expecting  "a  thief  in  every  bush,"  we  were  willing  rather  to  starve 
the  beast  in  his  den,  than  go  in  to  Jight  him  there.  Heaven  saw  more 
blood  must  be  drawn  from  the  colonies,  before  health  could  be  restored  to 
them :  Philip  would  have  surrendered  himself,  if  we  had  gone  in  to  take 
him;  whereas,  now  becoming  desperate,  he  with  his  best  fighting  men 
ticking  the  advantage  of  a  low  tide  in  the  middle  of  the  night,  wafted 
themselves  over  on  small  rafta  of  timber,  into  the  woods  that  led  unto  the 
Nipniuck-country,  while  our  forces  that  lay  encamped  on  the  other  side 
perceived  it  not.  An  hundred  of  the  miserable  salvages  that  were  left 
behind  made  a  surrender  of  themselves  to  our  mercy;  but  Philip's  escape 
now  soon  after  day-light  being  discovered,  the  English,  assisted  with  a 
party  of  Monhegin-Indians,  pursued  them  as  fast  as  they  could,  and  in  the 
pursuit  slew  about  thirty  of  them  ere  the  night  obliged  them  to  give  over. 
However,  Philip  now  escaping  to  the  westward,  ho  enflamed  the  several 
nations  of  the  Indians  in  the  West  wherever  he  came,  to  take  part  with 
him,  until  the  flame  of  war  was  raging  all  over  the  whole  Massachuset- 
colony.  The  first  scene  of  the  bloody  tragedy  was  in  the  Nipmuck- 
country,  whither  Captain  Hutchinson,  accompanied  with  Captain  Wheeler, 
went,  August  2,  upon  a  treaty  of  peace  with  the  Indians  there,  who  had 
agreed  with  him  a  place  of  meeting  for  the  consummation  of  the  treaty 
and  the  renovation  of  the  covenant,  wherein  they  had  the  month  before 
promised,  under  their  hands,  that  they  would  not  assist  Philip  in  his  hos- 
tilities.   The  Indians  not  coming  to  the  place  assigned,  Captain*  Hutch  in- 


mm 


I 


m 

.  1 4; 

'il 


h.< 


564 


MAGNALIA    GHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


son  rode  a  little  further,  and  so  fary  that  the  perfidious  villains,  from  on 
ambxiscado,  mortally  wounded  him,  And  shot  eight  more  dead  upon  the  spot; 
but  the  rest  fled  back  by  a  by-path  to  Quaboag,  a  small  village,  where  all 
the  inhabitants  were  Just  got  into  one  house,  resolving  there  to  live  and 
die  together.    The  Indians,  with  Philip's  army  newly  arrived  unto  them, 
rush'd  in  like  a  storm  of  lightning  upon  this  distressed  village ;  and  having 
burnt  all  the  rest,  they  furiously  beset  that  one  house,  where  a  little  hand- 
ful of  men  bravely  defended  the  little  cottage^  which  was  all  their  castle, 
against  an  huge  army  of  cruel  tawnies,  who  kept  perpetually  pouring  in 
their  shot  upon  them  for  two  days  together,  and  thrusting  poles  with 
brands  and  rags  dipp'd  in  burning  brimstone,  and  many  other  tricks,  to 
set  the  cottage  on  fire.    At  last,  after  six  ineffectual  attempts  to  burn  this 
poor  hovel,  (so  in  "six  troubles  they  were  delivered;"  yea,  in  seven  the 
evil  touched  them  not!)  they  filled  a  cart  with  flax,  hemp,  and  other  com- 
bustible matter,  and  kindling  of  it,  they  pushed  it  on  with  very  long  poles 
that  were  spliced  one  unto  another;  by  which  means  this  Petite  flock  must 
have  unavoidably  become  a  prey  to  these  horrid  toolveSf  if  a  mighty  storm 
of  rain  had  not  suddenly  extinguished  it.    But  "blessed  be  the  Lord," 
might  the  seventy  men,  women  and  children  in  that  house  anon  singl) 
"who  hath  not  given  us  a  prey  to  their  teeth;  our  soul  is  escaped  asa 
bird  out  of  the  snare  of  the  fowlers  1"    Our  memorable  Major  Willard,  on 
August  4,  in  the  morning,  setting  forth  with  a  party  of  men  to  visit  and 
cure  a  nation  of  suspected  Indians  in  the  neighbourhood,  received,  by  a 
strange  accident,  some  seasonable  advice  of  the  doleful  condition  wherein 
our  brethren  at  Quaboag,  thirty  miles  distant  from  him,  were  ensnared; 
and  thereupon  turning  his  course  thither,  it  came  to  pass  that  although 
the  Indians  had  placed  sufficient  amhitsJiments  to  cut  off  all  succours  that 
should  come  that  way,  yet  there  was  an  unaccountable  hesotment  so  fallen 
upon  them,  that  this  valiant  commander,  with  forty-eight  men,  arrived  at 
night  unto  the  help  of  these  besieged  people,  and  bravely  raised  the  siege 
by  driving  the  "beasts  of  prey"  back  to  their  rfens,  after  he  had  first  sacri- 
ficed many  scores  of  them  unto  the  divine  vengeance.    Thus  remarkably 
was  this  poor  people  delivered ;  but  the  enemy  steering  further  westward, 
Captain  Lathrop,  Captain  Beers,  and  others,  were  sent  with  more  forces 
to  track  'em;  and,  if  it  were  possible,  to  prevent  their  poisoning  and 
seducing  the  Indians  upon  Connecticut-river,  whose  fidelity  was  now 
extreamly  doubted  of. 

§  9.  The  towns  belonging  unto  the  Massachuset-colony  upon  Connecti- 
cut-river, assisted  now  by  forces  also  from  Connecticut,  under  the  command 
of  Major  Robert  Treat,  sent  soldiers  on  August  25  to  demand  from  their 
Indians  a  proof  of  that  faithfulness  which  they  had  hitherto  professed,  but 
Philip  had  bewitched  them;  they  were  fled  from  their  forts,  having  {\M 
killed  an  old  sachim  of  their  own  that  was  not  willing  to  go  with  tlicni; 
they  fired  upon  our  men  from  a  swamp  when  we  were  looking  after  them; 


OK,    THE    IIISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


605 


and  a  dispute  continued  for  some  hours,  wherein  we  lost  nine  men  belong- 
ing to  nine  towns.  Thus  the  desolations  of  war  were  carried  into  these 
parts  of  the  country,  while  small  crews  of  salvages  here  and  there,  in  other 
parts  of  the  country,  were  distressing  people  wonderfully.  On  September 
1,  the  Indians  laid  most  of  the  houses  belonging  to  the  hopeful  plantation 
of  Deerfield  in  ashes,  while  the  garrison,  was  not  strong  enough  to  salley 
forth  upon  'em ;  and  on  the  day  following  they  slew  eight  men  abroad  in 
the  woods  at  Squakheag,  without  making  any  attempts  upon  the'  garrison. 
Captain  Beers,  with  about  thirty-six  men,  were  sent  up  to  fetch  off  the 
people  in  these  little  garrisons,  but  they  found  "a  serpent  by  the  way,  ari 
adder  in  the  path:"  hundreds  of  Indians  from  a  thick  swamp  fired  upon 
them,  whereupon  followed  a  desperate  fight,  wherein  the  captain  and  a 
score  of  his  men  sold  their  lives  at  as  good  a  price  as  they  could,  but  the 
rest  fled  into  Hadley,  leaving  Major  Treat  a  few  days  after  to  finish  what 
they  had  undertaken. 

The  towns  thereabout  now  being  toUerably  garrison'd,  Captain  Lathrop, 
with  about  eighty  men,  carried  carts  to  fetch  off  the  corn  that  lay  thresh'd 
in  Deerfield;  but  they  fell  themselves  into  a  terrible  tribulation;  for  on 
September  18,  a  vast  body  of  seven  or  eight  hundred  Indians  on  the  road 
entertained  them  with  an  assault,  wherein  the  courageous  captain,  having 
taken  up  a  wrong  notion,  that  the  best  course  was  to  fight  with  Indians 
in  their  own  way  of  skulking  behind  the  trees,  and  thence  aiming  at  single 
persons,  thereby  exposed  himself  to  ruin.  If  they  had  fought  more  in  a 
body,  they  might  have  carried  all  before  them ;  for  it  has  been  observed 
that  Indians  never  durst  look  Englishmen  in  the  face ;  whereas  now  above 
threescore  of  our  men,  and  most  of  them  hopeful  young  men,  were  killed. 
Mr.  Mosely,  hearing  the  reports  which  the  guns  gave  of  this  battel,  came 
up  with  an  handful  of  men,  though  too  late  for  the  rescue  of  Captain 
Lathrop ;  and  several  times  he  marched  through  and  through  that  prodi- 
gious clan  of  dragoons,  and  raked  them  for  five  or  <^''-  hours  together,  with 
the  loss  of  no  more  than  two  men  of  his  own;  albeit  ik'.  Indians  afterwards 
confessed  that  they  lost  ninety-six  of  themselves,  and  nad  more  than  forty 
wounded.  New-England  had  never  yet  seen  so  black  a  day/  The  inhab- 
itants of  Springfield,  notwithstanding  the  firmest  assurances  which  the 
nations  of  Indians  near  to  them  had  given  them  of  their  friendship  and 
faithfulness,  were  awakned  by  these  things  to  enquire  how  far  they  might 
rest  assured  thereof,  when  all  o'  th'  sudden  the  hostages  which  these  Indians 
had  given  were  fled;  and  some  English  going  to  visit  them  at  their  fort, 
were  treacherously  saluted  with  a  volley  of  shot,  which  miserably  wounded 
them;  whereupon  the  town  was  in  all  the  ungarrison'd  parts  of  it  fired 
by  these  perfidious  caitiffs.  Thirty-two  houses,  and  amongst  the  rest,  the 
minister's  with  his  woU-furuished  library,  were  consumed  before  the  arrival 
of  Major  Treat,  Major  Pinchon,  and  Captain  Appleton,  put  a  stop  to  the 
fury  and  progress  of  an  insulting  enemy:  nor  had  the  inhabitants  them- 


5f  ;  I   .J 


»  a,  I 


''t! 


I> 


t 


»  'i 


f' 


HI 


566 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMEBICAKA; 


selves  escaped  a  massacre,  if  an  Indian,  privy  to  the  plot,  bad  not  just  in 
the  nick  of  time  discovered  it  unto  them.  After  this,  the  £nglish  force's 
were  ordered,  by  a  merciful  providence  of  Heaven,  to  rendezvous  about 
Northampton,  Hadley,  Hatfield,  until  it  might  be  consider'd  what  tluTo 
was  further  to  be  done.  And  now  behold,  reader,  a  comfortable  matti  r 
in  the  midst  of  so  many  tragedies  1  The  General  Court,  then  sitting  nt 
Boston,  appointed  a  committee,  who,  with  the  assistance  of  the  ministers 
in  the  neighbourhood,  might  suggest  what  were  the  "provoking  evils'' 
that  had  just  brought  the  judgments  of  God  in  a  bloody  war  ujwn  the  land 
and  what  laws  might  be  enacted  for  the  reformation  of  those  "provoking 
evilsl" — the  return  of  which  committee  to  the  General  Court  was  kindly 
received  on  October  19,  and  care  taken  further  to  prosecute  the  intentions 
of  it.  Now  as  our  martyrologist,  Mr.  Fox,  observes,  that  at  the  very  thi/ 
and  hour  when  the  act  of  reformation,  in  the  reign  of  king  Edward  VI., 
was  put  in  execution  at  London,  God  gave  the  nation  a  signal  victory  at 
Muscleborough :  thus  it  was  remarked  by  some  devout  men,  that  on  the 
very  day  when  the  vote  was  passed  at  Boston  for  the  reformation  of  mis- 
carriages in  the  land,  our  forces  had  a  notable  success  an  hundred  miles 
oflf  against  the  common  enemy.  Seven  or  eight  hundred  Indians  broko 
in  upon  Hatfield  at  all  quarters,  but  our  forces  being  beyond  their  expect- 
ation lodged  in  the  neighbourhood,  the  Indians  were  so  terribly  defeated, 
that  after  the  killing  of  but  one  Englishman  in  the  fight,  they  confessed 
the  "town  too  hot"  for  them,  and  fled  so  fast,  that  many  of  them  lost  their 
lives  in  the  river.  This  resolute  repulse  gave  such  a  check  to  the  enemy, 
that  the  western  plantations  for  a  long  while  heard  little  or  nothing 
further  from  them ;  some  straggling  parties,  indeed,  were  here  and  there 
mischievous;  but  as  winter  drew  on,  they  generally  retired* unto  the  Nar- 
raganset-country,  where  the  reader  must  now  expect  a  considerable  action! 
'Tis  true,  the  European  campaigns,  for  the  numbers  of  men  appearing  in 
them,  compared  with  the  little  numbers  that  appear  in  these  American 
actions,  may  tempt  the  reader  to  make  a  very  diminutive  business  of  our 
whole  Indian- war:  but  we  who  felt  ourselves  assaulted  by  unknown  num- 
bers of  devils  in  flesh  on  every  side  of  us,  and  knew  that  our  minute  num- 
bers employ'd  in  the  service  against  them,  were  proportionably  more  to 
Its  than  mighty  legions  are  to  nations  that  have  existed  as  many  centuries 
as  our  colonies  have  years  in  the  world,  can  scarce  forbear  taking  the 
colours  in  the  Sixth  Book  of  Milton  to  describe  our  story:  and  speaking 
of  our  Indians  in  as  high  terms  as  Virgil  of  his  pismires:  It  nigrum  campis 
agmenl*  At  least,  we  think  our  story  as  considerable  as  that  silly  busi- 
ness of  the  invading  and  conquering  Florida  by  the  Spaniards  under  Fer- 
nando de  Soto ;  and  yet  that  story  the  world  has  thought  worthy  to  be 
read  in  divers  languages. 
§  10.  The  commissioners  of  the  United  Colonies  having  manifest  and 

*  Forth  o'er  the  field  the  tawny  squadrons  inarch. 


manifold  I 
the  rest  ^| 
with  the 
against  u| 
befriend 
a  vigoroi 
thousandl 
of  the  tri 
set-count! 
f.nty  Im 
Peter,  wl 
faithful  al 
they  coul 
by  the  Ii 
Connecti( 
one  Bull, 
di>gs.    Bi 
presently 
and  snov 
nary  fort 
upon  an 
which  foi 
thick  enc 
over  the 
laid  after 
must  ha\ 
nerable  1 
there  wa 
the  grovi 
they  had 
enough  1 
Almanai 
there, 
ately  ar 
Indians 
which  > 
victoria 
led  the 
Major  1 
set-forc< 
ford  an 
under 
Captait 


OB,    THE    TTSTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


567 


manifold  proofs  that  the  great  nation  of  Narraganset-Indians,  with  whonu 
the  rest  were  now  harbour'd  had  not  only  broken  their  articles  of  peace 
with  the  English  in  divers  instances,  but  were  also  plotting  to  begin  a  war 
against  us  in  the  spring,  when  they  should  have  the  leaves  of  the  trees  to 
befriend  them,  took  up  a  general  resolution,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  to  make 
a  vigorous  expedition  against  them.    Accordingly  an  army,  consisting  of  a 
thousand  at  first,  and  afterwards  of  fifteen  hundred  men,  under  the  conduct 
of  the  truly  honourable  Josiah  Winslow,  Esq.,  marched  into  the  Narragan- 
set -country,  where  they  no  sooner  arrived  on  December  12,  but  about 
forty  Indians  fell  into  their  hands;  among  whom  one  was  a  fellow  named 
Peter,  who  having  received  some  disgust  from  his  countrymen,  proved  so 
faithful  and  useful  a  guide  unto  our  forces,  that  they  afterwards  found  that 
tliey  could  not  well  have  liv'd  without  him.    Several  mischiefs  were  done 
by  the  Indians  whilst  our  army  were  here  waiting  for  their  bretKren,  from 
Connecticut,  especially  their  surprisal  of  a  remote  garrison  belonging  to 
one  Bull,  where  about  fourteen  persons  were  baited  to  death  by  the  terrible 
dcH/s.    But  the  Connecticut-forces  being  also  arrived  on  December  18,  they 
presently  marched  away  by  break  of  day,  the  next  morning,  through  cold 
and  snow,  and  very  amazing  difficulties,  enough  to  have  damned  any  ordi- 
nary fortitude,  for  eighteen  miles  together.     The  Indians  had  a  fort  raised 
upon  an  island  of  about  five  or  six  acres,  in  the  midst  of  an  horrid  swamp, 
which  fort,  besides  its  palisadoes,  had  a  kind  of  wall  or  hedge  about  a  rod 
thick  encompassing  of  it.    The  entrance  of  this  fort  was  upon  a  long  tree 
over  the  water,  where  but  one  man  could  pass  at  a  time,  and  this  was  way- 
laid after  such  a  naanner,  that  if  our  men  had  attempted  that  passage,  they 
must  have  perished.    Only  by  the  help  of  Peter  they  discovered  a  "vul- 
nerable heel,"  as  I  may  call  it,  yet  left  in  the  fort  at  one  corner,  where 
there  was  a  gap  supplied  only  with  long  trees  about  four  or  five  foot  from 
the  ground,  over  which  men  might  force  their  way ;  though  against  this 
they  had  built  a  block-house,  from  whence  a  bloody  storm  of  bullets,  (and 
enough  to  make  every  man  like  the  poor  man  in  the  twelve  signs  of  the 
Almanack,) -waa  to  be  expected  by  them  that  should  make  their  approaches 
there.    Our  men  came  up  to  the  swamp  about  one  o'clock,  and  immedi- 
ately and  courageously  pressing  through  the  swamp,  from  whence  the 
Indians  began  to  fire  upon  'em,  they  advanced  unto  that  part  of  the  fort 
which  was  most  accessible:  now  having  of  nothing,  but,  mors  cita,  aut 
victoria  Iceta*  in  their  eye.    Brave  Captain  Mosely  and  Captain  Davenport 
led  the  van ;  Captain  Gardiner  and  Captain  Johnson  were  in  the  center ; 
Major  Appleton  and  Captain  Oliver  brought  up  the  rear  of  the  Massachu- 
set-forces,  General  Winslow  with  Plymouth-forces,  under  Major  Brad- 
ford and  Captain  Goram,  marched  in  the  center;  and  Connecticut- forces, 
under  Major  Treat  and  Captain  Siely,  Captain  Gallop,  Captain  Mason, 
Captain  Watts,  and  Captain  Marshal,  made  the  reer  of  the  whole  body. 

*  A  epecdy  death  or  Joyous  victory,— HoracI)  Sat,  1. 1. 


S?iV 


1  P  ' 


! 


Im 


¥' 

■f.:* 


568 


HAGNALIA    GHRISTI    AMEBICANA; 


Nothing  in  the  world  could  be  more  magnanimous  than  the  spirit  which 
now  carried  on  both  leaders  and  soldiers  in  the  enterprise  now  before 
them:  they  leaped  over  the  "trees  of  death,"  into  the  spot  of  ground 
where  death  in  all  its  terrors  was  to  be  encountered;  the  fall  of  the  valiant 
leaders,  no  less  than  six  of  them — namely,  Davenport,  Gardiner,  Johnson, 
Gallop,  Siely  and  Marshal — (tho'  it  rendred  the  place  worthy  of  the  name 
which  the  Bomans  put  upon  the  abhorr'd  place  where  their  beloved  com- 
mander Drusus  died,  namely,  Scelerata  Castra*)  did  but  add^re  to  the  rage 
of  the  soldiers;  they  beat  the  enemy  from  one  shelter  to  another,  till  they 
had  utterly  driven  them  out  of  all  their  sconces;  at  last  they  set  fire  to  the 
fort,  from  whence  the  surviving  Indians  fled  into  a  vast  cedar-swamp  at 
some  distance  ofif.  I  wish  I  could  particularly  give  an  "immortal  mem- 
ory "  to  all  the  brave  men  that  signalized  themselves  in  this  action.  But 
among  them  all,  0  quam  te  memorem\  thou  excellent  Samuel  Nowel, 
never  to  be  forgotten  I  This  now  reverend,  and  afterwards  worshipful  per- 
son, a  chaplain  to  the  army,  was  author  to  a  good  sermon  preached  unto 
the  Artillery  Company  of  the  Massachusets,  which  he  entitled  '^Abraham 
in  Armsf^  and  at  this  fight  there  was  no  person  more  like  a  true  son  of 
"Abraham  in  arms,"  or  that  with  more  courage  and  hazardy  fought  in 
the  midst  of  a  shower  of  bullets  from  the  surrounding  salvages.    But 

Longa  rtferre  mora  eat,  qua  consilioque  manuque 
i.\  '■    .  ,  Utiliter  fecit  apaeiosi  tempore  belli.t 

No  less  than  seven  hundred  fighting  Indians  were  destroyed,  as  it  was 
afterwards  confessed,  in  this  desperate  action;  besides  three  hundred 
which  afterwards  died  of  their  wounds,  and  old  men,  women,  children, 
sans  number;  but  of  the  English  about  eighty-five  were  slain,  and  an 
hundred  and  fifty  wounded.  And  now,  sic  magnis  componere  parva!% 
Reader, 

And  now  their  mightlMt  queUM,  the  hnttel  swerved, 
With  many  an  inrode  gor'd ;  derormcd  rout 
Enter'd,  and  fpul  disorder ;  all  the  ground 
With  shivor'd  armour  strowii,  and  on  a  heap, 

Had  the  assault  been  deferred  one  day  longer,  there  fell  such  a  storm  of 
snow,  that  for  divers  weeks  it  must  have  been  impracticable;  and  at  the 
end  of  those  weeks  there  came  so  violent  and  unusual  a  thaw,  that  by 
making  the  way  to  the  fort  unpassable,  it  would  have  render'd  it  still 
more  impracticable.  Just  now  was  the  time  for  this  work ;  and  the  work 
being  so  far  accomplished,  our  forces,  retreating  after  day-light  was  almost 
spent,  found  it  necessary  to  go  back  with  many  wounded,  and  more 
weary  men,  unto  their  head  quarters,  near  eighteen  miles  oflT,  in  a  dismal 
night,  through  hardships,  that  an  whole  age  would  hardly'parallel ;  which, 
if  the  remaining  enemies  had  known,  they  might  easily  have  cut  off  all  our 
enfeebled  and  bewildered  army.     However,  such  a  blow  was  now  given  to 


Salvage  and  Sagamore  lay  overturn'd, 

And  fiery,  foaming  blacks:  what  stood,  recoil'd, 

o'er  wearied,  and  with  panicle  fear  siurpris'd. 


*  The  accursed  Camp.        f  How  shnli  I  speak  thy  praise  I 
}  Thus  to  compare  smull  things  with  gruat. 


X  Time  would  nr)t  let  me  ull  his  deeds  recite — 
His  skill  in  couucil— prowess  In  the  light. 


pursue 
ambush 
overpo 
drod  ai 
and  cij. 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


569 


the  enemy  as  never  could  be  recovered!  And  our  forces  having  in  some 
following  weeks  made  now  and  then  some  happy  gleanings  of  their  late 
victory,  until  the  enemy  was  gone,  they  knew  not  whither,  they  returned 
unto  their  several  homes  until  the  next  occasion. 

§  11.  Deserted  Mendham  was  this  winter  IrM  in  ashes.  And  the  Frencli 
from  Canada  sending  recruits  unto  the  Indians  for  that  purpose,  the  Indians 
thus  recruited  on  February  10  fell  upon  the  town  of  Lancaster,  where  they 
burned  many  houses,  and  murdered  and  captived  more  than  forty  persons. 
The  worthy  minister  of  the  town,  Mr.  Rolandson,  had  been  at  Boston  to 
intercede  for  some  speedy  succours;  and  though  by  this  journey  from 
home  he  was  himself  preserved,  yet  at  his  return  he  found  his  house  on 
fire,  his  goods  and  books  all  burned,  and,  which  was  worse,  his  wife,  and 
children,  and  neighbours,  in  the  hands  of  the  worst  barbarians  in  the 
world.  This  good  man,  like  David  at  Ziklag,  yet  believed,  for  the  recovery 
of  his  relations  out  of  those  horrible  hands,  which  about  four  or  five 
months  after  was  accomplished  with  wonderful  dispensations  of  divine 
Providence,  whereof  the  gentlewoman  her  self  has  given  us  a  printed  nar- 
rative. Captain  Wadsworth,  with  forty  resolute  men,  compelled  the  Indians 
to  quit  the  place;  but  they  soon  did  further  mischiefs  at  Malborough,  Sud- 
bury, Chelmsford;  and  February  21,  two  or  three  hundred  of  them  came 
wheeling  down  to  Medfield,  where  they  burnt  near  half  the  town,  and 
killed  near  a  score  of  the  inhabitants;  and  February  25  Weymouth  also 
suffered  from  these  burners  no  little  damage.  An  armv  under  the  com- 
mand  of  that  expert  leader,  Major  Thomas  Savage,  about  this  time  did 
make  after  the  Indians  as  far  as  Northampton;  and  there  was  again  a 
singular  providence  of  God  in  ordering  this  matter:  for  had  it  not  been 
for  these  recruits,  those  western  plantations  had  probably  been  cut  off  by 
a  vast  body  of  Indians,  which  on  March  14  in  three  places  broke  in  upon 
the  thin  Palasadoes  wherewith  Northampton  was  fortified,  and  killed  five 
persons,  and  burned  five  houses,  but  met  with  a  brave  repulse.  On  March 
10  they  did  mischievous  things  at  Groton  and  Sudbury:  and  on  March 
13  they  burnt  almost  all  Groton  to  the  ground,  and  then  called  unto  the 
English  in  the  garrison,  "  What  will  you  do  for  an  house  to  pray  in,  now 
we  have  burnt  your  meeting-house  1"  But  the  enemy  finding  these  parts 
of  the  country  too  many  for  them,  they  again  translated  the  sceiie  of  their 
tragedies  into  Plymouth-colony;  where,  after  they  had  on  March  12  bar- 
barously cut  off  two  families  under  one  roof  in  Plymouth,  and  on  March 
17  laid  all  Warwick,  but  one  house,  in  ashes;  Captain  Pierce  being  fitted 
with  fifty  Englishmen,  and  with  twenty  Christian-Indians,  did  courageously 
pursue  them.  This  meritorious  captain  was  unhappily  trepanned  into  an 
ambushment  of  the  enemy,  who,  on  March  26,  1676,  by  meer  multitude 
overpowered  him;  so  that  after  he  had  first  made  a  slaughter  of  an  hun- 
dred and  forty  of  them,  he  with  forty-nine  Englishmen  (an  hard  battel  truly  1) 
and  eight  Christian-Indians,  expired  on  the  "bed  of  honour."    This  was 


^i 


s1l 


?f 


570 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMEKICANA; 


a  very  disastrous  day  1  For  on  this  day  also  the  town  of  Malborough  was 
all  in  flames  by  another  assault  from  this  treacherous  adversary ;  and  on 
this  day  several  people  at  Springfield  became  a  sacrifice  unto  their  fury; 
wherefore  methiuks,  reader,  we  want  some  diverting  story  to  entertain  us 
in  the  midst  of  so  many  horrible  accidents.  I  will  therefore  mention  a 
pleasant  stratagem  used  by  one  of  our  Christian-Indians,  in  the  figlii  when 
Captain  Pierce  lost  his  life.  The  Indian,  who,  I  durst  say,  never  had  read 
Polyenus,  being  pursued  by  an  enemy,  betook  himself  unto  a  great  rock, 
where  sheltering  himself,  he  perceived  that  his  enemy  lay  on  the  other 
side  ready  with  his  gun  to  discharge  upon  him  whenever  he  should  stir 
one  step  from  the  place  where  he  stood.  He  therefore  took  a  stick  which 
he  had  at  hand,  and  hanging  his  hat  upon  it,  he  gently  and  slowly  lifted 
it  up,  until  he  thought  his  watchful  friend  on  the  other  side  might  be 
sensible  of  it:  and  accordingly  the  other  taking  this  hat  for  the  head  oi 
his  adversary,  let  fly  immediately,  and  shot  through  the  hat:  whereupon 
he  briskly  lift  up  his  head,  and  presently  letting  fly,  not  upon  the  hat,  but 
upon  the  head  of  the  adversary,  laid  him  dead  upon  the  spot.  In  this 
fight  another  Indian  luckily  saved  not  only  himself,  but  an  Englishman 
too,  by  pretending  to  run  after  the  Englishman  with  his  hatchet,  as  if 
intending  to  kill  him  therewithal ;  and  another  Indian  as  luckily  saved 
himself  by  besmearing  his  tawny  face  with  wet  gunpowder,  which  made 
him  look  so  like  some  of  the  adverse  party,  who  had  black'd  their  faces, 
that  they  distinguished  him  not.  Many  such  passages  and  policies  are  told 
of  our  Christian- Indians,  who  in  truth  showed  their  Christianity  by  their 
being  wonderfully  serviceable  unto  us  in  the  war  which  now  perplexed 
us.  But,  reader,  be  content  that  this  paragraph  relate  a  few  more  of  the 
joernicions  things  done  by  the  barbarians,  about  this  time,  in  several  parts 
of  the  country;  and  for  thy  comfort  we  will  give  in  the  next  a  relation 
of  an  unexpected  alteration  and  revolution.  Know,  then,  that  on  March 
28  the  Indians  burnt  about  forty  houses  at  Rehoboth ;  and  on  March  29 
about  thirty  houses  at  Providence:  for  the  English,  retiring  into  garrisons, 
could  not  but  leave  their  houses  open  to  the  impressions  of  the  adversary. 
In  the  beginning  of  April  they  were  mischievous  at  Chelmsford  and 
Andover;  and  that  they  might  by  their  cruelty  discover  whose  children 
they  were,  they  cut  out  tlie  tongues  of  the  dumb  creatures,  leaving  tliem 
alive  in  misery;  and  i)utting  others  of  those  2)oor  creatures  alive  into 
hovels,  they  would  set  them  on  fire.  And  although  on  Marcli  27  about 
forty  inhabitants  of  Sudbury  made  a  salley  forth  in  the  night  upon  a  body 
of  three  hundred  Indians,  killing  thirty  of  them,  without  losing  one  of 
their  own;  yet  on  April  18  the  Indians  made  a  fierce  assault  upon  Sud- 
bury, wherein  they  burnt  several  houses,  and  killed  a  dozen  persons  tluit 
were  coming  from  Concord  for  the  assistance  of  their  neighbours.  IJut 
the  worst  ])art  of  the  story  is,  that  Ca[)titin  Wadsworth,  one  wortliy  to 
live  in  our  history,  under  the  name  of  o  good  man,  coming  up  after  a  long, 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


571 


hard,  unwearied  march,  with  seventy  men  unto  the  relief  of  distressed 
Sudbury,  found  himself  in  the  woods  on  the  sudden  surrounded  with 
about  five  hundred  of  the  enemy;  whereupon  our  men  fought  like  men, 
and  more  than  so;  but  were  so  overwhelmed,  that  he,  with  another  good 
man,  one  Captain  Brattlebank,  and  more  than  fifty  more,  sold  their  lives 
for  the  deaths  of  about  an  hundred  and  twenty  Indians.  The  Indians  took 
live  or  six  of  the  English  prisoners;  and  that  the  reader  may  understand 
crimine  ab  t«»o,*  what  it  is  to  be  taken  by  such  devib  incarnate,  I  shall  here 
inform  him:  they  stripp'd  these  unhappy  prisoners,  and  caused  thom  to 
run  the  gauntlet,  and  whipped  them  after  a  cruel  and  bloody  manner ;  they 
then  threw  hot  ashes  upon  them,  and  cutting  off  collops  of  their  flesh, 
they  put  fire  into  their  wounds,  and  so  with  exquisite,  leisurely,  horrible 
torments,  roasted  them  out  of  the  world. 

§  12.  But  a  Polybius  will  tell  me,  Nbn  decet  ffistorioi  Scriptorem,  duntaxat 
Ees  Crudules  Lcgcntihus  Exponere:\  and  I  promised  my  reader  "a  turn  of 
our  affairs."  The  prayers  of  many  thousands  of  pious  people,  poured  out 
with  the  greatest  solemnity,  did  all  this  while  Ctdum  Tundere,X  and  now 
the}'  must,  Misericordiam  extorquere.%  The  maxim  uttered  by  the  re- 
nowned king  of  Sweden,  "the  greater  the  armyoi  prayers  is,  the  more 
certain  and  glorious  will  be  the  victory !"  must  now  be  fulfilled ;  and  the 
supplications  for  our  distressed  case,  made  by  not  only  the  churches  of 
New-England,  which  were  in  the  distress,  but  also  by  the  churches  of 
London,  of  Suffolk,  of  Dorset,  of  Devon,  of  Somerset,  of  Lancashire,  of 
Dublin,  (for  which  wo  now  publicly  return  our  thanks,)  must  now  be 
answered.  The  time  limited  by  Heaven  for  the  success  of  the  Indian 
treacheries  was  now  almost  expired:  the  blasphemy,  and  insolence,  and 
prodigious  barbarity  of  the  salvages,  was  come  to  a  sufficient  heighth,  for 
tlie  "Lord  God  of  Zabaoth "  to  interpose  his  own  revenges:  and  the  impos- 
sibility which  there  appeared  for  our  people  to  attend  their  husbandry  in 
the  fields,  or  to  find  out  their  enemy  in  the  woods,  did,  as  the  spring 
advanced,  throw  us  into  an  extTemity  of  despair,  to  wade  through  another 
summer  like  the  last.  But  now  was  the  time  for  deliverance!  There 
was  an  evil  s})irit  of  dissetition  strangely  sent  among  the  Indians,  which 
disposed  them  to  separate  from  one  another:  the  demons,  who  visibly 
exhibited  themselves  among  them  at  their  powawing,  or  conjuring,  signi- 
fied still  unto  them  that  they  could  now  "do  no  more  for  them;"  the 
Mnqua's,  a  powerful  nation  in  the  west,  made  a  descent  upon  them,  rang- 
ing and  raging  through  the  desart  with  irresistible  fury;  fevers  and  fluxes 
became  epidemical  among  them ;  and  their  being  driven  from  their  plant- 
ing and  fishing  places,  drove  them  into  so  much  of  a  famine,  as  brought 
mortal  sickness  upon  them:  finally,  a  "visible  smile  of  Heaven"  was  upon 
almost  all  the  enterprises  of  the  English  against  them:  and  an  unaccount- 


•  I'Vom  <mo  oittriigti. 
X  Slorm  lluuvou. 


t  It  (l()C8  nut  bocomo  thu  writer  of  history  to  hurrlfy  the  reudor  with  dotnllB  ofcruolty, 

%  Wrest  frum  it  comijuiiitiou. 


ih 


rm 


m^ 


\\:  !. 


IFi 


I- 


m. 


m 


572 


MAGNALIA    CHKISTI    AMERICANA; 


able  terror  at  the  same  time  so  dispirited  them,  that  they  were  like  men 
under  a  fascination.    It  was  the  promise  of  God  unto  his  ancient  people, 
*'  The  Lord  thy  God  will  send  the  hornet  among  thine  enemies,  until  they 
that  are  left,  and  hide  themselves  from  thee,  be  destroyed :"  and  I  never 
saw  a  more  sensilsle  confirmation  of  that  promise^  or  explication  of  that 
hornet^  than  in  what  now  befel  the  enemies  of  New-England.     They  were 
just  like  beasts  that  are  stung  with  a  garabee,  or  hornet;  they  ran  they 
knew  not  wh'*her,  they  knew  not  wherefore;  they  were  under  such  a  con- 
sternation^ that  the  English  did  even  what  they  would  upon  them.    I  shall 
never  forget  the  expressions  which  a  desperate  fighting  sort  of  fellow,  one 
of  their  generals,  used  unto  the  English  after  they  had  captivated  him; 
•'  You  could  never  have  subdued  us,  but  [said  he,  striking  on  his  breast] 
the  Englishman's  God  make  us  afraid  here!"    First,  from  Connecticut- 
colony,  which  the  kind  providence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  kept  almost 
untouched  in  this  bloody  war,  there  went  forth  in  the  month  of  April, 
under  the  command  of  Captain  Denison,  sixty-six  volunteers,  with  above 
an  hundred  friend-Indians,  who  took  and  slew  seventy-six  of  the  enemy, 
among  whom  were  some  of  their  chiefest  princes,  and  made  great  huvock 
on  their  stores,  without  losing  any  of  their  own :  and  a  little  before  this,  a 
party  of  Connecticut  soldiers,  with  the  like  Indian  assistance,  took  and 
slew  forty-four  of  the  enemy,  without  any  loss  on  our  side,  but  among  the 
prisoners  was  Quanonchet,  the  mighty  sachem  of  Narraganset,  whom 
the  English  wi  ely  delivered  unto  their  tawny  auxiliaries  for  them  to  cui 
off  his  head,  that  so  the  alienation  between  them  and  the  wretches  in  hos- 
tility against  us  might  become  incurable.     There  were  still  here  and  there 
little  mischiefs  done  by  the  enemy;    Plymouth,  Taunton,  Clielmsford, 
Concord,    Haverhil,  Bradford,  Woburn,  and  other  places,  did  sustain 
sundry  damages:  but  the  main  character  of  the  occurrents  now  happening 
on  our  part,  was  victory  over  them.    Eemarkable  was  the  fate  of  Bridge- 
water,  a  most  praying,  and  most  pioiis  town,  seated  in  the  very  midst  of 
the  dangers  of  the  war;  that  although  they  were  often  assaulted  by  formi- 
dable numbers  of  the  enemies,  yet  in  all  their  sharp  assaults  they  never  lost 
one  of  their  inhabitants,  young  or  old.     They  were  solicited  strongly  to 
desert  their  dwellings,  but  they  resolved  that  they  would  keep  their  sta- 
tions:  and  now,  on  May  8,  the  Indians  began  to  fire  the  town,  but  the 
inhabitants  with  notable  courage  issued  forth  from  their  garrisons  to  fight 
the  enemy,  and  God  from  heaven  at  the  same  time  fought  tor  them,  with 
a  storm  of  lightning,  thunder  and  rain,  whereby  a  considerable  part  of 
their  houses  were  preserved.    Thou,  church  of  Bridgewater, 

0  itinium  Dilectn  Deo,  cui  militat  JEther, 
Et  Conjurati  veniunt  ad  Classica  Venii!" 

One  that  was  no  Christian  so  sang  the  favours  of  Heaven  to  the  Emperor 

*  ThH  elvruiMiU  fuught  with  thee;  nny,  nnd  nil    |  Thii  truopliig  wliiiU  ubuycil  Ihy  batiliHSull. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


573 


Theodosius;  and  so  might  the  Pagan  foe  now  sing  of  thy  salvations!    On 
May  6  our  fo'     ,  assisted  with  some  Christian  Indians,  did  good  execution 
upon  the  en(;       near  Medfield,  and  on  May  11  did  the  like  at  Plymouth. 
And  on  May  l8  two  captive  lads  escaping  from  the  hands  of  the  enemy, 
informed  the  towns  about  Northampton,  that  a  considerable  body  of  the 
Indians  were  securely  clanning  together  a  few  miles  further  up  the  river; 
whereupon  about  an  hundred  and  fourscore  active  men  went  out  immedi- 
ately, and  so  surprized  then,  that  they  killed,  as  was  judged,  about  an 
hundred  on  the  spot,  and  they  drove  as  many  more  into  that  "  ancient 
river"  that  swept  'em  away.    But  the  English  in  the  retreat  were  unhap- 
pily circumvented  by  a  parcel  of  the  enemy,  who  slew  Captain  Turner, 
and  upwards  of  thirty  more,  although  not  without  the  loss  of  three  hundred 
of  their  own,  as  was  afterwards  by  some  of  themselves  acknowledged. 
And  on  May  30  the  enemy  lost  five  and  twenty  in  one  onset  which  they 
made  upon  Hatfield,  five  being  slain  on  our  part  in  the  action ;  as  the 
week  before  this  twelve  of  them  were  slain  about  Kehoboth,  with  the  loss 
of  but  one  of  ours.    New  forces,  both  in  Massachuset-colony  and  in  Con- 
necticut-colony, were  now  sent  forth  to  distress  the  enemy  in  their  places 
of  planting  and  fishing.     The  Massachuset  forces  quickly  took  and  kill'd 
near  forty  Indians,  and  the  Connecticut  forces  took  and  kill'd  an  hundred; 
which  exploits  were  performed  without  losing  a  man  of  our  own.    On 
June  12  seven  hundred  Indians  made  an  assault  upon  Hadley;  but  they 
were  driven  off  with  mv£h  loss  to  th^m,  and  very  small  to  our  selves;  and 
at  the  very  time  when  the  Indians  were  thus  distressing  of  Hadley,  the 
Maqua's  fell  upon  their  head-quarters,  and  slaughtered  their  women  and 
children,  and  carried  away  much  plunder  with  them.    Thus  the  conquest 
of  the  Indians  went  on  at  such  a  rate,  that  whereas,  June  29,  1675,  was 
theyj/'s</a5<publickly  observed  in  this  colony  on  the  occasion  of  the  Indian 
troubles,  now,  June  29, 1676,  was  appointed  a  day  of  thanksgiving  through 
the  colony  for  the  comfortable  steps  and  hopes  that  we  saw  towards  the  end 
of  those  troubles. 

§  13.  Reader,  after  this  day  of  thanksgiving  I  shall  have  little  to  report 
unto  thee  but  what  is  a  cause  of  thankfulness  /  The  Maqua's  now  foil  upon 
Philip,  and  kill  him  fifty  men  at  a  time;  upon  as  odd  an  occasion  too  as 
has  been  ordinarily  heard  of.  He,  as  it  is  affirmed,  being  entertained 
among  the  Maqua's  the  last  winter,  used  many  means  to  seduce  'em,  and 
perswade  'em  unto  a  war  against  the  English;  and  one  of  those  means  it 
seems  was  this:  he  kill'd  some  scattering  Maqua's  in  the  woods,  and  then 
told  the  rest  that  the  Plnglish  did  it;  but  one  of  them  whom  he  thought 
killed  was  only  wounded,  who,  getting  home  unto  his  countrymen,  gave 
'em  to  underf.  and  who  was  the  true  murderer!  iind  so  the  Maqua's,  whom 
he  would  have  brought  upon  the  English,  he  only  brought  upon  himself: 
Nee  enim  Lex  Justior  ulla,*     Philip  now  returns  to  Mount-Hope,  and 

*  Nur  was  retribution  ovur  inorujiist. 


1 


'  y 


hi! 


w 

t'51 


Wi 


Sii 


h  ■-. 


574 


MAGNALIA    CHEI8TI    AMERICANA; 


finds  it  Mount-Misery,  Mount- Confusion  /    A  prince  in  Germany,  long  since, 
bearing  that  a  neighbouring  prince  intended  war  upon  him,  immediately 
set  himself  upon  the  reforming  of  the  people  under  his  gdvernment;  but 
bis  adversary,  within  a  while  after,  enquired  what  preparation  bis  neigh- 
bour was  making  to  oppose  him?  and  being  informed  that  his  chief 
preparation  was  reformation,  he  replied,  "Nay,  then,  let  the  devil  fight 
bim  for  all  me;  if  he  be  at  that,  he'll  be  too  bard  for  me  to  meddle  with 
bim."    The  churches  of  New-England  now  more  than  ever  began  to  be  at 
that;  and  now  see  the  effects  of  itl    The  churches  in  Plymoutb-colony 
agreed  upon  a  day  solemnly  to  renew  their  covenant  with  God  and  one 
another;  on  the  very  next  day,  Major  Bradford,  with  bis  Plymouth  forces, 
was  not  only  by  a  strange  providence  delivered  from  the  stratagems  of 
the  ambushing  adversary,  but  also  took  and  slew  many  of  them,  without 
the  loss  of  one  Englishman:  and  the  squaw-sachim  of  Saconet,  with  ninety 
of  her  subjects,  hearing  of  his  approach,  submitted  themselves  unto  his 
mercy:  Major  Bradford  was  the  (Edipus,  by  whom  that  Sphinx  was  con- 
quered!    On  July  2  our  brethren  of  Connecticut  in  the  Narraganset 
country  took  and  kill'd  an  hundred  and  forescore  of  the  Indians,  without 
losing  a  man  of  their  own ;  and  in  their  march  home  they  destroyed  three- 
score more.    Quickly  after  this,  two  hundred  Indians  in  Plymouth-cobny 
were  compelled  by  the  necessities  upon  them  to  surrender  themselves; 
and  upon  advice  from  them  of  another  party  abroad,  eight  Englishmen, 
accompanied  with  fourteen  of  them,  seized  upon  twenty  more,  without  any 
burt  unto  themselves.    In  the  wood  near  Dedham  there  was  more  execu- 
tion done  upon  them :  and  a  negro  that  had  been  taken  captive  by  them, 
informed  us  that  near  two  hundred  of  them  had  formed  a  design  of  an 
attacque  upon  Taunton,  which  information  proved  the  preservation  of  tlie 
town:  for  auxiliaries  being  seasonably  sent  thither,  the  enemy  met  with  a 
vigorous  repulse,  without  the  loss  of  one  Englishman  in  the  engagement. 
The  Massacbuset  forces  returned  unto  Boston  July  22,  having  taken  and 
killed  an  hundred  and  fifty  Indians,  with  the  loss  of  but  otie  Englishman : 
but  the  principal  actions,  whereof  Plymouth  was  now  the  stage,  must  be 
done  by  the  hand  of  that  worthy  man,  Captain  Church;    whose  very 
name,  now,  might  suggest  unto  the  miserable  salvages  what  they  must  be 
undone  by  fighting  against;  and  whose  lot  it  was  to  be  employ'd  by  the 
providence  of  Heaven  at  the  time  and  place  of  the  catastrophe,  now  waiting 
for  a  generation  ripe  for  desolation.    This  gentleman  made  havoc  among 
the  salvages,  like  another  Scanderbeg;  he  went  out  with  a  small  party 
of  about  eighteen  English,  and  twenty-two  friend  Indians,  and  in  ono 
week  he  had  four  several  engagements  with  the  enemy,  wherein  he  took 
and  slew  seventy-nine  of  them,  without  losing  ono  of  his  own;  and  by 
a  particular  policy  he  still  made  his  captives  to  find  out  their  fellows  for 
him,  and  "set  a  thief  to  catch  a  thief,"  which  facilitated  his  enterprizos 
wonderfully.    Nevertheless,  this  hindred  not  others  from  doing  their  part 


OK,    THE    HISTOBY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


575 


in  exterminating  the  rabid  animals,  which,  by  a  most  unaccountable 
syderation  from  Heaven,  had  now  neither  strength  nor  sense  left  'em  to  do 
any  thing  for  their  own  defence.  On  July  25  thirty-six  Englishmen  from 
Dedhara  and  Medfield,  with  ninety  Christian-Indians,  pursued,  overtook, 
and  captivated  fifty  of  the  enemy,  without  losing  of  a  man;  and  among 
these  was  Pomham,  a  great  sachim  of  the  Narragansets,  who,  after  he  was 
wounded  so  that  he  could  not  stand,  but  was  left  a  considerable  while  for 
dead,  yet  when  an  Englishman  came  near  him,  the  dying  beast,  with  a 
belluine  rage,  got  such  hold  on  his  head,  that  he  had  killed  him  if  there 
had  not  come  help  to  rescue  him.  On  July  27,  Sagamore  John  submitted 
himself  to  the  English  mercy,  with  an  hundred  and  fourscore  Nipmuck 
Indians;  and  that  he  might  ingratiate  himself  with  the  English,  he  brought 
in  Matoonas  with  his  son,  who  had  begun  the  war  in  the  Massachuset- 
colony  a  little  above  a  year  ago ;  whereupon  we  ordered  this  very  Sagamore 
to  shoot  him  to  death.  On  July  31  an  handful  of  soldiers  issuing  out  of 
Bridgewater,  unexpectedly  stumbled  upon  a  company  of  the  enemy,  who, 
being  well  armed,  snapp'd  their  guns  at  the  English ;  but,  which  was  a 
marvellous  accident,  not  one  of  them  took  fire ;  whereat  a  panic-terror  fell 
upon  them,  so  that  we  took  fifteen,  we  slew  ten,  the  rest  fled ;  of  whom 
Philip  himself  was  one,  who  left  the  chief  of  his  treasure  behind  him. 
Not  one  of  the  English  was  hurt  at  this  timel  This  was  the  success  of  a 
people  that  had  just  before  solemnly  renewed  the  consent  of  their  souls  to 
the  "covenant  of  grace,"  and  applied  it  unto  the  holy  purposes  of  reforma- 
tion among  them.  On  August  1,  Captain  Church  again,  with  about  thirty 
English  and  twenty  friend-Indians,  took  twenty-three  of  the  enemy ;  and 
the  next  morning  he  came  upon  Philip's  head-qnarters,  where  they  took 
and  slew  about  an  hundred  and  thirty  of  the  enemy,  with  the  loss  of  but 
one  of  their  own:  Philip  himself,  now  also  hardly  escaping,  but  leaving  his 
peag,  and  wife,  and  son  behind  him,  which  was  no  small  torment  unto  him. 
On  August  6,  an  Indian-deserter  informing  the  inhabitants  of  Taunton 
where  they  might  surprise  more  of  the  enemy,  twenty  men  of  ours  imme- 
diately brought  in  thirty-six  of  them.  The  Squaw-sachim  of  Pocasset 
flying  from  this  "broil  upon  the  coast,"  now  in  that  very  place  where  she 
had  furnished  Philip  with  canoos  for  his  men  a  year  ago,  she  herself  could 
not  find  a  canoo,  but  venturing  over  the  river  upon  a  raft,  which  broke 
under  her,  she  was  drowned ;  and  some  of  the  English,  not  knowing  who 
fihe  was,  when  they  found  her,  stuck  her  head  upon  a  pole  in  Taunton, 
which,  when  the  Indians  that  knew  her  saw,  they  fell  into  such  hideous 
hovvlings  and  lamentations  as  can  scarce  be  imitated. 

But  now,  reader,  prepare  to  make  a  just  reflection  upon  that  antient 
and  famous  passage  of  sacred  Scripture,  "Wo  to  thee  that  spoilest,  and 
thou  wast  not  spoiled !  and  dealest  treacherously,  and  they  dealt  not  treach- 
erously with  theel  when  thou  shalt  cease  to  spoil,  thou  shalt  be  spoiled; 
and  when  thou  shalt  make  an  end  to  deal  treacherously,  they  shall  deal 


■:h 


571 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTl    AMEBICANA; 


treaf'ierously  with  thee!"  One  thing  which  emboldned  King  Philip  in 
all  his  outrages,  was  an  assurance  which  his  magicians  (consulting  their 
oracles)  gave  him,  that  no  "Englishman  should  ever  kill  him;"  and,  indeed, 
if  any  Englishman  might  have  had  the  honour  of  killing  him,  he  must 
have  had  a  good  measure  of  grace  to  have  repressed  the  "vanity  of  mind" 
whereto  he  would  have  had  some  temptations.  But  this  will  not  extend 
the  life  of  that  bloody  and  crafty  wretch  above  "half  his  days!"  A  man 
belonging  to  Philip  himself,  being  disgusted  at  him  for  killing  an  Indian 
who  had  propounded  an  expedient  of  peace  with  the  English,  ran  away 
from  him  to  Ehode-Island,  where  Captain  Church  was  then  recruiting  of 
his  weary  forces;  and  upon  the  intelligence  hereof,  Captain  Church,  with 
a  few  hands  of  both  English  and  Indians,  immediate! ^'  set  forth  upon  a 
new  expedition.  That  very  night  Philip  (like  the  man  in  the  army  of 
Midian)  had  been  dreaming  that  he  was  "fain  into  the  hands  of  the  Eng- 
lish;" and  now,  just  as  he  was  telling  his  dream,  with  advice  unto  his 
friends  to  fly  for  their  lives,  lest  the  knave  who  had  newly  gone  from  them 
should  shew  the  English  how  to  come  at  them.  Captain  Church,  with  his 
company,  fell  in  upon  them ;  Philip  attempted  a  flight  out  of  the  swamp, 
at  which  instant  both  an  Englishman  and  an  Indian  endeavouring  to  fire 
at  him,  the  Englishman's  piece  would  not  go  oflF,  but  the  Indian's  presently 
shot  him  through  his  venomous  and  murderous  heart;  and  in  that  very 
place  where  he  first  contrived  and  commenced  his  mischief,  this  Agng  was 
now  cut  into  quarters,  which  were  then  hanged  up,  while  his  head  wns 
carried  in  triumph  to  Plymouth,  where  it  arrived  on  the  very  day  that 
the  church  there  was  keeping  a  solemn  thanksgiving  to  God.  God  sent 
'em  in  the  head  of  a  leviathan  for  a  thanksgiving-feast. 

XTUg  ira-s  awoXoiTo  orig  rotavrays  ps^oi.* 
Sic  pereat  quisquia  captarit  talia  poathac* 

At  the  time  when  King  Philip,  the  beginner  of  the  toar,  was  thus  come 
to  the  conclusion  of  his  life,  several  of  his  men  accompanied  him  into  the 
other  world;  and,  among  the  rest,  that  very  Indian  who  fired  the  first  gun 
at  the  English  in  this  horrible  war.  But  our  Lebbaeus,  Captain  Church, 
irresistibly  still  pursued  his  victories  at  such  a  rate,  that  in  a  few  weeks 
there  were,  by  his  means,  at  least  seven  hundred  of  the  enemy  subjugated; 
and  some  of  his  achievements  were  truly  so  magnanimous  and  extraordi- 
nary, that  my  reader  will  suspect  me  to  be  transcribing  the  silly  old 
romances,  where  the  knights  do  conquer  so  many  giants,  if  I  should  pro- 
ceed unto  the  particular  coramemoration  of  them.  Albeit  I  must  also  sj»y, 
there  were  many  other  commanders  whom,  if  we  should  measure  by  con- 
duct, rather  than  by  success,  the  fame  of  Captain  Church  ought  by  no  means 
to  bring  an  eclipse  upon  theirs;  and  though  it  be  an  envious  phrase  at  sea, 
that  the  vessel  which  by  any  advantage  outsails  another,  does  tvroiig  her; 

*  So  let  all  perlah  who  oltempt  sucli  dead*. 


OB,    THE    HIBTOBT    OF    NEW-SNQLAND. 


677 


I  pray  let  not  that  phrase  get  ashort,  to  inake  it  interpreted  as  a  lorong  to 
any  other  valiant  and  prudent  commander,  that  any  one  has  had  particular 
successes  attending  of  him.  In  our  wars  there  were  captaint^  engaged, 
upon  whose  graves  there  may  be  engraved  the  character  given  by  Sir 
Samuel  Morland  of  Captain  Jahir,  who  lost  his  life  in  the  wars  of  the 
poor  Waldenses: 

**  They  were  persons  worthy  to  be  renowned  unto  all  posterity  for  their  zeal  for  the  ser^'ico 
of  God,  and  the  preservation  of  his  poor  afflicted  church;  persons  whom  all  the  terrors  of 
death  could  never  affright,  bold  as  lions  in  all  their  enterprises,  but  meek  as  lambs  in  the 
midst  of  all  their  victories:  always  lifting  up  their  hands  towards  Heaven  from  whence  deliv- 
erance came;  and  reciting  sweet  passages  of  Scripture,  wherein  they  were  versed  unto 
admiration,  to  the  great  encouragement  of  all  their  followers." 

§  14.  While  those  parte  of  New-England,  which  had  the  glory  of  Evan- 
gelical churches  in  them,  for  a  defence  to  be  created  upon,  were  thus 
tempestuated  by  a  terrible  war,  there  were  other  parts  lying  in  the  north- 
east of  New-England,  of  a  less  Evangelical  temper,  which  felt  a  furious 
mroclydon  also  beating  upon  them.    The  designs  of  lumber  and  fishing, 
but  especially  of  the  bever-trade  with  the  Indians,  which  last  was  very 
scandalously  managed,  had  produced  many  fine  settlements  in  the  province 
of  Main,  and  the  county  of  Cornwal,  and  the  brave  regions  lying  beyond 
Piscataqua;  but  a  great  part  of  the  English  there  grew  too  like  the  Indians, 
among  whom  they  lived  in  their  unchristian  way  of  living;  and  instead  cf 
erecting  churches  among  themselves,  they  neither  Christianized  the  pagans, 
nor,  by  avoiding  of  the  vices  which  they  rather  taught  the  Pagans,  did  they 
take  a  due  course  to  preserve  themselves  from  losing  of  Christianity  in 
Paganism.    Within  twenty  days  after  that  Philip  had  begun  the  war  at 
Mount  Hope,  in  the  year  1675,  the  Indians,  two  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
distant  from  him  to  the  northward,  began  the  same  game  upon  the  remotest 
of  these  plantations.     Misunderstandings  happened  between  the  English 
and  the  Indians  upon  very  odd  occasions ;  and  many  rude,  wild,  ungovern- 
able English,  did,  unto  the  extream  dissatisfaction  of  the  wiser  sort,  rashly 
add  unto  the  occasions  which  the  Indians  also  took  to  grow  ungovernable. 
Their  little  swaggering  at  one  another,  advanced  into  scuffling,  and  scuffling 
into  fighting,  so  that  at  length  there  was  open  war  between  them ;    and 
there  were  many  little  encounters  in  the  first  three  or  four  months,  wherein 
the  English  lost  fifty,  and  the  Indians  about  ninety  of  their  people;  but  at 
last  it  came  to  very  "cruel  depredations."    I  am  not  willing  to  tire  my 
reader  with  another  long  walk  into  the  woods  after  these  ravening  salvages, 
or  to  enumerate  the  many  successive  destructions  with  which  the  Indians 
at  length  broke  up  all  the  English  settlements  to  the  northward  of  Wells; 
and  if  I  should  particularly  relate  how  barbarously  they  murdered  my  dear 
friend,  that  exemplary  good  man  Captain  Thomas  Lake,  with  many  more 
at  Arowsick-Island,  in  Kennebeck-rivcr,  on  August  l-ith,  1676,  I  should 
but  unto  myself,  Tnfandum  renovare  dolorem.*    Inasmuch  as  I  am  writing 

*  Renew  Uie  grief  no  words  can  e'er  oxpreta. 

Vol.  II.— 37 


m 


I-  -jr 


578 


MAONALIA    CHSISTI    AMEKIOANA; 


a  Church-HistoTy,  I  may  be  excused,  though  I  do  not  concern  myself  any 
further  with  provinces,  where  they  made  it  so  little  of  their  own  concern 
to  gather  any  churches;  it  shall  suffice  for  me  to  write  thus  much,  that 
one  of  the  first  notable  outrages  done  by  the  Indians,  was  at  the  house  of 
one  Wakely  at  Casco,  whom  with  his  wife,  and  son,  and  daughter-in-law, 
(with  child)  and  a  couple  of  grand-children,  they  barbarously  butchered, 
and  carried  away  three  children  into  captivity.  Now  this  honest  old  man 
was  one  who  would  often  say,  with  tears,  "  that  he  believed  God  was  dis- 
pleased at  him,  inasmuch  as,  albeit  he  came  into  New-England  for  the  sake 
of  the  gospel,  yet  he  had  left  another  place  in  the  country,  where  he  had 
enjoyed  the  gospel  in  the  communion  of  a  gathered  church,  and  now  had 
lived  many  years  iu  a  plantation  where  there  was  no  church  at  all,  nor  the 
ordinances  and  institutions  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ."  The  Massachuset- 
colony  sent  our  forces  under  the  command  of  Captain  Hawthorn,  and 
Captain  Syll,  and  others,  for  the  subduing  of  these  Indians,  and  the  success 
of  attempts  against  them  was  very  various.  But  the  Stunningest  wound 
of  all  giver  to  them,  was,  when  by  a  contrivance  of  the  English,  near  four 
hundred  of  them  were,  on  September  6,  1676,  surprised  at  the  house  of 
Major  Waldern,  in  Quechecho;  whereof  one  half  which  were  found  acces- 
sories to  the  late  rebellion,  were  sold  for  slaves;  the  rest  were  dismfesed 
unto  their  own  places;  and  ui  last,  when  both  sides  were  weary,  about 
the  latter  end  of  that  year,  a  sort  of  peace  was  clapp'd  up  for  the  whole; 
so  ihe  "land  had  rest  from  war." 

§  15.  I  make  no  question  that  the  story  of  Og,  the  king  of  the  woody 
Bashan,  encountered  and  conquered  by  Joshua,  the  Lord  General  of  Israel, 
with  his  armies  passing  into  Canaan,  was  the  very  thing  which  the  Gen- 
tiles, in  after  ages,  did  celebrate  under  the  notion  of  the  serpent  Python, 
(which  is  the  rame  with  Typhon)  destroyed  by  Apollo.  Og  signifies  a 
burner,  as  well  as  the  name  of  Typhon,  whom  the  poets  make  a  Theoma- 
chous  giant;  and  the  Hebrews,  for  good  causes,  afibrding  the  name  of 
Pethen,  or  a  serpent  unto  such  an  enemy,  we  need  not  wonder  that  he  is 
also  named  Python.  The  land  where  the  gods  gave  battel  to  Typhon, 
was,  according  to  Homer,  sv  Apsjioif.*  And  as  we  know  Syria  was  the  land 
of  Aram,  so  Strabo  will  tell  us,  that  the  Arimi  are  the  Syrians;  which, 
with  the  river  Orontes,  called  Ophites,  as  well  as  Typhon  in  Coelo-Syria, 
designates  the  very  country  of  Og  unto  us.  The  seat  of  the  transaction 
related  by  Homer  to  have  been  in  u^m,  which  learned  men  have  so  long 
sought  in  vain,  that  at  last  they  said  it  was  in  Chnmena,  that  is  to  say, 
"  no  man  knows  where ;"  it  is  doubtless  b}'  a  long  mistake  of  the  Scribes, 
put  for  lo^ia  or  the  land  of  Judea;  but  when  he  adds,  that  it  was  x"P"  ^" 
iipuosvTi,  "  in  a  region  abounding  with  oaks,"  the  region  of  Bashan  is  un- 
questionably pointed  at. 

What  Homer  sings  about  the  Tuipwjoff  «uvai,  I\^phonis  CM6t7to,f  was  not 


*  In  the  wUderiMM. 


t  Tha  bedi  of  Typhon. 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


579 


understood  by  Virgil,  when  he  made  a  sepulchre  thereof,  in  his  translating 
the  matter  into  his  ninth  ^neid,  because  he  had  not  read  the  account 
which  the  Scripture  gives  about  Og's  "bedstead  of  Iron."  'Tis  as  clear 
that  Apollo,  who  was  anciently  called  Pse&n,  or  an  heahr,  is  the  same  with 
Joshua,  whose  name  is  of  a  like  signification;  and  Apollo  was  called 
Anoaeus,  likewise;  but  in  commemoration  of  Joshua's  exploits  against 
the  Anakim;  the  Fbsenicai,  being  also  but  Bene-Anak,  or  the  sons  of 
Anak  in  the  first  original.  They  by  whom  Typhon  was  combated,  came 
out  of  Egypt,  and  so  did  the  armies  of  Joshua;  an  hero,  of  whose  mother, 
because  we  read  nothing,  she  must  be  called  Atitw,  or  Letona,  a  Latendo.* 
Cadmus,  the  Gibeonite,  carrying  a  colony  into  Grsecia,  did  use  there  to 
remember  the  victories  of  Joshua,  in  such  hymns  as  they  had  learned  from 
their  new  masters  in  Canaan;  and  of  those  h;'mns,  it  is  probable,  the 
hundred  and  thirty-fifth  Psalm  in  our  Psaltfr  might  be  one;  yea,  the 
Graecian,  sXsXsu  Is  Is,-|-  used  in  their  Poeanis'ins^  might  be  but  rude  remem- 
brances of  the  Hallelujahs  anciently  used  in  these  hymns  of  Israel. 

Header,  'twas  not  unto  a  Delphos,  but  unto  a  Shiloh,  that  the  planters 
of  New-England  have  been  making  their  progress,  and  King  Philip  is  not 
the  only  Python  that  has  been  giving  them  obstruction  in  their  passage 
and  progress  thereunto.  But  if  Infcdix  Exitus  PersecutorumX  '^  ^"^Y  noia 
of  the  true  church,  I  am  sure  New-England  has  a  true  church  to  people  it; 
for  all  the  serpents,  yea,  or  giants,  that  formerly  molested  that  religious 
plantation,  found  themselves  engaged  in  a  fatal  enterprize.  We  have  by 
a  true  and  plain  history  secured  the  story  of  our  successes  against  all  the 
Ogs  in  this  woody  country  from  falling  under  the  disguises  of  mythology; 
but  it  administers  to  us  the  reflection  which  has  been  often  made,  that  as 
of  old  the  ruins  that  still  overtook  the  persecutors  of  the  poor  Picardines 
caused  men  to  say,  "If  a  man  be  weary  of  his  life,  let  him  become  an 
enemy  to  the  Picardines!"  The  like  ruins  have  overwhelmed  them  that 
have  persecuted  the  poor  New-Englanders.  And  we  will  not  oonceal  the 
name  of  the  God  our  Saviour,  as  an  h*::athen  country  sometimes  would, 
Ne  ah  hostihus  evocatiis,  alio  Commigraret:%  No,  'tis  our  Lord  Josus  Christ, 
worshipped  according  to  the  rules  of  his  blessed  gospel,  who  is  the  great 
Phoebus,  that  "sUN  of  righteousness,"  who  hath  so  saved  his  churches 
from  the  designs  of  the  "generations  of  the  dragon."  'Tis  to  our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  that  we  oifer  up  our  hallelujahs! — But  it  must,  aft«r  all,  be 
confessed,  that  we  have  had  one  enemy  more  pernicious  to  us  than  all  the 
rest,  and  that  is  "  our  own  backsliding  heart,"  which  has  plunged  the  whole 
country  into  so  wonderful  a  degeneracy,  that  I  have  sometimes  been  dis- 
couraged from  writing  the  church-history  of  the  country,  lest 


-Mulier  Fortnota,  Buprrne, 


Desinat  in  Pwcewi.H 

•  Lathns,  fh)in  "  latere,"  to  conceal.         t  A  «hout  of  triumph.         t  Fearful  '■  the  end  of  penecnton. 
I  Li!Bt  he  Bhuuld  bo  ovvr-puraunded,  by  the  adulationg  nnd  uflbrings  of  the  foe,  to  desert  to  them. 
I  IncongruouB  art  should  make  the  statue  show     |     Venus  above— a  reptile's  form  below. 


''/,'«: 


580 


IIAQNALIA   CHiSIBTI   AMSBIGAKA; 


And  since  this  degeneracy  has  obtained  so  much  among  us,  the  wrath 
of  Heaven  has  raised  up  against  us  a  succession  of  other  adveraaries  and 
calamities,  which  have  cast  the  land  into  great  confusions;  to  rescue  us 
from  which  the  jealous  kindness  of  Heaven  has  not  made  such  quick 
deacmls  as  iu  former  times.    Alas  I  that  my  reader  must  now  tell  me, 

Cttputi  meliu*  qwm  dttinu,  niliiiM  PrimU 
Dittant* 

For  which  cause  I  now  conclude  our  churoh-history,  leaving  to  the 
churches  of  New-England,  for  their  admonition,  an  observation  which  the 
renowned  Commenius  has  made  upon  the  famous  churches  of  Bohemia, 
"that  they  were  nearer  to  the  sanctuary  than  other  churches,  by  reason 
of  a  more  pure  discipline  professed  and  embraced  among  them;  and 
therefore,  when  they  came  to  be  depraved  with  apostasies,  the  Lord  poured 
out  his  righteous  displeasure  upon  them,  and  quickly  made  them  sad 
examples  to  the  other  churches  of  the  Beformation." 

God  knows  what  will  be  the  end. 


APPENDIX. 

SuBiittitim  InttnnBttintt 

AN   BISTORT  OF   REMARKABLE   OCCURRENCES   IN   THE    LONQ  WAR, 

WHICH  NEW-BNOLAND  HATH  HAD  WITH  THE  INDIAN  SALVAGES, 
VROU  THE  ITEAR  1688  TO  THE  YEAR   1698,  FAITHFULLY  COMPOSED  AND   IMPROVED 

THE  SECOND   EDITION. 

THE  DEDICATION  PREFACED  UNTO  THE  FIRST  EDITION. 

To  THE  People  of  New-England. — Sirs:  You  are  welcome  unto  the  Aitfory  of  a  tedious  war, 
and  unto  a  period  of  that  war  so  far  in  prospect,  as  to  render  its  history  M>asonable. 

Every  reasonable  man  will  readily  allow  that  it  is  a  duly  to  God,  and  a  ttrtire  to  the  world,  for 
to  preserve  the  memory  of  such  matters  as  have  been  the  more  memorahh  orrurrencta  in  the  war 
that  has  for  ten  years  together  been  multiplying  changes  and  sorrowa  upon  u».  And  the  author, 
in  whose  historical  writings  the  most  inquisitive  enny  has  never  to  this  hour  detected  so  much  n? 
one  Toluntary  and  material  mistake,  or  one  farthing  paid  unto  the  readers  in  the  coin  of  Candia, 
has  now  chosen  to  preserve  the  memory  of  these  matters  while  they  are  frtak  and  new,  and  ond 
hath  not  fifty  years,  which  is  the  channel  of  the  riper  of  oblivion,  to  pass  over  unto  them.  This 
eipedition  is  used  in  the  publication  of  our  Decenniutn  Luetuoaum,  in  ho()e  that,  if  any  mistakr 
worth  noting  do  appear  in  these  writings,  it  may  like,  and  perhaps  wi(A, "  a  second  edition,"  be 
"  corrected  and  amended." 

He  expects  no  thanks  for  his  essays  to  do  good,  in  this  way  or  any  other,  unto  any  part  of  liis 
country,  to  whom  he  would  gladly  devote  nil  his  talents,  if  he  were  a  thousand  times  better  talfiiird 
than  he  is;  and  thoigh  the  most  ungrateful  treats  imaginable  (which  are  too  well  known  by  liiv 


•  Thy  last  jcnrco  keeps  the  promiBe  of  thy  first; 
Thy  latter  end  is  certainly  thy  wotBt., 


t  A  Melauoltoly  Decade. 


OB,    THE    HISTOBT    OF    NEW-ENOLAKD. 


581 


name  of  "country-poy")  should  be  given  him,  he  would  Mill  be  of  that  opinion,  J2ec(<  feeiaae 
Mereet  est :  "  if  a  man  may  do  good,  it  is  enough." 

All  the  favour  he  desires  of  you  is,  that  you  would  not  enquire  after  kirn;  or  uk, "  who  he  kl" 
but  that  he  is  at  best  but  an  obaeure  person,  he  may  continue  in  yet  more  otccurtly  ;  which  will 
be  a  greau  .  pleasure  to  him  than  to  be  placed  among  the  great  men  of  Achaia.  For,  indeed,  he 
hath  often  thought  on  a  passage  written  by  holy  Mr.  Row  to  his  excellent  son:  "  I  pray  that  God 
would  make  use  of  my  self  and  you,  in  such  a  way  as  that  God  only  may  be  seen,  and  we  not  be 
taken  notice  of  at  all ;  that  he  may  have  the  glory  and  we  may  pot  be  seen." 

Could  he  have  invited  his  Exobllekcy  unto  such  a  glorious  table  as  that  in  a  certain  cabinet  at 
Florence,  which  is  furnished  with  birds  and  flow'rs,  all  conusting  of  neatly  polished  jewels  inlaid 
into  it — a  work  fifteen  years  in  making,  and  worth  an  hundred  thousand  crowns ;  or  could  he  have 
written  a  book  worthy  to  be  laid  up  iq  the  cabinet  of.  Darius,  the  author  might  have  been  under  a 
temptation  to  have  had  his  name  engraved  upon  hia  work.  But  a  little  boil'd  Indian  com  in  a  tray 
is  as  much  as  our  best  history  of  an  Indian  war,  compoe'd  perhaps  in  fewer  daya  than  there  were 
yeara  in  the  war,  may  presume  to  be  compar'd  unto.  And  since  our  history  will  not  aflbrd  such  a 
diversion  unto  hia  excellency,  under  the  indispositions  of  his  health,  as  those  of  Livy  and  Curtius 
(lid  unto  the  princes  that  recovered  their  lost  health  by  reading  them ;  nor  can  any  passage  here  be 
so  happy,  as  that  which  cured  Laurentius  Medices  of  a  malady  by  having  it  read  unto  him :  it  will 
require  no  more  than  a  nameleat  writer  to  assure  that  greot  person  on  this  occasion,  that  all  the 
good  people  of  New-England  make  their  fervent  vows  unto  the  Almighty,  for  hi*  excellenciea 
proiperity,  and  the  welfare  of  hia  excellent  lady,  and  of  hia  noble  and  hopeful  offapring. 

And  the  naming  of  the  author  is  as  little  necessary  to  qualifie  him,  that  he  may  pay  publick 
acknowledgments  unto  the  honourable  the  Lieutenant  Governour ;  not  only  for  his  cares  about  the 
publick,  while  it  was  tempeatuated  with  the  Indian  war,  which  now  makes  an  history ;  but  chiefly 
for  his  more  than  ordinary  tenderness  of  that  society,  which  has  been  the  very  deeua  ae  Tutamen  * 
of  New-England.  The  nameleaa  writer  of  this  history  may  report,  that  with  a  greater  expense 
than  that  of  the  firat  founder,  this  honourable  person  proves  that  he  Io«e«  our  nation,  by  building 
us  another  edifice  for  the  supply  of  all  our  aynagougea,  and  STOcaHTON-HALi.  outshines  Harvard- 
colledoe:  and  he  speaks  kinder  language,  as  well  as  better  Latin,  than  that  eminent  statesman 
in  Flanders,  whose  answer  to  a  petition  for  the  privil-?dges  of  an  University  there  to  be  restored, 
was,  Non  curamua  voatroa  privilegioa.^  This  report  may  he  give,  without  being  obliged  for  to 
confess  any  other  name  than  this,  which  he  readily  confesses:  "One  that  was  once  a  Member  of 
Ilarvard-Colledge." 

I  pray,  sirs,  ask  no  further  ;  let  this  writing  be  like  that  on  the  wall  to  Belshazzar,  where  the 
hand  only  was  to  be  seen,  and  not  whose  it  wos.  The  history  is  compiled  with  incontestable  vera^ 
city ;  and  since  there  is  no  ingenuity  in  it,  but  less  than  what  many  pens  in  the  land  might  com- 
mand, he  knows  not  why  his  writing  anonimously  may  not  shelter  him  from  the  inconveniences  of 
having  any  notice  one  way  or  other  taken  of  him.  Though,  among  his  other  small  furniture,  he 
hath  not  left  himself  unfurnished  with  skill  in  the  Spanish  language,  yet  he  never  could  bring  him- 
self to  the  belief  of  the  Spanish  proverb,  Quien  no  parece  pereee;  i.  e.  "He  that  appears  not, 
perishes;"  he  that  shows  not  himself  to  the  world,  b  undone.  At  Milain  there  is  an  academy  of 
sensible  persons,  called,  the  Naacoati;  or, "  hidden  men ;"  at  Venice  there  is  one  of  such  persons 
called,  the  Incognili  ;t  and  at  Parma  there  is  one  of  them,  called,  the  Innominati.^  If  there  were 
nothing  else  disagreeable  in  them,  the  author  of  this  history  would  be  glad  of  an  admission  into 
such  an  academy. 

The  history  is  indeed  of  no  very>!ne  thread;  and  the  readers,  who  every  where  "fish  for  nothing 
but  carps,"  and  who  love,  like  Augustus,  to  "  tax  all  the  worid "  may  find  fault  enough  with  it. 
Nevertheless,  while  the  fault  of  an  untruth  can't  be  found  in  it,  the  author  pretends  that  the  famous 
history  of  the  Trojan  war  it  self  comes  behind  our  little  history  of  the  Indian  war ;  for  (he  best 
antiquaries  hove  now  confuted  Homer  ;  the  walls  of  Troy  were,  it  seems,  all  made  of  Poet'a  paper; 
and  the  siege  of  the  town,  with  the  tragedies  of  the  wooden  horse,  were  all  but  a  piece  of  poetry. 
And  if  a  war  between  ua  and  an  handful  of  Indians  do  appear  no  more  than  «  Batraehomyoma- 
chie\\  to  the  world  abroad,  yet  unto  us  at  home  it  hath  been  considerable  enough  to  make  an  history. 


vm 


w 

■  I  ■ 

w 

A'W) 

-.1..;;,'  ; 


■:  i  ■  •: 


*  Glory  and  protection.  f  We  do  not  care  for  your  privileges. 

I  Battle  of  Frogs  and  Mice— a  poem  attributed  to  Homer. 


I  Unknown, 


I  NameleM. 


■I..: 


682 


MA6NALIA    CURISTI    AMEBICANA; 


Nor  is  the  author  afraid  of  proroieing,  that  of  alt  the  thirty  artielet  which  may  mnkr  up  this  hi-tnry, 
there  shall  not  be  «me  without  aomething  in  it  that  may  by  our  aeWes  be  justly  thought  eonsiilmi'.le. 

Should  any  Petit  Monneur  complain,  (as  the  captain  that  found  not  himself  in  the  tupenh^i 
kangingi,  which  exhibited  the  story  of  the  Spanish  invasion  in  1588)  that  he  don't  find  him^rir 
mentioned  in  this  history,  the  author  has  this  apology:  he  has  done  as  toeli,  and  as  muth  a»  he 
could,'  that  whatever  was  worthy  of  a  mention,  might  have  it ;  and  if  this  collection  of  matten^  he 
not  compleat,  yet  he  supposes  it  may  be  more  compleat  than  any  one  else  hath  made ;  and  now  he 
hath  done,  he  hath  not  puH'd  up  the  ladder  after  him ;  othert  may  go  on  as  they  pleafie  with  a 
compleater  composure. 

If  the  author  had  taken  delight  in  this  history,  and  at  all  times  to  celebrate  the  meritg  of  fiirh 
as  have  deaerv'd  well  of  his  country,  (which  he  has  here  done,  it  may  be,  for  some  that  never  cnulil 
afford  him  a  good  word !) — especially,  if  he  do  erect  atatuet  for  drad  worthies,  when  there  is  no 
room  left  for  flattery,  (for  who  will  bestow  paint  upon  a  dead  face  !) — and  if  he  do  all  this  with  all 
possible  concern  to  avoid  casting  aapertiona  upon  others ;  why  should  any  betray  such  ill  nature 
u-to  be  angry  at  it 7    "  My  good  couitry,  forgive  him  this  injury !" 

Suie  uni  for$an  ftUram  luecumbere  eulfn.* 

But  whatever  this  history  be,  it  aims  at  the  dr  .ng  of  good,  as  well  as  the  telling  of  truth ;  and 
if  its  aim  shall  be  attained,  that  will  be  a  sufficient  reward  for  all  the  trouble  of  writing  it.  Whiu 
he  desires  any  more,  he'll  give  you  his  name.  In  the  mean  time,  as  a  far  greater  man  once  wns 
called  Ludovieua  nihili,  which  you  may  make  Lewis  of  Nothingham ;  so  the  author  will  count 
himself  not  a  little  favoured,  if  he  may  pass  for  one  of  no  more  account  than  a  no-hody ;  which 
would  certainly  make  a  very  blameleta  person  of  him. 

However,  that  the  history  may  not  altogether  want  a  tubtcription,  the  author,  finding  it  a  cus- 
tom among  the  Christian  writers  of  the  Orient,  when  they  have  written  a  treatise,  to  subscrilc  it 
after  this  manner:  Seriptum  per  tervum  vilem  pauperem,  omnibus  justitiia  privatum, pecculorem 
magia  guam  omnia  earo  ;t  or,  Seripait  hoc  pauper  N.  N.  ;t  or.  Eat  acriptura  aervi  pauperia  and  qui 
benevolentia  dei  indiget,  et  miaerationibua  ;^  he  will  accordingly  subscribe  himself,  "  the  chief  of 
SINNERS."  Nevertheless,  he  will  humbly  lay  claim  to  the  words  used  by  the  nameleaa  author  of  a 
treatise  entituled,  "  The  Faithful  Steward:"  "  Tho'  I  am  worse  than  they  speak  of  me  who  cast 
disgrace  upon  me,  and  I  can  espy  ten  faults  in  my  self  where  they  can  discern  one ;  yet  1  can, 
thro'  grace,  appeal  to  thee,  O  Lord,  with  some  comfort,  that  I  am  diapleaaed  with  ?ny  aelf  for  my 
sins,  and  I  would  fain  pleaae  thee  in  all  thinp,  at  all  times,  in  all  places,  and  in  every  condition. 


DEGENNIUMLUCTUOSDM; 

OR,  THE  REMARKABIES  OF  A  LONG  WAR  WITH  INDIAN  SALTAOES. 

Aobia  in  arcto,  et  ingloriua  Labor.\] — Tacii. 

, '     - ,  -  .1 

'  INTRODUCTION. 

TwENTT-THREE  years  have  rouled  away  since  the  nations  of  Indians  within  the  confines 
of  New-England  generally  began  a  fierce  war  upon  the  English  inhabitants  of  that  country. 
The  flame  of  war  then  raged  thro'  a  great  part  of  the  country,  whereby  many  whole  towns 
were  laid  in  ashes,  and  many  lives  were  sacrificed.  But  in  little  more  than  one  year's  time, 
the  united  colonies  of  Plymouth,  Massachusetts,  and  Connecticut,  with  their  united  endcnv< 
ours  bravely  conquered  the  salvages.  The  evident  hand  of  Heaven  appearing  on  the  side 
of  a  people,  whose  hope  and  help  was  alone  in  the  Almighty  "Lord  of  Hosts,"  extinguished 
whole  nations  of  the  salvages  at  such  a  rate,  that  there  can  hardly  any  of  them  nov-  be  found 
under  any  distinction  upon  the  face  of  the  earth.    Only  the  fate  of  our  northern  and  en.sttim 

*  Perchance  I  miglit  forgive  this  single  fliult. 

t  Written  by  a  poor  mean  slave,  duvoid  of  all  righteimsneM,  and  a  greater  sinner  than  nli  flesh  beside. 
%  Written  by  poor  N.  N.         }  Written  by  a  poor  slave,  who  needs  the  loving-kindness  and  pity  of  Uud. 
I  Our  toil  is  in  a  contracted  field,  and  inglorious. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


088 


regions  in  that  war  was  very  different  from  that  of  the  rest  The  desolations  of  the  war 
Imd  overwhi'lmed  ull  the  aettlei  iMiits  to  the  north-eoat  of  Wells.  And  when  the  time  urrived 
Ihut  ail  hands  were  weary  of  the  war,  a  sort  of  a  feace  was  patched  up,  which  left  a  btidy  of 
Indians,  not  only  with  horrible  murderti  unrevenged,  but  also  in  the  possession  of  no  little 
part  of  the  country,  with  circumstances  which  the  English  might  not  think  very  honorable. 
Upon  this  peace,  the  English  returned  unto  their  plantations;  their  number  increased;  they 
stocked  their  farms,  and  so  we")  their  fields,  they  found  the  air  as  healthful,  as  the  earth  was 
fruitful;  their  lumber  and  their  Jishery  becat  ^  a  considerable  merchandise;  continual  acces- 
sions were  made  unto  them,  until  ten  or  a  dozen  towns  in  tiio  province  of  Main,  and  the 
county  of  Cornwall,  were  suddenly  started  up  into  something  of  observation. 

But  in  the  year  1688,  the  Indians  which  dwelt  after  the  Indian  manner  among  them,  com- 
menccd  another  war  upon  these  plantations,  which  hath  broke  them  up,  and  strangely  held 
us  in  play  for  ten  years  together.  In  these  ten  years  there  hath  been  a  variety  of  "remark- 
able  occurrences;"  and  be<:auae  I  have  supposed  that  a  relation  of  those  occurrences  may  be 
acceptable  and  profitable  to  some  of  my  countrymen,  I  shall  now,  "with  all  faithfulness," 
endeavour  it — ^"with  all  faithfulness,"  I  say;  because,  though  there  should  happen  any  cir- 
cumstantial mistake  in  our  story,  (for  'tis  a  rare  tiling  for  any  two  men  concerned  in  the  same 
action,  to  give  the  story  of  it  without  some  circumstantial  difference,)  yet  even  this  also  I 
shall  be  willing  to  retract  and  correct,  if  there  be  found  any  just  occasion!  But  for  any  one 
material  error  in  the  whole  composure,  I  challenge  the  most  sagacious  malice  upon  earth  to 
detect  it,  while  matters  are  yet  so  fresh  as  to  allow  the  detection  of  it.  I  disdain  to  make 
the  apology  once  made  by  the  Roman  historian,  Nemo  Ilistoricus  nan  aliquid  mentitus,  et 
habiturus  sum  mendaciorum  comites,  quos  Historic  et  eloquentia:  miramur  authores.*  No ;  I 
will  write  with  an  irreproachable  and  incontestable  veracity;  and  I  will  write  not  one  thing 
but  what  I  am  furnished  with  so  good  authority  for,  that  any  reasonable  man,  who  will 
please  to  examine  it,  shall  say,  *'I  do  well  to  insert  it  as  I  do:"  And  I  will  hope  that  uiy 
reader  hath  not  been  studying  of  Godefridus  de  Valle's  book,  "De  Arte  Nihil  Credendi;"* 
about  "The  Art  of  Believing  Nothing."  Wherefore  having  at  the  very  beginning  thus  given 
such  a  knock  upon  thy  head,  O  Malice,  that  thou  canst  never  with  reason  hiss  at  our  history, 
we  will  proceed  unto  the  several  articles  of  it. 


t  4  ^ 


T  ■  I 


ARTICLE  I. 


THE   OCCASION   AND   BEGINNING   OF  THE   WAR. 


If  Diodorus  Siculus  had  never  given  it  as  a  great  rule  of  history,  histo- 
rice  primum  studium,  pnmariaque  consideratio  esse  videtiir,  iiisoUH  gravisque 
casus  principio  causas  investigare^f  yet  my  reader  would  have  expected  that 
I  should  begin  the  history  of  our  war  with  an  history  of  the  occurrences 
and  occasions  which  did  begin  the  war.  Now,  reader,  I  am  at  the  very 
first  fallen  upon  a  difficult  point;  and  I  am  in  danger  of  pulling  a  war  upon 
myself,  by  endeavouring  of  thy  satisfaction.  In  truth,  I  had  rather  be 
called  a  coward,  than  undertake  myself  to  determine  the  truth  in  this 
matter;  but  having  armed  myself  with  some  good  authority  for  it,  I  will 
transcribe  two  or  three  reports  of  the  matter  now  in  my  hands,  and  leave 
it  unto  thy  own  determination. 

*  Tliore  is  no  historian  who  has  not  told  some  fhlsehoods,  and  I  shall  have  as  my  companions  in  mendacily 
those  whom  all  admire  as  mu<t«ls  of  historic  truth  and  eloquence, 

t  It  seems  to  bo  the  first  object  and  primary  consideration  with  historians,  to  investigate  the  original  causes  of 
every  great  and  unusual  calamity. 


1 


,,,,,, 


I '; 


■|   I 


584 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


One  account  I  have  now  lying  by  me,  written  by  a  gentleman  of  Dover, 
in  these  terms : 

"The  eastern  Indiana,  and  especially  those  of  Saeo  and  Ammonoscoggin,  pretend  many 
reasons  for  the  late  quarrel  against  the  English,  which  began  this  long  and  bloody  war. 

1.  "Because  the  English  refused  to  pay  that  yearly  tribute  of  corn,  agreed  upon  in  the 
'articles  of  peace,'  formerly  concluded  with  them  by  the  English  commissioners. 

I2.  "  Because  they  were  invaded  in  their  fishery,  in  Saco-river,  by  certain  gentlemen,  who 
stopp'd  the  fish  from  coming  up  the  river  with  their  nets  and  sains.  This  they  were  greatly 
ufironted  at,  saying, '  they  thought  (though  the  English  had  got  away  their  lands  as  they 
had,  yet)  the  fishery  of  the  rivers  had  been  a  priviledge  reserved  entire  unto  themselves.' 

3.  "Because  they  were  abused  by  the  English,  in  sufiering,  if  not  turning  their  cattel  over 
to  a  certain  island  to  destroy  their  corn. 

4.  "But  the  fourth  and  main  provocation  was,  the  granting  or  patenting  of  their  lands  to 
some  English;  at  which  they  were  greatly  enraged,  threatning  the  surveyor  to  knock  him 
on  tile  head  if  he  came  to  lay  out  any  lands  there. 

6.  "To  these  may  be  added  the  common  abuses  in  trading,  viz;  drunkenness,  cheating, 
&c.,  which  such  as  trade  much  with  them  are  seldom  innocent  of." 

Doubtless  these  Indian  allegations  may  be  answered  with  many  English 
vindications.  But  I  shall  at  present  intermeddle  no  further  than  to  offer 
another  account,  which  also  I  have  in  my  hands,  written  by  a  gentleman 
of  Casco.    It  runs  in  such  terms  as  these : 

"Many  were  the  outrngcs  and  insultings  of  the  Indians  upon  the  English,  while  Sir  E.  A. 
was  governour.  At  North- Yarmouth,  and  other  places  at  the  eastward,  the  Indians  killed 
sundry  cattel,  came  into  houses,  and  threutned  to  knock  the  people  on  the  head ;  and  at  suv- 
crul  times  gave  out  reports  that  they  would  make  a  war  upon  the  English,  and  that  they 
were  animated  to  do  so  by  the  French.  The  Indians  behaving  themselves  so  insultingly, 
gave  just  occasion  of  great  suspicion.  In  order  for  the  finding  out  the  truth,  and  to  endeav- 
our the  preventing  of  a  war.  Captain  Blackman,  a  justice  of  peace,  with  some  of  the  neigh- 
borhood of  Saco  river,  seized  several  Indians  that  had  been  bloody  murderous  rogues  in  the 
first  Indian  war,  being  the  chief  ring-leaders,  and  most  capable  to  do  mischief.  The  said 
Captain  Blackman  seized  to  the  number  of  between  sixteen  and  twenty,  in  order  for  their 
examination,  and  to  bring  in  the  rest  to  u  treaty.  The  said  Blackman  soon  sent  the  said 
Indians  with  a  good  guard  to  Falmouth  in  Casco-Bay,  there  to  be  secured,  until  orders  could 
come  from  Boston  concerning  them.  And  in  the  mean  time  the  said  Indians  were  well  pro- 
vided with  provisions  and  suitable  necessaries.  The  rest  of  the  Indians  robb'd  the  English, 
and  took  some  English  prisoners;  whereupon  post  was  sent  to  Boston.  Sir  Edmond  An- 
droH  being  ut  New-York,  the  gentlemen  of  Boston  sent  to  Falmouth  some  soldiers  for  the 
defence  of  the  country,  and  also  the  worshipful  Mr,  Stougliton,  with  others,  to  treat  with  the 
Indians  in  order  for  the  settling  of  a  peace,  and  getting  in  of  our  English  captives.  As  soon 
as  the  said  gentlemen  arrived  to  the  eastward,  they  sent  away  one  of  the  Indian  prisoners  to 
the  rest  of  the  Indians,  to  summon  them  to  bring  in  the  English  they  had  taken;  also,  that 
their  sachems  should  come  in  to  treat  with  the  English,  in  order  that  a  just  satisfaction 
should  be  made  on  both  sides.  The  gentlemen  waited  the  return  of  the  Indian  messenger; 
and  when  ho  returned  he  brought  answer  that  they  would  meet  our  English  at  a  place  ealled 
Macquoit,  and  there  they  would  bring  in  the  English  captives,  and  treat  with  tlie  English. 
And  nltliough  the  plnet^  appointed  by  the  Indians  for  the  meeting  was  some  le.igues  distant 
from  Falmouth,  yet  our  English  gentlemen  did  condescend  to  it,  in  hope  of  getting  in  our 
captives,  and  putting  n  atop  to  further  trouble.  They  disp.iteliM  iiway  to  the  plaee,  and 
carried  the  Indian  prisoners  with  them,  and  staid  at  the  phice  appointed,  expecting  the  com- 
ing of  the  Indians  that  had  promised  a  meeting.     But  they,  like  false,  peilidious  rogues,  did 


OR.'THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


585 


not  nppeor.  Without  doubt  they  had  been  counselled  what  to  do  by  the  French  nnd  their 
iibvttora,  as  tho  Indians  did  declare  afterwards;  and  that  they  were  near  the  place,  and  saw 
our  Englisii  that  were  to  treat  with  them,  but  would  net  show  themselves;  but  did  endeav> 
our  to  take  an  opportunity  to  destroy  our  English  that  were  to  treat  with  them.  Such  was 
tliuir  treachery!  Our  gentlemen  staid  days  to  wait  their  coming;  but  seeing  they  did. not 
uppuar  at  tho  place  appointed,  they  returned  to  Falmouth,  and  brought  the  Indian  prisoners, 
expecting  that  the  other  Indians  would  have  sent  down  some  reason  why  they  did  not  appear 
at  the  place  appointed,  and  to  make  some  excuse  for  themselves.  But,  instead  of  any  com- 
pliance, they  full  upon  North  Yarmouth,  and  there  kill'd  several  of  our  English.  Where- 
upon tho  eastern  parts  were  ordered  to  get  into  garrisons,  and  to  be  upon  their  guard  until 
further  orders  from  Sir  Edmond  Andros ;  and  that  the  Indian  prisoners  should  be  sent  to 
Boston,  which  was  done  with  great  care,  and  not  one  of  them  hurt;  and  care  tiiken  daily  for 
provision.  But  Sir  E.  A.,  returning  from  New- York,  set  them  all  at  liberty;  not  so  much 
as  ttking  care  to  redeem  those  of  our  English  for  them  that  were  in  their  hands.  I  hod 
kept  one  at  Falmouth  a  prisoner,  to  be  a  guide  into  the  woods  for  our  English,  to  find  out 
the  liaunts  of  our  heathen  enemies;  but  Sir  E.  A.  sent  an  express  to  me,  that  upon  my 
utmost  peril  I  should  set  the  said  Indian  at  liberty,  and  take  care  that  all  the  arms  that 
were  taken  from  him,  and  all  the  rest  of  those  Captain  Blackman  had  seized,  should  be 
delivered  up  to  them,  without  any  orders  to  receive  the  like  of  ours  from  them." 

It  will  be  readily  acknowledged,  that  here  was  enough  done  to  render 
the  Indians  inexcusable  for  not  coming  in  upon  the  proclamation,  which 
Sir  Edmond  Andros,  then  governour  of  New-England,  immediately 
emitted  thereupon,  requiring  them  to  surrender  the  murderers  now  among 
thom.  A  Spaniard,  that  was  a  soldier,  would  say,  "that  if  we  have  a 
good  cause,  the  smell  of  gunpowder  in  the  field  is  as  sweet  as  the  incense 
at  the  altar."  Let  the  reader  judge,  after  these  things,  what  scent  there 
was  in  the  gunpowder  spent  for  nine  or  ten  years  together  in  our  war 
with  tho  Indian-Salvages. 

Now  that  while  we  are  upon  this  head,  we  may  at  once  dispatch  it,  I 
will  unto  these  two  accounts  add  certain  passages  of  one  more,  which  was 
published  in  September,  1689: 

"  Such  were  tlie  ohscurp  measures  taken  at  that  time  of  day,  that  the  rise  of  this  war  hath 
been  as  dark  as  tiiat  of  tlio  river  Nilus;  only  the  generality  of  thinking  f&ypLe  through  the 
country  can  remember  when  and  where  every  one  did  foretel  a  war.  If  any  wild  English 
(for  there  are  such  as  well  as  of  another  nation)  did  then  begin  to  provoke  and  alVront  tiie 
Indians,  yet  those  Indians  had  n  fairer  way  to  come  by  right  than  that  orbloodslu'd,  notiiing 
worthy  of,  or  calling  for,  any  such  revenge,  wiis  done  unto  them.  Tiie  most  injured  of  tlieni 
all,  (if  there  were  any  such,)  were  afterwards  dismissed  by  tho  English  with  fiivours  tliat 
were  then  ndniirablo  even  to  oursehes;  and  these,  too,  instead  of  surrendring  the  /wx«?ix,  did 
increase  tho  number  of  the  murderers.  But  upon  the  Revolution  of  tiie  govenunent, 
(.\pril,  1G85),)  the  stnlenf  the  war  became  wholly  new:  and  we  are  more  arrived  unto  'right- 
eousness  as  tho  liglit,'  and  'justice  as  the  noon  diiy.'  A  great  Kinlieni  of  the  East  we  then 
iinniodiati'ly  applied  ourselves  unto,  and,  with  no  small  expeiices  to  ourselves,  we  engaged 
him  to  employ  his  interest  for  a  good  understanding  between  us  and  the  party  of  Indians  tiicn 
ill  hostility  against  us.  7Vu'.s  was  the  Uheli/,  the  only  way  of  coming  at  those  wandriny  sjU- 
viijtes;  but  that  very  sachem  now  treacherously  of  an  embassador  became  a  truititr,  and 
.uiuexed  himself  with  his  people  to  the  heard  of  our  enemies,  which  have  since  been  rav. 
aging,  iiilliigiiig,  and  murdering,  at  a  rate  which  we  ougiit  to  count  intokrabk.  The  I'ena. 
cook  Imlians,  of  wiiom  we  were  jealous,  we  likewise  treated  with;  and  while  we  were  by 


:';  1 


1'  r 


j 


586 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMEKICAN4: 


our  kindneHses  and  courtesies  endeavouring  to  render  them  utterly  inexcusable,  if  ever  they 
sought  our  harm,  even  then,  did  these  also  by  some  evil  instigation,  (the  deviCs,  no  doubt!) 
quickly  surprize  a  plantation  where  they  had  been  civilly  treated  a  day  or  two  before,  and 
commit  at  once  more  plunder  and  murder  than  can  be  heard  with  patience." 

Reader,  having  so  placed  these  three  accounts  as  to  defend  my  teeth,  I 
think  I  may  safely  proceed  with  our  story.  But  because  Tacitus  teaches 
us  to  distinguish  between  the  meer  occasions  and  the  real  catises  of  a  war, 
it  may  be  some  will  go  a  little  higher  up  in  their  enquiries:  they  will 
enquire  whether  no  body  seized  a  parcel  of  wines  that  were  landed  at  a 
French  plantation  to  the  Eastward?  Whether  an  order  were  not  obtained 
from  the  King  of  England,  at  the  instance  of  the  French  embassador,  to 
restore  these  wines?  Whether,  upon  the  vexation  of  this  order,  we  none 
of  us  ran  a  new-line  for  the  bounds  of  the  province?  Whether  we  did  not 
contrive  our  new-line  so  as  to  take  in  the  country  of  Monsieur  St.  Cas- 
teen?  Whether  Monsieur  St.  Casteen,  flying  from  our  encroachments, 
we  did  not  seize  upon  his  arms  and  goods,  and  bring  them  away  to  Pern- 
maquid?  and  tvho  were  the  ive  which  did  these  things?  And  whether  the 
Indians,  who  were  extreamly  under  the  influence  of  St.  Casteen,  that  had 
married  a  sagamore's  daughter  among,  them,  did  not  from  this  very  mo- 
ment begin  to  be  obstreperous?  And  whether  all  the  sober  English  in 
the  country  did  not  from  this  very  moment  foretel  a  war?  But  for  any 
answers  to  all  these  enquiries,  I  will  be  my  self  a  Tacitus. 


ARTICLE  II. 


THE   FIRST   ACTS   OF   HOSTILITY   BETWEEN   THE   INDIANS  AND  THE    ENGLISH. 

When  one  Captain  Sargeant  had  seized  some  of  the  principal  Indians 
about  Saco,  by  order  of  Justice  Blackman,  presently  the  Indians  fell  to 
seizing  as  many  of  the  English  as  they  could  catch.  Captain  Rowdon, 
with  many  more  in  one  place,  and  Captain  Gendal,  with  sundry  more  in 
another  place,  particularly  fell  into  the  hands  of  these  desperate  man- 
cafcliers.  Rowden,  with  many  of  his  folks,  never  got  out  of  their  cruel 
hands;  but  Gendal,  with  his,  got  a  release,  one  can  scarce  tell  how,  upon 
the  return  of  those  which  had  been  detained  in  Boston.  Hitherto  tlicie 
was  no  spilling  of  blood!  But  some  time  in  September  following,  tins 
Captain  Gendal  went  up,  with  soldiers  and  others,  to  a  place  above  Casco, 
called  North  Yarmouth,  having  orders  to  build  stockados  on  both  sides  of 
the  river,  for  defence  of  the  place,  in  case  of  any  sudden  invasion.  While 
they  were  at  work,  an  English  captive  came  to  'em  with  information,  that 
seventy  or  eighty  of  the  enemy  were  just  coming  uj)on  'em;  and  he  advised 
'em,  "to  yield  quietly,  that  they  might  save  their  lives."  The  soldiers 
that  went  thither  from  the  southward,  being  terrified  at  this  report,  run 
with  an  hasty  terror  to  get  over  the  river;  but  with  more  haste  than  good 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


587 


speed;  for  they  ran  directly  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  The  Indians, 
dragging  these  their  prisoners  with  'um,  came  up  towards  the  Casconians ; 
who  having  but  a  very  httle  time  to  consult,  yet  in  this  time  resolved, 
first,  "that  they  would  not  be  seized  by  the  salvages;"  next,  "that  they 
would  tree  their  friends  out  of  the  hands  of  the  salvages,  if  it  were  pos- 
sible;" thirdly,  "that,  if  it  were  possible,  they  would  use  all  other  force 
upon  the  salvages  without  coming  to  down-right  fight."  Accordingly 
they  laid  hold  on  their  neighbours,  whom  the  salvages  had  seized,  and 
this  with  so  much  dexterity,  that  they  cleared  them  all,  except  one  or 
two;  whereof  the  whole  number  was  about  a  dozen.  But,  in  the  scuffle, 
one  sturdy  and  surly  Indian  held  his  prey  so  fast,  that  one  Benedict  Pul- 
cifer  gave  the  mastiff  a  blow  with  the  edge  of  his  broad  ax  upon  the 
shoulder,  upon  which  they  fell  to't  with  a  vengeance,  and  fired  their  guns 
on  both  sides,  till  some  on  both  sides  were  slain.  These  were,  as  one  may 
call  them,  "the  scower  pit"  of  a  long  war  to  follow.  At  last  the  English 
victoriously  chased  away  the  salvages,  and  returned  safely  unto  the  other 
side  of  the  river.  And  thus  was  the  vein  of  New-England  first  opened, 
that  afterwards  hied  for  ten  years  together  I  The  skirmish  being  over, 
Captain  Gendal  'in  the  evening  passed  over  the  river  in  a  canoe,  with 
none  but  a  servant;  but  landing  where  the  enemy  lay  hid  in  the  bushes, 
they  were  both  slain  immediately.  And  the  same  evening,  one  Ryal, 
with  another  man,  fell  unawares  into  the  hands  of  the  enemy;  Ryal  was 
afterwards  ransomed  by  Monsieur  St.  Casteen,  but  the  other  man  was 
barbarously  butchered.  Soon  after  this,  the  enemy  went  eastward  unto  a 
place  called  Merry-meeting^  (from  the  concourse  of  divers  rivers  there) 
where  several  English  had  a  sad-meeting  with  them ;  for  they  were  killed, 
several  of  them  even  in  cold  blood,  after  the  Indians  had  seized  upon 
their  houses  and  their  persons.  And  about  this  time  the  town  called 
Sheepscote,  was  entered  by  these  rapacious  wolves,  who  burnt  all  the 
houses  of  the  town,  save  two  or  three.  The  people  saved  themselves  by 
getting  into  the  fort,  all  but  one  man,  who,  going  out  of  the  fort  for  to 
treat  with  them,  was  treacherously  assassinated.  Thus  the  place  which 
was  counted  "the  garden  of  the  east,"  was  infested  by  serpents;  and  a 
sword  expelled  the  poor  inhabitants.  Little  more  spoil  was  done  by  the 
salvages  before  winter,  except  only  that,  at  a  place  called  Kennebunk, 
near  Winter-harbour,  they  cut  off  two  families,  to  wit,  Barrow's  and  Jus- 
sie's;  but  winter  coming  on,  the  serpents  retired  into  their  holes.  When 
summer  comes,  reader,  look  for  tornadoes  enough  to  overset  a  greater 
vessel  than  little  New-England. 


li 


i; 


m\ 


;i.,-! 

t-:^ 


588 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


ARTICLE  III. 


THE  FIRSTTXPEDITION  OF  THE  ENGLISH  AGAINST  THE  INDIANS. 

When  the  keeper  of  the  wild  beasts  at  Florence  has  entertained  the 
spectators  with  their  encounters  on  the  stage,  he  has  this  device  to  make 
'em  retire  into  the  several  dens  of  their  seraglio.  He  has  a  fearful  machin 
of  wood,  made  like  a  great  green  dragon^  which  a  man  within  it  rouls  upon 
wheels,  and  holding  out  a  couple  of  lighted  torches  at  the  eyes  of  it,  frights 
the  fiercest  beast  of  them  all  into  the  cell  that  belongs  unto  him.  Sir 
Edmund  Andros,  the  Governour  of  New-England,  that  ho  might  express 
his  resolutions  to  force  the  wild  beasts  of  the  east  into  order,  in  the  winter 
now  coming  on,  turned  upon  them  as  effectual  a  machine  as  the  green 
dragon  of  Florence;  that  is  to  say,  an  army  of  nearly  a  thousand  men. 
With  this  army  he  marched  himself  in  person  into  the  Caucasyean  regions 
where  he  built  a  fort  at  Pemmaquid,  and  another  fort  at  Pechypscot  falls 
besides  the  fort  at  Sheepscote.  lie  and  his  army  underwent  no  little 
hardship,  thus  in  the  depth  of  winter  to  expose  themselves  unto  the  cir- 
cumstances of  a  campaign,  in  all  the  bleak  winds  and  thick  snows  of  that 
northern  country.  But  it  was  hop'd  that  good  forts  being  thus  garrison'c 
with  stout  hearts  in  several  convenient  places,  the  Indians  might  be  kept 
from  their  usual  retreats,  both  for  planting  and  for  fishing,  and  lye  .open 
also  to  perpetual  incursions  from  the  English  in  the  fittest  seasons  thereof; 
and  it  was  thought  by  the  most  sensible,  this  method  would  in  a  littxc 
while  compel  the  enemy  to  submit  unto  any  terms:  albeit  others,  consid- 
ering the  vast  woods  of  the  wilderness,  and  the  French  on  the  back  of 
these  woods,  fancied  that  this  was  but  a  project  to  "  hedge  in  the  cuckow." 
However,  partly  the  army,  and  partly  the  ivinfer,  frighted  the  salvages 
into  their  inaccessible  dens :  and  yet  not  one  of  the  Indians  was  killed ; 
but  sickness  and  service  kill'd,  it  may  be,  more  of  our  English  than  there 
were  Indians  then  in  hostility  against  them.  The  news  of  matters  ap- 
proaching towards  a  revolution  in  England,  caused  the  governour  to 
return  unto  Boston  in  the  spring;  and,  upon  his  return,  there  fell  out  sev- 
eral odd  events,  with  rumours,  whereof  I  have  now  nothing  to  say,  but 
that  "I  love  my  eyes  too  well"  to  mention  them.  Some  of  the  soldiers 
took  advantage  from  the  absence  of  the  governour  to  desert  their  stations 
in  the  army ;  and  though  this  action  was  by  good  men  generally  condemned 
as  an  evil  aciion,  yet  their  friends  began  to  gather  together  here  and  there 
in  little  bodies,  to  protect  them  from  the  governor,  concerning  whom 
abundance  of  odd  stories  tnen  buzz'd  about  the  countrj"-,  made  'em  to 
imngine  that  he  had  carried  em  out  only  to  sacrifice  'em.  Some  of  the 
j)rincipal  gentlemen  in  Boston,  consulting  what  was  to  be  done  in  this 
extraordinary  juncture,  they  agreed  that,  although  ^(ur-England  has  ns 
much  to  justifie  a  revolution  as  okU  yet  they  would,  if  it  were  possible. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


589 


extinguish  all  essays  in  the  people  towards  an  insurrection,  in  daily  hopes 
of  orders  from  England  for  our  safety :  but  that  if  the  country  people,  by 
unrestrainable  violences,  pushed  the  business  on  so  far  as  to  make  a  revo- 
lution unavoidable,  then,  to  prevent  the  shedding  of  blood  by  an  ungov- 
erued  mobile,  some  of  the  gentlemen  present  should  appear  at  the  head  of 
it,  with  a  declaration  accordingly  prepared.    He  that  reads  the  "Narrative 
of  Grievances  "  under  the  male  administrations  of  the  government  then  ' 
tyranizing,  written  and  signed  by  the  chief  gentlemen  of  the  Governor's 
Council,  will  not  wonder  at  it,  that  a  revolution  was  now  rendered  indeed 
unavoidable.    It  was  a  government  whereof  Ned  Randolph,  a  bird  of  their 
own  feather,  confess'd,  as  we  find  in  one  of  his  published  letters,  "that 
they  were  as  arbitrary  as  the  great  Turk."    And  for  such  a  government 
a  better  similitude  cannot  perhaps  be  thought  on  than  that  of  Monsieur 
Souligne:  "'Tis  like  the  condition  of  persons  possessed  with  evil  spirits, 
which  will  go  an  hundred  leagues  in  less  time  than  others  can  ten;  but 
at  the  journey's  end  find  themselves  to  be  so  bruised,  that  they  never  can 
recover  it."    The  revolution,  (and,  ye  tories,  a  just  one)  was  accordingly 
made  on  the  eighteenth  of  April,  which  their  majesties,  then  happily 
seated  on  the  British  throne,  kindly  accepted  and  approved.    The  gov- 
ernor and  magistrates  of  the  Massachusets-colony,  which  were  in  power 
three  years  and  half  before,  (a  period  often  observed  1)  did  some  time  after 
this  resume  their  places,  and  apply  themselves  to  such  "  acts  of  govern- 
ment" as  emergencies  made  necessary  for  them,  fortified  with  a  letter  from 
the  king,  "to  authorize  and  empower    aem  in  their  administrations." 
Thus  they  waited  for  further  directions  from  the  authority  of  England, 
and  such  a  "settlement"  as  would  "most  conduce"  (which  were  the  words 
of  the  king's  letter,  bearing  date  August  12,  1689,)  "to  the  security  and 
satisfaction  of  the  subjects  in  that  colony." 


m  m 


\'i  .,■■: 


■■i  ■ 


-i 


ARTICLE  IV. 


A   FLAME   SPREADING  UPON   THE   BEST   ENDEAVOURS   TO   QUENCH   IT. 

It  was  hop'd  the  war  would  now  come  to  an  immediate  end;  but 
the  great  God  Avho  creates  that  evil,  had  further  intentions  to  chastise  a 
sinful  people  by  those  who  are  not  a  p^iople.  The  government  sent  Captain 
Greenleaf  to  treat  with  the  Indians  at  Pcnacook,  wlio  answered  him  with 
fair  pretences  and  promises  of  amity.  They  procured  an  interview  with 
some  of  the  more  eastern  sagamores,  who  not  only  promised  friendship 
themselves,  but  also  undertook  to  make  our  enemies  become  onr  friends. 
They  sent  unto  the  soldiers  yet  remaining  at  Paniniaquid  for  to  keep  their 
post,  engaging  to  them  that  they  should  not  want  their  /jay.  But  all  this 
care  was  defeated  by  methods  of  mischiefs  too  deep  for  our  present  penetra- 
tion.    The  salvages  began  to  renew  their  hostilities  at  »Saco  falls,  in  the 


590 


[AGNALIA    CHEI6TI    AMERICANA; 


beginning  of  April,  on  a  Lord's  day  morning,  some  while  before  the  revo- 
lut'on.  The  Penacook  Indians  were  all  this  while  peaceably  conversant 
at  Quochecho;  and  so  long  as  that  conversation  continued,  the  inhabitants 
were  very  secure  of  any  danger,  not  only  from  those  cut-throats,  but  also 
from  their  hrethren.  Happy  had  it  been  for  those  honest  people,  if  their 
fear  had  made  so  much  haste  as  mj  pen  has  done,  to  call  'em  cut-throats  I 
For  the  Penacookian,  joining  with  the  Saconian  Indians,  hovered  about 
Quochecho,  where  one  Mesandowit,  a  sagamore,  being  that  night  kindly 
entertained  by  Major  Eichard  Waldern,  horribly  betray'd  his  kind  host, 
with  the  neighbours,  into  the  hands  of  murderers.  Above  an  hundred, 
some  say  five  hundred  of  the  Indians,  about  break  of  day,  having  sur- 
prised the  secure  and  silent  English,  they  particularly  rushed  into  the 
garrison  of  the  generous  Major,  which  was  by  Simon  Mesandowit  (for 
bestowing  a  heathen  name  upon  him,  we'll  now  call  him  so)  opened  for 
them,  and  having  first  barbarously  murthered  the  old  gentleman,  who  was 
equivalent  unto  two  and  twenty,  they  then  murdered  two  and  twenty  more, 
and  captived  uiae  and  twenty  of  the  people;  burnt  four  or  five  of  the  best 
houses,  took  much  plunder,  and  so  drew  off;  but  kill'd  Mr.  John  Brough- 
ton  in  their  drawing  off:  while  Mr.  John  Emmerson,  a  worthy  preaclier 
at  Berwick,  by  declining  to  lodge  at  the  hospitable  Major's  that  night, 
when  strongly  invited,  received  a  remarkable  deliverance.  Hereupon 
forces  were  dispatch'd  for  the  relief  of  what  remained  in  Quochecho; 
Captain  Noyes  also  with  more  forces  visited  Penacook,  where,  though  the 
men  escaped  him,  he  destroy'd  the  corn  of  our  new  enemies:  but  the 
sculking  enemies  at  the  same  time  slew  several  persons  at  an  out-farm  on 
the  north  side  of  Merrimack-river.  A  party  of  men  were  soon  aflor  sent 
out  of  Piscataqua,  under  the  command  of  Captain  Wincal,  who  went  up 
to  Winnopisseag  ponds,  (upon  advice  -"^  one  John  Church,  who  ran  from 
them,  that  the  Indians  were  there,)  where  they  killed  one  or  two  of  the 
monsters  they  hunted  for,  and  cut  down  their  corn.  Four  young  men  of 
Saco,  desirous  to  join  with  them,  went  into  the  woods  to  seek  their  horses, 
and  found  their  deaths  by  an  ambush  of  Indians.  Twenty-four  armed 
men,  going  forth  from  Saco-fuUs  to  bury  the  slain,  had  a  brisk  encounter 
with  the  Indians,  whom  they  pursued  into  a  vast  swamp,  until  a  greater 
number  of  Indians  pouring  in  upon  them,  obliged  'em,  with  the  loss  of 
about  five  or  six  more,  to  retire  from  any  further  action.  But  before  the 
dogs-days  were  out,  there  was  more  bleeding  still  that  prov'd  fatal  to  us. 
On  August  2,  one  Starky,  going  early  in  the  morning  from  the  fort  at 
Pemmaquid  unto  New  Harbour,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  who, 
to  obtain  his  own  liberty,  informed  them  that  the  fort  had  at  that  instant 
but  few  men  in  it:  and  that  one  Mr.  Giles,  with  fourteen  men,  was  gone 
up  to  his  farm,  and  the  rest  scattered  abroad  about  their  occasions.  The 
Indians  hereupon  divided  their  army;  part  going  up  to  the  fiills,  kill'd  ^^r. 
Giles  and  others;  part,  upon  the  advantage  of  the  tide,  snapt  the  rvot 


OR,    TnE   HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


591 


before  they  could  recover  the  fort.  From  a  rock  near  the  fort,  which 
inconveniently  overlook'd  it,  the  assailants  now  overlook'd  it,  as  over 
Lincoln,  and  grievously  gauled  the  ('efendanta.  Captain  Weems  had  but 
few  with  him  that  were  able  to  fighi;  and  his  own  face  was  in  the  fight 
by  an  accident  horribly  scorched  with  gunpowder.  Wherefore  the  day 
following  they  surrendered  the  fort  upon  capitulations  for  life  and  liberty ; 
which  yet  the  Indians  broke,  by  butchering  and  captiving  many  of  them. 
Captain  Skynner  and  Captain  Farnham,  repairing  to  the  fort,  from  an 
island  about  half  a  mile  distant  from  it,  were  both  slain  as  they  landed  on 
the  rocks;  and  Mr.  Patishal,  as  he  lay  with  his  sloop  in  the  Barbican,  was 
also  taken  and  slain.  This,  together  with  more  spoil  done  by  the  Indians 
on  the  English  at  Sheepscote,  and  Kennebeck,  and  other  places  Eastward, 
caused  the  inhabitants  to  draw  off  unto  Falmouth  as  fast  as  they  could: 
and  well  if  they  could  have  made  good  their  standing  there! 

Mantissa. — The  foregoing  article  of  our  tragedies  hath  related  the  taking 
of  Quochecho!  The  condition  of  two  persons  under  and  after  the  fate  of 
Quochecho,  may  have  in  it  an  entertainment  acceptable  for  some  sort  of 
readers.  It  shall  be  in  this  place  reported,  from  the  communications  of 
Mr.  John  Pike,  the  worthy  minister  of  Dover,  to  whom  x  have  been 
beholden  for  communicating  to  me  many  other  passages  also  which  occur 
in  this  our  history. 

I.  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Heard,  a  widow  of  a  good  esttite,  n  mother  of  many  children,  nnd  a 
dnugliter  of  Mr.  Hull,  a  reverend  minister  formerly  living  at  Piscatjiqua,  now  lived  at 
Quochecho.  Happening  to  be  at  Portsmouth  on  the  day  before  Quochecho  was  cut  off,  she 
returned  thither  in  the  night  with  one  daughter  and  three  sons,  all  masters  of  families. 
When  they  came  near  Quochecho,  they  were  astonished  with  a  prodigious  noise  of  Indians, 
howling,  shooting,  shouting,  and  roaring,  according  to  their  manner  in  making  an  assault. 
Their  distress  for  their  families  carried  them  still  further  up  the  river,  till  they  secretly  and 
silently  passed  by  some  number  of  the  raging  salvages.  They  landed  about  an  hundred  rods 
from  Major  Waldern's  garrison ;  and  running  up  the  hill,  they  saw  many  lights  in  the  windows 
of  the  garrison,  which  they  concluded  the  English  within  had  set  np  for  the  direction  of  those 
who  might  seek  refuge  there.  Coming  to  the  gate,  they  desired  entrance;  which  not  being 
readily  granted,  they  called  earnestly,  and  bounced,  and  knocked,  and  cried  out  of  their 
unkindness  withir,  that  they  would  not  open  to  them  in  this  extremity.  No  answer  being 
yet  made,  they  began  to  doubt  whether  all  was  well,  and  one  of  the  young  men  then  climbing 
up  the  wall,  saw  a  horrible  tawny  j.i  the  entry  with  a  gun  in  his  hand.  A  grievous  consterna- 
tion seiz'd  now  upon  them;  and  Mrs.  Heard,  sitting  down  without  the  gate  through  despair 
and  faintness,  unable  to  stir  any  further,  charged  her  children  to  shift  for  themselves,  for 
she  must  unavoidably  there  end  her  days.  They  finding  it  impossible  to  carry  her  with 
them,  with  heavy  hearts  forsook  her;  but  then  coming  better  to  herself,  she  fled  and  hid 
among  the  Barberry-bushes  in  the  garden:  and  then  hastning  from  thence,  because  the  day- 
light advanced,  she  sheltered  herself  (though  seen  by  two  of  the  Iiidi;ins)  in  a  thicket  of 
other  bushes,  abdut  thirty  rods  from  the  house.  Here  she  had  not  been  long  before  an 
Indian  came  towards  her,  with  a  pistol  in  his  hand:  the  fellow  came  up  to  her,  and  stared 
her  in  the  face,  but  siiid  nothing  to  her,  nor  she  to  him.  He  went  a  little  way  back,  and 
came  again,  and  stared  upon  her  as  before,  but  said  nothing;  whereupon  she  asked  him, 
"what  he  would  have?"    He  still  said  nothing,  but  went  away  to  the  house  co-hooping, and 


;l  •'  > 


592 


MAGNALIA    OHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


returning  unto  her  no  more.  Beinjf  thus  unaccountably  preserved,  she  mode  several  esA-iys 
tu  pasa  the  river,  but  found  herself  unable  to  do  it;  and  finding  nil  places  on  that  aidu  the 
river  fill'd  with  blood,  and  fire,  and  hideous  outcries,  thereupon  she  retum'd  to  her  old  bnsh 
and  there  poured  out  her  ardent  prayers  to  God  for  help  in  this  distress.  She  continued  in 
the  bush  until  the  garrison  was  burnt,  and  the  enemy  was  gone ;  and  then  she  stole  along 
by  the  river  side,  until  she  cume  to  a  boom,  where  she  passed  over.  Many  sod  effects  uf 
cruelty  she  saw  left  by  the  Indians  in  her  way ;  until  arriving  at  Captain  Gerish's  garrison, 
she  there  found  a  refuge  from  the  storm;  and  hero  she  soon  had  the  satisfaction  to  under- 
stand that  her  own  garrison,  though  one  of  the  first  that  was  assaulted,  had  been  bravely 
defended  and  maintained  against  the  adversary.  This  gentlewoman's  garrison  was  the  most 
extream  frontier  of  the  province,  and  more  obnoxious  than  any  other,  and  more  uncapubic 
of  relief;  nevertheless,  by  her  presence  and  courage,  it  hold  out  all  the  war,  even  for  len 
years  together;  and  the  persons  in  it  have  enjoy 'd  very  eminent  preservations.  The  garrison 
had  been  deserted,  if  she  had  accepted  oflcrs  that  were  made  her  by  her  friends,  of  living  in 
more  safety  ot  Portsmouth ;  which  would  havo  been  a  damage  to  the  town  and  lund :  but 
by  her  encouragement  this  post  was  thus  kept;  and  she  is  yet  living  in  much  esteem  among 
her  neighbours. 

II.  Mrs.  Sarah  Gerisii,  daughter  to  Captain  John  Gcrish  of  Quochecho,  a  very  beautiful 
and  ingenious  dnmsel,  about  seven  years  of  age,  lodged  at  the  garrison  of  her  affectionate 
grandfather,  M:ijor  Wnldern,  when  the  Indians  brought  an  horrible  destruction  upon  it.  She 
was  always  very  fearful  of  the  Indians;  but  what  fear  may  we  think  now  surprised  her, 
when  they  fiercely  bid  her  go  into  such  a  chamber  and  call  the  people  out?  Finding  only  a 
little  child  in  the  chamber,  she  got  into  the  bed  unto  the  child,  and  hid  herself  in  the  cloatlm 
as  well  as  she  could.  The  fell-salvages  quickly  puU'd  her  out,  and  made  her  dress  fur  a 
march,  but  led  her  away  with  no  more  than  one  stockin  upon  her,  a  terrible  march  through 
the  thick  woods,  and  a  thousand  other  misorioa,  till  they  canie  to  the  Norway  plains.  From 
thence  they  made  her  go  to  the  end  of  Winnopisseag  lake,  and  from  thence  to  the  Eastward, 
through  honid  swamps,  where  sometimes  they  roust  scramble  over  huge  trees  fallen  by 
storm  or  agii  for  a  vasr.  way  together,  and  sometimes  they  must  climb  up  long,  steep,  tin-- 
Bome,  and  almost  inaccessible  mountjiins.  Her  first  master  was  one  Sebundowlt,  a  dull  sort 
of  fellow,  and  not  such  a  devil  as  many  of  'em  were;  but  he  sold  her  to  a  fellow  that  was 
a  more  harsh  and  mad  sort  of  a  dragon,  and  he  carried  her  away  to  Canada. 

A  long  and  a  sad  journey  she  had  of  it,  thro'  the  midst  of  an  hideous  desart,  in  the  midst 
of  a  dreadful  winter:  and  who  can  enumerate  the  frights  that  she  endured  before  the  end 
of  her  journey?  Once  her  master  commanded  her  to  loosen  some  of  her  upper-garments, 
and  stand  agiiinst  a  tree  while  he  charged  his  gun;  whereat  the  poor  child  shrieked  out, 
"he's  going  to  kill  me!"  God  knows  what  he  was  going  to  do;  but  the  villain  having 
charged  his  gun,  he  cail'd  her  from  the  tree,  and  forbore  doing  her  any  damage.  Anotiicr 
time  her  master  ordered  her  to  run  along  the  shore  with  some  Indian  girls,  wiiile  he  piiddlcd 
up  the  river  in  his  canco.  As  they  were  upon  a  precipice,  a  tawny  wench  violently  push'd 
her  headlong  into  the  river:  but  it  so  fell  out,  that  in  that  very  place  the  bushes  hung  over 
the  water;  so  that  getting  hold  of  tiieni  slie  recovered  herself.  The  Indians  ask'd  her  how 
she  became  so  wet?  but  she  durst  not  say  how,  through  thread  of  the  young  Indians,  who 
were  always  very  abusive  to  her  wiien  they  had  her  alone.  Moreover,  onee  being  spent 
with  travelling  all  day,  and  lying  down  spent  and  wet  at  night,  she  fell  into  so  profound  a 
sleep  that  in  the  morning  she  waked  not.  The  barbarous  Indians  left  her  asleep,  and  covered 
with  snow;  but  at  length  waking,  what  agonies  may  you  imagine  she  was  in,  to  find  herself 
left  a  prey  for  bears  and  wolves,  and  without  any  sustenance,  in  an  howling  wilderness, 
many  scores  of  leagues  from  any  plantation?  She  ran  crying  after  therti;  and  Providence 
having  ordered  a  snow  to  fall,  by  means  thereof  she  track'd  them  until  she  overtook  fhcni. 
Now,  the  young  Indians  began  to  terrific  her  with  daily  intimations,  "that  she  was  quickly 
to  be  roasted  unto  death;"  and  one  evening  much  fuel  was  prepared  between  two  lugs, 


OE,    THE    HI8T0KT    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


098 


which  they  told  her  was  for  her.  A  mighty  fire  being  made,  her  master  called  her  to  liim. 
and  told  her  that  she  should  presently  be  burnt  alive.  At  first,  she  stood  amazed;  atit-r- 
wards  she  burst  into  tears;  and  then  she  hung  about  the  tygre,  and  bcgg'<1  of  him  with  an 
inexpressible  anguish,  that  he  would  save  her  from  the  fire.  Hereupo  e  monster  so 
relented  as  to  tell  her,  "that  if  she  w^ould  be  a  good  girl,  she  should  not  be  burnt." 

At  lost  they  arrived  at  Canada,  and  she  was  carried  unto  the  Lord  Intendant's  house, 
where  many  persons  of  quality  took  much  notice  of  her.  It  was  a  week  after  this  that  she 
remained  in  the  Indian  hands  before  the  price  of  her  ransom  could  be  agreed  on.  But  then 
the  Liidy  Intendant  sent  her  to  the  nunnery,  where  she  was  comfortably  provided  for;  and 
it  was  the  design,  qs  was  said,  for  to  have  brought  her  up  in  the  Romish  religion,  and  tlien 
have  married  her  unto  the  son  of  the  Lord  intendant.  She  was  kindly  used  there,  until 
Sir  William  Phips,  lying  before  Quebeck,  did,  upon  exchange  of  prisoners,  obtain  her  liberty. 
A{U.'r  LMxteen  months'  captivity  she  was  restored  unto  her  friends;  who  had  the  consolation 
of  having  this  their  desireable  daughter  again  with  them,  returned  from  the  dead;  but 
coming  to  be  sixteen  years  old,  in  the  month  of  July,  1697,  death,  by  a  malignant  feuvor, 
more  irrecoverably  took  her  from  them. 


ARTICLE  V. 


NEW  FORCES  RAISED,  AND  NEW  ACTIONS  DONE. 

On  August  28,  1689,  Major  Swayn,  with  seven  or  eight  companies, 
raised  by  the  Massachuset-colony,  marched  eastward;  and  soon  after  Major 
Church,  with  a  party  of  English  and  Christian-Indians,  raised  in  Plymouth- 
colony,  follow'd  them.  While  these  were  on  their  march,  the  Indians  that 
lay  sculking  after  the  Indian  fashion  in  the  thick  woods,  took  notice  how 
many  men  belong'd  unto  Lieut,  Huckin's  garrison:  and  seeing  'em  all  go 
out  unto  their  daily  work,  nimbly  ran  .so  between  them  and  the  garrison, 
as  to  kill  'em  all  (about  eighteen)  but  one,  who  being  accidentally  gone 
over  the  river,  escaped  them.  They  then  attacqued  the  garrison,  in  which 
there  now  were  only  two  boys,  (and  one  of  them  lame)  with  some  women 
and  children ;  but  these  two  boys  very  manfully  held  'em  in  play  a  consid- 
erable while,  and  wounded  several  of  them,  and  kept  them  off,  till  the 
assailants  had  found  a  way  to  set  the  house  on  a  light  fire  over  their 
heads.  They  then  urging  'em  to  surrender  for  the  sake  of  the  goods,  the 
boys  {brave  boys  truly!)  would  not,  until  they  had  solemnly  promised  'em 
their  lives.  But  the  p'^rfidious  wretches  broke  their  promise,  for  tlicy 
presently  kill'd  three*  or  four  of  the  children.  However,  one  of  tlicse 
minutius's,  the  day  after,  very  happily  got  out  of  their  clutches.  It  was 
by  a  particular  accident  that  these  Indians  were  delivered  from  falling  into 
the  hands  of  Captain  Garner,  who  pursued  them  vigorously.  But  while 
the  forces  now  gone  into  the  east  were  settling  of  garrisons  in  convenient 
places,  a  huge  body  of  Indians  fell  upon  Casco,  where  one  of  their  first 
exploits  was  their  killing  of  Captain  Bracket.  Nevertheless,  Captain  Hall 
(a  valiant  soldier  in  the  former  war,  and  a  valiant  commander  in  this)  with 
his  vigorous  Lieutenant  Dawes,  just  then  arriving  with  his  company,  the 
English  hotly  engaged  them  for  several  hours;  and  after  a  deal  of  true 
Vol.  II.— 36 


|i'' 


594 


MA6NALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


English  valour  discovered  in  this  engagement,  and  the  loss  of  ten  or  a 
dozen  men,  the  Indians  ran  for  it,  with  tvhat  loss  on  their  part  we  do  mt 
know;  that  with  some  we  do.  Presently  after  this,  M(\jor  Swayn,  passing 
through  extream  difficulties  to  get  at  it,  gave  some  relief  to  a  garrison  at 
Blue  Point,  which  was  beset  by  the  Indians,  who  still  fled  into  their  inac- 
cessible swamps  when  our  bullets  began  to  be  hail'd  upon  them.  It  w.is 
judg'd  that  here  one  or  two  opportunities  of  bringing  the  war  unto  an  cnu 
were  strangely  mist  and  lost:  But  where  the  mismanagemetU  lay  Iciuotvt 
remember;  nor  what  were  the  faux  pas  of  the  actors.  Our  honest  mapr 
will  clear  himself,  who,  returning  then  to  his  head-quarters  at  Berwiek, 
sent  abroad  scouts  to  learn,  if  it  were  possible,  where  they  might  have  tho 
hest  game  at  the  Chasse  a  La  Bete  noire*  then  to  bo  followed.  Captaiti 
Wiswel  having  with  him  a  party  of  Indian  auxiliaries,  they  were  sent  out 
under  the  conduct  of  Lieutenant  Flag:  But  coming  to  Winnopiseag,  these 
Indians  had  a  consult  in  their  own  language,  and  sending  back  their 
Lieutenant  with  two  Indians,  nineteen  of  them  staid  in  tht\t  country  eleven 
days,  not  having  any  English  with  them:  At  which  the  ru.ijor  was  justly 
and  greatly  offended.  It  was  then  suspected,  and  afteiwaAis  (by  cscaii'd 
captives)  asserted,  that  these  wretches  found  the  enemy,  and  Ijdg'd  with  them 
two  nights,  and  told  them  what  they  knew  of  the  English  numbers  ar.d 
motions.  The  enemy  then  retired  into  the  howling  deserts,  where  there 
was  no  coming  at  them :  And  no  endeavours  being  able  to  reach  them, 
the  army,  in  the  month  of  November  following,  was  dismissed:  Only 
some  soldiers  were  left  in  garrison  at  Wells,  at  York,  at  Berwick,  and  at 
Quechecho,  for  the  assistance  of  the  poor  .rPmbitants  ngainst  any  more 
invasions.  There  has  been  little  doubt  that  our  northern  Indians  are 
originally  Scythians;  and  it  is  become  less  a  doubt,  since  it  appears  from 
later  discoveries  that  the  pretended  straits  of  Anian  are  a  sham ;  for  Asia 
and  America  it  seems  are  there  contiguous.  Now,  of  these  cur  Sci/thians 
in  America,  we  have  still  found  what  Julius  Ciesar  does  report  concerning 
them  of  Asia: 

Difficilius  Invenire  quam  Interficert  i 

"It  is  harder  to  find  them  than  to  foil  them." 

A  Digression,  relating  some  Wonderful  Judgmenla  of  6od« 

Before  we  pass  to  another  year,  stand  still,  reader,  and  behold  some 
wonderful  events  proper  here  to  be  introduced.    The  relation  thereof  shall 

be  given  as  I  have  received  it. 

"Portsmouth,  Fi'b.  37, 1698-9. 
"Monsieur  Vincelotte,  of  Quebeck,  arrived  here  tho  25th  of  the  last  nmntli,  and  since 
embarlced  for  France  by  way  of  Bilboa,  as  agent  to  represent  the  ntVairs  of  Canada. 

"He  puys  that,  about  nine  or  ten  years  since,  the  Earl  of  Frontenno,  jifoveruor  of  that  place, 
who  died  last  November,  did  personally  attempt  to  subdue  tho  Maqua'a,  iSic.  having  no  less 
tbii  fifteen  hundred  soldiers  in  his  army. 

•  A  Game—"  Hont  of  the  Black  Beut" 


NEW   ASSATJ 


¥ 


OK,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLA       ^.  f/ff^ 

"After  a  few  days'  inarch,  they  (being  much  wearied,  and  very  thirsty)  came  unto  a  cer- 
t^iin  small  well,  of  which  they  drank  very  plentifully.  But  in  a  few  hours  after  sundry 
ciimpluined  of  much  illness,  and  according  to  their  various  constitutions  fell  sick  (as  it  seem'd) 
of  different  distempers ;  which  ncciisioned  so  great  disorder  and  confusion  in  the  army,  th.it 
no  less  than  four  well  men,  for  a  while,  were  engaged  in  taking  care  of  every  one  that  wiui 
sick.  About  three  days  after,  the  Maqua  scout  narrowly  observitig  the  motions  of  the 
French,  rallied  together  as  many  as  possible,  to  give  a  check  unto  their  undertaking;  which 
they  soon  accomplished  with  very  considerable  advantage.  But  the  French  appearing  so 
iiumercus,  forced  them  to  retreat,  and  in  pursuit  of  them,  took  and  ransackt  a  small  town. 

"The  sickness  by  this  time  increased  unto  so  great  an  height, as  to  occasion  a  'council  of 
war,'  which  ordered  their  speedy  return;  and  in  a  short  time,  no  less  than  eight  hundred 
persons  died  out  of  the  army. 

"  Now,  about  three  years  ago  a  certain  soldier,  who  belong'd  at  that  time  to  the  army 
went  into  France.  In  a  short  time  after  his  arrival,  he  robb'd  one  of  the  churches  of  a  con- 
siderable value  of  plate;  but  being  soon  discovered,  he  was  sentenced  to  be  burnt.  He  then 
sent  unto  sundry /o/Aer  confessors,  unto  whom  he  acknowledged  his  mnny  sins;  particularly 
the  fact  for  which  he  was  condemned.  But  he  therewithal  said,  that  he  had  something  else 
of  more  considerable  moment  to  impart,  which  did  much  afflict  his  conscience :  namely,  an 
action  of  his  about  seven  years  before  committed,  when  listed  under  the  conduct  of  the  Earl 
of  Frontenac,  in  an  enterprize  against  the  Sennakers  and  Maqua's;  for,  (said  he)  'I  was 
the  only  person  at  that  time  instrumental  to  the  death  of  near  eight  hundred  souls.  Having 
received  some  affront  from  some  of  the  officers,  I  was  prompted  to  seek  some  speedy 
revenge,  which  my  own  corrupt  nature,  with  the  instigation  of  Satan,  did  instantly  accom- 
plish ;  fur  being  plentifully  stored  with  some  rank  poison  upon  another  account,  I  threw  it 
all  into  a  well,  of  which  the  thirsty  army  drank  freely,  and  in  the  event  it  proved  so  fatal 
unto  them.' 

"For  the  further  confirmation  of  this  report.  Monsieur  Vincelotte  at  the  same  time  told 
me,  that  he  was  himself  wounded  in  the  engagement,  and  should  continue  lame  to  his 
dying  day.  "Reverend  Sir,  your  most  humble  servant, 

"  S.  Pennallow." 


ARTICLE  VI. 


NEW   ASSAULTS   FROM   THE    INDIANS,  WITH   SOME   REMARKABLES  OF  CAPTIVES  TAKEN 

IN   THOSE   ASSAULTS. 

The  sun  and  the  loar  be  again  returningi  The  year  1690  must  begin 
very  inauspiciously.  In  February,  the  French  with  Indians  made  a  descent 
from  Canada  upon  a  Dutch  town  called  Schenectada,  twenty  miles  abov^ 
Albany,  under  the  government  of  New- York,  and  in  that  surprising 
incursion  they  killed  about  sixty  persons,  whereof  one  was  their  minister, 
and  carried  about  half  as  many  into  captivity;  but  the  people  there, 
assisted  by  the  Maqua's,  pursued  them,  and  recovered  some  of  their  cap- 
tives from  them.  Upon  the  advice  of  this  mischief  in  the  west^  order  was 
dispatch'd  unto  Major  Frost  in  the  east,  that  the  towns  there  should  stand 
upon  their  guard.  The  Major  did  his  duty;  but  they  did  not  theirs: 
They  dreampt  that  while  the  deep  snow  of  the  winter  continued,  they  were 
safe  enough ;  but  this  proved  as  vain  as  a  dream  of  a  dry  summer.  On 
M^arch  18,  the  French  with  Indians — being  half  one,  half  t'other — half 
Indianized  French,  and  half  Frenchified  Indians — commanded  by  Hon- 


^■1 


596 


MAGNALIA    CH^ISTI    AMERICANA; 


sieur  Artel  and  Ilope-IIood,  fell  suddenly  upon  Salmon  Falls,  destroy'nor 
the  best  part  of  the  town  with  fire  and  sword.  Near  thirty  persons  wck; 
slain,  and  more  than  fifty  were  led  into  what  the  reader  will  bv  and  by 
call  "the  worst  captivity  in  the  world."  It  would  be  a  long  sto  y  to  tell, 
what  a  particular  share  in  this  calamity  fell  to  the  fa'^ily  of  one  Clement 
S?iort:  This  honest  man,  with  his  pious  wife,  and  three  children,  were 
killed:  and  six  or  seven  of  their  children  were  made  prisoners.  The  most 
of  which  arrived  safe  to  Canada,  through  a  thousand  hardships;  and  the 
most  of  these  were  with  more  than  a  thousand  mercies  afterwards  redeemed 
from  Canada,  unto  their  English  friends  again.  But  my  readers  will  be  so 
reasonable  as  to  excuse  me,  if  I  do  not  mention  the  fate  of  every  family 
that  hath  suffered  a  share  in  the  calamity  of  this  grievous  war;  for  'tis 
impossible  that  I  should  knoio  ail  that  hath  happened;  and  it  would  be 
improper  for  me  to  write  all  that  I  know:  And  very  little  is  the  advantage 
of  having  a  name  standing  upon  record  only  among  unhappy  sufferers. 
About  sevenscore  English  went  out  after  'em,  and  came  up  with  'em: 
Nevertheless,  through  the  disadvantages  of  their  feet  by  the  snoiv,  thej 
could  make  no  ha^id  on  it.  Four  or  five  of  ours  were  kill'd,  and  as  many 
of  the  enemy;  but  the  night  put  an  end  unto  the  action.  Ours  took  one 
prisoner,  a  Frenchman,  who  confess'd  that  they  came  from  Canada,  whore 
both  French  and  Indians  were  in  pay  at  ten  livers  per  month,  and  he  i)ar- 
ticularly  declared  the  state  of  Canada.  This  j^risoner  met  with  such  kind 
usage  from  us,  that  he  became  a  ^^ freeman  of  Christ,"  and  embraced  and 
professed  the  Protestant  religion.  But  of  the  prisoners  which  the  enemy 
took  from  us,  there  were  two  which  immediately  met  with  a  very  difterent 
fate.  Three  Indians  hotly  pursued  one  Thomas  Toogood,  and  one  of 
them  overtaking  him,  while  the  rest  perceiving  it,  staid  behind  the  hill, 
he  yielded  himself  a  prisoner.  While  the  salvage  was  getting  strings  to 
bind  him,  he  held  his  gun  under  his  arm;  which  Toogood  observing,  sud- 
denly pluckt  it  from  his  friend  Stark  Naught,  threatening  and  protesting 
that  he  would  shoot  him  down  if  he  made  any  noise;  and  so  away  he  ran 
with  it  unto  Quochecho. 

If  my  reader  be  inclined  now  to  smile,  when  he  thinks  how  simply 
poor  Isgrim  look'd,  returning  to  his  mates  behind  the  hill,  without  eitluT 
gun  OT  prey,  to  remember  him  of  his  oivn  deserts,  the  smiles  will  all  be  pix'- 
sently  turn'd  into  tears.  The  Indians  had  now  niude  a  pris<)ner  of  one 
Robert  Rogers,  and  being  on  their  journey  they  came  to  an  hill,  where 
this  man,  being,  through  his  corpulency,  (for  which  he  was  usually  nick- 
named, Robin  Pork)  and  an  insupportable  and  intolerable  burden  laid  ujion 
his  back,  not  so  able  to  travel  as  the  rest,  he  absconded.  The  wretches 
missing  him,  immediately  went  in  puisuit  of  him;  and  it  was  not  long 
before  they  found  his  burden  cast  in  the  way,  and  the  track  of  his  going 
out  of  the  way,  which  they  followed,  until  they  found  him  hidden  in  a 
hallow  tree.     They  took  him  out,  they  stript  him,  they  beat  him,  and 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m 


prick'd  him,  and  push'd  him  forward  with  their  swords,  until  they  were  got 
back  to  tho  hill ;  and  it  being  almost  night,  they  fastned  him  to  a  tree  with 
his  hands  behind  him,  and  made  themselves  a  supper,  singing,  dancing, 
roaring  and  uttering  many  signs  of  joy,  but  with  joy  little  enough  to  the 
poor  creature  who  foresaw  what  all  this  tended  unto.  They  then  cut  a 
parcel  of  wood,  and  bringing  it  into  a  plain  place,  they  cut  off  the  top  of 
a  small  red  oak  tree,  leaving  the  trunk  for  a  stake,  whereto  they  bound 
their  sacrilice.  They  first  made  a  great  fire  near  this  "tree  of  death,"  and 
bringing  him  unto  it,  they  bid  him  take  his  leave  of  his  friends,  which  he  did 
in  a  doleful  nanner;  no  pen,  though  made  of  a  Ilarpy's  quill,  were  able  to 
describe  the  dolour  of  it!  They  then  allowed  him  a  little  time  to  make 
his  prayers  unto  Heaven,  which  he  did  with  extream  fervency  and  agony: 
whereupon  they  bound  him  to  the  stake,  and  brought  the  rest  of  the 
prisoners  with  their  arms  tied  each  to  other,  so  setting  them  round  the 
fire.  This  being  done,  they  went  behind  the  fire,  and  thrust  it  forwards 
upon  the  man,  with  much  laughter  and  shouting;  and  when  the  fire  had 
burnt  some  while  upon  him,  even  till  ho  was  near  stifled,  they  pull  'd  it 
again  from  him.  They  danc'd  about  him,  and  at  every  turn  they  did  with 
their  knives  cut  collops  of  his  flesh  from  his  naked  limbs,  and  throw  them 
with  his  blood  into  his  face.  When  he  was  dead,  they  set  his  body  down 
upon  the  glowing  coals  and  left  him  tied  with  his  back  to  the  stake;  where 
the  English  army  soon  after  found  him.  He  wc  left  for  us  to  put  out 
the  fire  with  our  tears/ 

Reader,  who  should  be  the  father  of  these  myrmidons? 


% 


ARTICLE   VIL 


THE  CONDITION  OF  THK  CAPTIVES  THAT  FROM  TIME  TO  TIME  FELL  INTO  THE  HANDS  OF 
THE    INDIANS;    WITH   SOME    VERY    REMARKABLE   ACCIDENTS. 

We  have  h:ul  some  occasion,  and  shall  have  more,  to  mention  captives 
falling  into  the  hands  of  the  Indians.  We  will  here,  without  any  thing 
worthy  to  be  call'd  a  digression,  come  to  a  little  stand  still,  and  with  mourn- 
ful hearts  look  upon  the  condition  of  the  captives  in  those  cruel  hands. 
Their  condition  truly  might  be  express'd  in  the  terms  of  the  ancient 
Lamentations,  (thus  by  some  translated)  Lam.  iv.  3:  "The  daughter  of 
my  people  is  in  the  hands  of  the  cruel,  that  are  like  the  ostrich  in  the 
wilderness."  Truly  the  "dark  places"  of  New-England,  where  the  Indians 
had  their  unapproachable  kennels,  were  "habitations  of  cruelty;"  and  no 
words  can  sufficiently  describe  the  cruelty  undergone  by  our  captives  in 
those  habitations.  The  cold,  and  heat,  and  hunger,  and  weariness,  and 
mockings,  and  scourgings,  and  insolencies  endured  by  the  captives,  would 
enough  deserve  the  name  of  cruelty;  but  there  was  this  also  added  unto 
the  rest,  that  they  must  ever  now  and  then  have  their  friends  made  a 


598 


MAQNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


"sacrafice  of  devils"  before  their  eyes,  but  be  afraid  of  dropping  a  tear 
from  those  eyes,  lest  it  should  upon  that  provocation  be  next  their  own 
turn  to  be  so  barbarously  sacrificed.  Indeed,  some  few  of  the  captives  did 
very  happily  escape  from  their  barbarous  oppressors,  by  a  jlight  wisely 
managed;  and  many  more  of  them  were  bought  by  the  French,  who 
treated  them  with  a  civility  ever  to  be  acknowledged,  until  care  was  taken 
to  fetch  'em  home.  Nevertheless,  many  scores  of  'em  died  among  the 
Indians;  and  what  usage  they  had  may  be  gathered  from  the  following 
relations,  which  I  have  obtained  from  credible  witnesses: 

Relation  I. — James  Key,  son  to  John  Key,  of  Quochecho,  was  a  child  of  aboui  five  years 
of  age,  taken  captive  by  the  Indians  at  Salmon  Falls;  and  that  hellish  fellow,  Hope-Hood, 
once  a  servant  of  a  Christian  master  in  Bost6n,  was  become  the  master  of  this  little  Clirlstinii. 
This  child  lamenting  with  tears  the  want  of  parents,  his  master  threatned  him  with  death  if 
he  did  not  refrain  his  tears;  but  these  threatnings  could  not  extinguish  the  natural  nffectioiis 
of  a  child.  Wherefore,  upon  his  next  lamentations,  this  monster  stript  him  stark  naked,  and 
lashed  both  his  hands  round  a  tree,  and  scourged  him  so  that  from  the  crown  of  his  liutid 
unto  the  sole  of  his  foot  he  was  all  over  bloody  and  swollen:  and  when  he  was  tired  with 
laying  on  his  blows  on  the  forlorn  infant,  he  would  lay  him  on  the  ground,  with  taunts 
remembering  him  of  his  parents.  In  this  misery  the  poor  creature  lay  horribly  roaring  for 
divers  days  together,  while  his  master,  gratified  with  the  77iusick,  lay  contriving  of  new  tor- 
ments wherewith  to  martyr  him.  It  was  not  long  before  the  child  had  a  sore  eye,  which  his 
master  said  proceeded  from  hia  weejnng  on  the  forbidden  accounts:  whereupon,  laying  hold 
on  the  head  of  the  child  with  his  left  hand,  with  the  thumb  of  his  right  he  forced  the  ball  of 
his  eye  quite  out,  therewithal  telling  him,  "that  when  he  heard  him  cry  again  he  would 
serve  t'other  so  too,  and  leave  liim  never  an  eye  to  weep  withal."  About  nine  or  ten  days 
after,  this  wretch  had  occ;tslon  to  remove  with  his  family  about  thirty  miles  further;  and 
when  they  had  gone  about  six  miles  of  the  thirty,  the  child  being  tir'd  and  faint,  siit  hira 
down  to  rest,  at  which  this  horrid  fellow  being  provoked,  he  buried  the  blade  of  his  hatchet 
in  the  brains  of  the  child,  and  then  chopp'd  the  breathless  body  to  pieces  before  the  rest  of 
the  company,  and  threw  it  into  the  river.  But  for  the  sake  of  these  and  other  such  truculent 
things  done  by  Hope-Hood,  I  am  resolved,  that  in  the  course  of  our  story  I  will  watch  to 
see  what  becomes  of  th.it  hideous  loup-garou,*  if  he  come  to  his  end,  as  I  am  apt  to  think  ho 
will,  before  the  story. 

Relation  II. — ilehitabel  Goodwin,  being  a  captive  among  the  Indinns,  had  with  her  a 
child  about  five  months  old ;  which,  through  hunger  and  hardship,  (she  being  unable  to 
nourish  it,)  often  made  most  grievous  ejaculations.  Her  Indian  master  told  her,  that  if  the 
child  were  not  quiet  he  would  soon  dispose  of  it;  which  caused  her  to  use  all  possible  means 
that  his  Netop-ship  might  not  be  ofl'eiided ;  and  sometimes  carry  it  from  the  fire  out  of  hia 
hearing,  where  she  sat  up  to  the  waste  in  snow  and  frost  for  several  hours  until  it  was  Inll'd 
asleep.  She  thus  for  several  days  preserved  the  life  of  her  buhe,  until  he  saw  cause  to  travel 
with  his  own  cubs  farther  afield;  and  then,  lest  he  should  be  retarded  in  his  tra  el,  he  vio- 
lently  snatch'd  the  babe  out  of  its  mother's  arms,  and  before  her  face  knoek'd  out  its  brains, 
and  stript  it  of  the  few  rags  it  had  hitherto  eiijoy'd,  and  order'd  her  the  task  to  go  wush  the 
bloody  cloaths.  Returniii;?'  from  this  melancholy  tusk,  she  found  the  infant  hanging  by  the 
neck  in  a  forked  bough  of  a  tree.  She  desired  leave  to  lay  it  in  the  earth ;  but  lie  said,  "it 
wa.:  better  as  it  was,  for  now  the  wild  beasts  would  not  come  at  it,  [I  am  sure  they  hud  been 
nt  iti]  and  she  might  have  the  comfort  of  seeing  it  again  if  ever  they  came  that  way."  'I'he 
journey  now  before  them  was  like  to  be  very  long,  even  as  far  os  Canada,  where  his  purpose 
was  to  make  mcivhandiso  of  his  captive,  and  glad  was  the  captive  of  such  happy  tidings. 

*  Wero-wolf. 


OR,    THE    niSTOEY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


599 


But  liio  di'siHTuto  k'ligth  of  the  way,  and  want  of  food,  and  grief  of  mind  wherewith  she  now 
einMiuntivd,  CMUsed  iier  v\  ithin  a  few  days  to  faint  under  her  difficulties.    When  at  length  she 
8:it  down  for  some  repose,  with  many  prayers  and  tears  unto  God  for  the  salvation  of  licr 
soul,  she  found  herself  unable  to  rise,  until  she  espied  her  furious  executioner  coming 
tovvmxls  her  with  fire  in  his  eyes,  the  detU  in  his  heart,  and  his  hatchet  in  his  hand,  ready  to 
bostow  n  merrt/'Stroak  of  death  upon  her.    But  then  this  miserable  creature  got  on  her  knees, 
and  with  weeping,  nnd  wailing,  and  all  expressions  of  agony  and  entreaty,  prevailed  on  him 
to  spare  her  life  a  little,  and  she  did  not  question  but  God  would  enable  her  to  "walk  a  little 
f  ister."    The  merciless  tyrant  was  prevail'd  withal  to  spare  her  this  time ;  nevertheless  her 
fill  mor  weakness  quickly  returning  upon  her,  he  was  just  going  to  murder  her;  but  a  couple 
of  Indiana  just  at  that  instant  coming  in,  suddenly  called  upon  him  to  "hold  his  hand;" 
whereat  such  an  horror  surprized  his  guilty  smil,  that  he  ran  away.    But  hearing  them  call 
his  name,  he  returned,  and  then  permitted  these  his  friends  to  ransom  his  prisoner  from  him. 
After  tliia,  being  seated  by  a  river  side,  they  heard  several  guns  go  oft"  on  the  other  side, 
which  they  concluded  was  from  a  party  of  Albany  Indians,  who  were  enemies  unto  these; 
whereupon  this  bold  blade  would  needs  go  in  a  eanoo  to  discover  what  they  were.    They 
fired  upon  him,  and  shot  through  him  nnd  several  of  liis  friends  before  the  discovery  could 
bi'  made  unto  satisfaction.    But  some  days  after  this,  divers  of  his  friends  gathered  a  party 
to  revenge  his  death  on  their  sujvposed  enemies ;  with  whom  they  joyned  battel,  nnd  fought 
si'veral  hours,  until  their  supposed  enemies  did  really  put  'em  to  the  rout.    Among  the  cap- 
tives  which  they  left  in  their  flight,  one  was  this  poor  Goodwin,  who  was  overjoyed  in  seeing 
her  self  thus  at  liberty;  but  the  joy  did  not  Last  long,  for  these  Indians  were  of  the  same  sort 
with  the  other,  nnd  had  been  by  their  own  friends  thus  through  a  strange  mistake  set  upon. 
However,  this  crew  proved  more  favourable  to  her  than  the  former,  and  went  away  silently 
with  their  booty,  being  loth  to  have  any  noise  made  of  their  foul  mistake,  and  yet,  a  few  days 
after,  such  another  mistake  happened;  for  meeting  with  another  party  of  Indians,  which  they 
imagined  in  the  English  interests,  they  furiously  engaged  each  other,  and  many  were  killed 
and  wounded  on  either  side;  but  they  proved  a  party  of  the  French  Indians,  who  took  this 
poor  Goodwin,  and  presented  her  to  the  French  captain,  by  whom  she  was  carried  unto  Can- 
ada, where  she  continued  five  years,  and  then  was  brought  safe  back  into  New>England. 

Relation  III.— Mary  Plaisted,  the  wife  of  Mr.  James  Plaisted,  was  made  a  captive  by  the 
Indians  about  three  weeks  after  her  delivery  of  a  male  child.  They  then  took  her,  with  her 
infimt,  oft'  her  bed,  and  forced  her  to  travel  in  this  her  weakness  the  best  part  of  a  day, 
without  any  respct  of  pity.  At  night  the  cold  ground  in  the  open  air  was  her  lodging;  and 
for  many  a  day  she  had  no  nourishment,  but  a  little  wixter  with  a  little  bears-flesh;  which 
reiulred  her  so  feeble,  that  she  with  her  infant  were  not  far  from  totjilly  starved.  Upon  her 
cries  to  God,  there  was  at  length  some  supply  sent  in  by  her  master's  taking  a  Moose,  the 
broth  whereof  recovered  her.  But  she  must  now  travel  many  days  thro'  woods,  and  swamps, 
and  rocks,  and  over  mountains,  and  frost  and  snow,  until  she  could  stir  no  farther.  Kitting 
diiwn  to  rest,  she  was  not  able  to  rise,  until  her  diabolical  master  helped  her  up;  which 
when  he  did,  ho  took  her  child  from  her,  nnd  carried  it  unto  a  river,  where,  stripping  it  of  the 
few  rags  it  had,  ho  took  it  by  the  heels,  and  against  a  tree  dashed  out  his  brains,  and  then 
flnng  it  into  the  river.  So  ho  returned  unto  the  miserable  mother,  telling  her,  "she  was 
now  easinl  of  hor  burden,  and  must  walk  faster  than  she  did  before!"' 

Relation  IV. — Mary  Ferguson,  taken  captive  by  the  Indians  at  Salmon  Falls,  declares 
that  another  maid,  of  about  fifteen  or  sixteen  years  of  age,  taken  at  the  same  time,  had  a 
grrnl  hurdi'n  imposed  on  her.  Being  over-born  with  her  burden,  she  burst  out  into  tears, 
telling  her  Indian  master, "that  she  could  go  no  furt'er."  Whereupon  he  immediately  look 
olV  her  burden,  nnd  leading  her  aside  into  the  bushes,  he  cut  oil'  her  head,  and  scalping  it,  ho 
ran  about  laughing  and  bragging  what  an  act  he  had  now  done;  nnd  showing  the  scnlp  unto 
the  rest,  he  told  them,  "they  should  nil  be  served  so  if  they  were  not  patient." 

In  fine,  when  the  children  of  the  English  cajjtivcs  cried  at  any  time,  so  that  they  wore  not 


;!  -Mil 
r 


i         ! 


600 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


presently  quiuted,  the  manner  of  the  Indians  was  to  dash  out  their  brains  against  a  tree. 
And  very  often,  when  the  Indians  were  on  or  near  the  water,  they  took  the  small  children, 
nnd  held  them  under  water  till  they  had  near  drowned  them,  and  then  gave  them  unto 
their  distressed  mothers  to  quiet  'em.  And  the  Indians  in  their  frolicks  would  whip  and 
beat  the  small  children;  until  they  set  'em  into  grievous  outcries,  and  then  throw  '<jm  to  their 
amazed  mothers  for  thorn  to  quiet  'em  again  as  well  as  they  could. 

This  was  Indian  captivity! — Reader,  a  modern  traveller  assures  us,  that 
at  the  Villa  Ludovisia,  not  far  from  Rome,  there  is  to  be  seen  the  body 
of  a  petrified  man;  and  that  he  himself  saw  by  a  piece  of  the  man's  leg, 
broken  for  satisfaction,  both  the  bone  and  the  stone  crusted  over  it.  All 
that  I  will  say,  is,  that  if  thou  canst  read  these  passages  without  relenting 
bowels,  thou  thyself  art  as  really  petrified  as  the  man  at  Villa  Ludovisia. 

Neacio  tu  quibu8e$,  lector,  lecturua  ocellit;  hoc  acio  quod  aiccia  acribere  non  potui.* 


ARTICLE   VIII. 


A  LITTLE  ACCOUNT   OF  THE  GREATEST  AC':iON  THAT  EVER  NEW-ENGLAND  ATTEMPTED. 

I  HAVE  read  or  heard  that  when  the  insufferable  abuses  which  the  Eng- 
lish nation  suffered  from  the  abbeys  were  in  the  parliament  complained  of, 
the  total  dissolution  of  those  abbeys  was  much  forwarded  by  a  speech  of 
a  gentleman  in  the  House  of  Commons  to  this  purpose ;  that  his  own  house 
had  been  much  annoy 'd  by  rooks  building  in  a  tree  near  unto  it,  and  that 
he  had  used  many  ineffectual  ways  to  disturb  and  disroost  these  mischiev- 
ous rooks,  until  at  last  he  had  found  out  an  infallible  luay  to  be  delivered 
from  the  rooks,  and  that  was  to  cut  down  the  tree  that  lodged  'em.  The 
distresses  into  which  New-England  was  now  fallen,  made  this  very  com- 
parison to  be  thought  of  The  Indian  rooks  grievously  infested  the  country ; 
and  while  the  country  was  only  on  the  defensive  part,  their  men  were 
thinned,  their  towns  were  broken,  and  their  treasures  consumed,  without 
any  hope  of  seeing  an  end  of  these  troublesome  tragedies.  The  French 
colonies  to  the  northward  were  the  tree  in  which  those  rooks  had  their 
nests:  and  the  French  having  in  person  first  fallen  upon  the  English  of  New- 
England,  it  was  thought  that  the  New-Englanders  might  very  justly  take 
this  occasion  to  reduce  those  French  colonies  under  the  English  govern- 
ment, and  so  at  once  take  away  from  all  the  rooks  for  ever  all  that  gave 
'em  any  advantage  to  infest  us.  Accordingly,  a  naval  force  with  about 
seven  hundred  men,  under  the  conduct  of  Sir  William  Phips,  was  dis- 
patched away  to  L'Accady  and  Nova  Scotia.  This  fleet  setting  sail  from 
New-England,  April  28",  1690,  in  a  fortnight  urrived  at  Port-Royal,  and 
Sir  William,  having  the  fort  surrendered  unto  him,  took  possession  of 
that  province  for  the  crown  of  l^lngland.     But  this  was  oily  a  step  towards 

*  I  know  not,  rumlcr,  wliothor  yuu  will  read  this  rucuni  with  dry  ur  tearful  uyed ;  I  unly  knuw  I  cuuld  nut 
write  it  withuut  tvurs  in  mine. 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-LNGLAND. 


601 


a  far  greater  action!  There  was  no  speech  about  the  methods  of  safety 
made,  which  did  not  conclude  with  a  delenda  est  Carthago*  It  was  become 
the  concurring  resolution  of  all  New-England,  with  New- York,  that  a 
vigorous  attack  should  be  made  upon  Canada  at  once,  both  by  sea  and 
hind.  A  fleet  of  thirty-two  sail,  under  the  command  of  Sir  William 
Pliips,  was  equipp'd  at  Boston,  and  began  their  voyage,  August  9,  and  the 
whole  matter  was  put  into  form,  with  so  much  contrivance,  and  caution, 
and  courage,  that  nothing  but  an  evident  hand  of  Heaven  was  likely  to 
have  given  such  a  defeat  unto  it,  as  has  been  indeed  generally  and  remark- 
ably given  unto  all  the  colonies  of  America,  when  they  have  invaded  one 
another.  If  this  expedition  did  miscarry, .  and  if  Canada  proved  unto 
New-England  what  it  prov'd  unto  the  Spaniards,  when  at  their  deserting 
it  they  call'd  it,  JEl  Capo  de  Nada:  or,  "the  cape  of  nothing,"  (whence  the 
name  Canada)  there  is  no  New-Englander  but  what  will  maintain  that  it 
was  with  a  less  disgraceful  miscarriage  than  what  baffled  every  one  of 
those  that  were  made  in  this  war  against  the  French  islands,  by  more  pow- 
erful fleets  of  those  who  were  forward  enough  to  reproach  New-England. 
I  am  sure  he  that  reads  the  account  of  what  was  done  at  Martineco,  in  the 
^^ Relation  of  the  Voyage  of  M.  de  Oennes,'^  lately  published,  must  be  very 
easie  in  his  reflections  upon  what  was  done  at  Canada.  And  I  will  add, 
that  if  the  New-England-men  return'd  re  infectaj;  from  Canada,  yet  they 
did  not  leave  two  hundred  men  behind  them  to  the  mercy  of  the  French, 
as  they  who  most  reproached  New-England  soon  after  did  at  Guadalnpa. 
The  fuller  narrative  of  these  memorable  things  the  reader  may  find 
written  in  "</ie  Life  of  Sir  William  PMps,^^  lately  published,  of  which  I 
must  here  give  this  attestation,  that  as  my  acquaintance  with  the  author 
gives  me  assurance  of  his  being  as  willing  to  retract  a  mistake,  as  unwilling 
to  commit  one,  and  of  his  care  in  whatever  he  writes,  to  be  able  to  make 
the  profession  of  (Ecolampadius,  Nolui  aliquid  scribere,  quod  improhalurum 
jnitem  Christum :%  so  I  have  compared  this  narrative  with  the  journals  of 
the  expedition;  and  I  find  the  most  contested  passages  of  the  story  (nor 
did  I  ever  hear  of  any  more  than  one  or  two  little  circumstantial  passages 
contested  as  carrying  a  sound  a  little  too  rhetorical;  but  I  say,  I  find  them) 
to  be  the  very  express  words  thereof  contained  in  those  journals;  and 
more  than  so,  that  very  credible  persons  concerned  therein  have  readily 
offered  their  depositions  upon  oath  to  the  truth  of  what  is  written.  So  I 
take  my  leave  of  that  history,  and  of  Sir  William  Phips,  the  memorable 
subject  of  that  history,  whom  I  leave  under  this 

EPITAPH. 
Bonui  non  est,  qui  non  ad  invidiam  usque  bonus  est.^ 

*  Carthngb  miiat  bo  doBtroy<<il  I  f  Iionving  their  uiitorprlae  iinflnifhod. 

I  I  huvi)  tikkcn  euro  tu  wrlto  iiothineFi  which  I  thduijht  cuuld  bring  roprunch  uu  Christ, 
I  Ho  l8  nut  good,  who  Is  nut  goixl  enough  tu  bo  hated. 


-1:,|  ,i 


802 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8T1    AMERICANA; 


[A  DIGRESSION.] 

Eeadeb,  since  we  can  give  no  better  an  account  of  the  last  English 
expedition  to  Canada,  why  may  we  not  for  a  minute  or  two  refresh  our- 
selves with  a  story  of  an  old  one? 

In  the  very  year  when  the  Massachuset-colony  began,  the  English 
atteiTvpted  the  conquest  of  Canada;  and  though  the  first  attempt  miscar- 
ried, the  second  prospered.  The  story  of  it  makes  a  chapter  in  Father 
Hennepin's  account  of  the  vast  country  lately  discovered  betwixt  Canada 
and  Mexico;  and  this  is  the  sum  of  it. 

While  a  colony  was  forming  itself  at  Canada,  an  English  fleet  was 
equipp'd  in  the  year  1628,  under  the  command  of  Admiral  Kirk,  with  a 
design  to  take  possession  of  that  country.  In  their  voyage,  having  taken 
a  French  ship  at  the  isle  Percee,  they  sailed  up  the  river  as  far  as  Tadou- 
sac,  where  they  found  a  bark,  in  which  they  set  ashore  some  soldiers  to 
seize  on  Cape  Tourment.  And  here  a  couple  of  salvages  discovering 
them,  ran  away  to  advise  the  people  of  Quebeck  that  the  English  were 
approaching.  When  the  fleet  arrived,  the  admiral  summoned  the  town 
to  surrender,  by  a  letter  to  Monsieur  Champelin  the  governour:  but  the 
governour,  notwithstanding  his  being  so  surprised  with  the  invasion,  made 
such  a  resolute  answer,  that  the  English  (though,  as  the  historian  says, 
"they  are  a  people  that  will  soonc  die  than  quit  what  they  undertake") 
did  conclude  fort  Quebeck  was  in  a  much  better  condition  for  defence  than 
it  really  was,  and  therefore,  desisting  from  any  further  attempt  at  this 
time,  they  returned  into  England  with  resolution  further  to  pursue  their 
design  at  a  more  favourable  opportunity. 

Accordingly,  on  July  19, 1629,  in  the  morning,  the  English  fleet  appear'd 
again  over  against  in  the  great  bay  of  Quebeck,  at  the  point  of  tha  isle 
of  Orleans;  which  consisted  of  three  men  of  war  and  six  other  vessels. 
Admiral  Kirk,  sending  a  s^immons  form'd  in  very  civil  expressions  for  the 
surrender  of  the  place,  the  miserable  state  of  the  country,  which  had  been 
by  the  English^interceptions  hindred  of  supplies  i.  m  France  for  two  years 
together,  oblig'd  the  Sieur  Champelin  to  make  a  softer  answer  than  he  did 
before.  lie  sent  Father  Joseph  Le  Caron  aboard  the  admiral  to  treat 
about  the  surrender,  and  none  of  his  demands  for  fifteen  days,  and  then 
for  five  df._;'s'  time  to  consider  on't,  could  obtain  any  longer  time  than  till 
the  evening  to  prepare  their  articles.  Upon  the  delivery  of  this  message, 
a  council  was  held,  wherein  some  urged,  that  the  English  had  no  more 
than  two  hundred  men  of  regular  troops  aboard,  and  some  others  which 
had  not  much  of  the  air  of  soldiers;  and  that  the  courage  of  the  inhabit- 
ants was  much  to  bo  relied  upon,  and  therefore  it  was  best  for  to  run  the 
risk  of  a  siege:  but  Monsieur  Champelin,  apprehending  the  bravery  of 
the  P]nglish,  remonstrated  unto  the  council,  that  it  was  better  to  make  a 
surrender  on  good  terms,  than  be  all  cut  iji  pieces  by  an  unreasonable 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-EKGLAND. 


603 


endeavour  to  defend  themselves.  Upon  this,  the  articles,  regulating  all 
matters,  were  got  ready,  and  Father  Joseph  had  his  commission  to  carry 
them  aboard  the  English  admiral,  where  the  signing  of  them  was  deferred 
until  to  morrow.  On  July  20,  the  articles  of  capitulation  were  signed 
on  both  sides,  and  the  English  being  landed,  were  put  in  possession  of 
Canada  by  the  governour  of  it.  The  French  inhabitants,  who  were  then 
in  the  country,  had  twenty  crowns  a-piece  given  them,  tlie  rest  of  their 
effects  remained  unto  the  conquerors;  but  those  who  were  willing  to  stay, 
were  favoured  by  the  English  with  great  advantages.  The  fleet  set  sail 
again  for  England,  September  14,  and  arrived  at  I'lymouth,  October  18, 
in  that  year.  ^ 


v'l'?|l. 


m4 


'P' 


I    ' 


ARTICLE  IX. 


CASCO   LOST. 


When  the  Indians  at  last  perceived  that  the  New-Englanders  were 
upon  a  likely  design  to  swallow  up  the  French  territories,  the  prospect  of 
it  began  to  have  the  same  operation  upon  them,  that  the  success  of  the 
design  would  have  made  perpetual;  that  is,  to  dis-spirit  them  for  giving  the 
New-Englanders  any  further  molestations.  Nevertheless,  before  and  until 
they  were  thoroughly  advised  of  what  was  a  doing,  and  likely  to  be  done, 
they  did  molest  the  country  with  some  tragical  efforts  of  their  fury.  Cap- 
tain James  Converse  was  marching  through  the  vast  wilderness  to  Albany 
with  some  forces,  which  the  Massachusets  colony  were  willing  to  send  by 
land  (besides  what  they  did  send  by  sea  unto  Quebeck,)  for  the  assistance 
of  the  army  in  the  west  that  was  to  go  from  thence  over  the  lake,  and 
there  fall  upon  Mount  Eeal ;  but  unhappy  tidings  out  of  the  east  required 
the  diversion  of  those  forces  thither.  About  the  beginning  of  May,  the 
French  and  Indians,  between  four  and  five  hundred,  were  seen  at  Casco, 
in  a  great  fleet  of  canoos  passing  over  the  bay;  but  not  seeing  or  hearing 
any  more  of  them  for  two  or  three  weeks  together,  the  Casconians  flattered 
themselves  with  hopes  that  they  were  gone  another  way.  But  about  May 
16,  those  hopes  were  over;  for  one  Gresson,  a  Scotchman,  then  going  out 
early,  fell  into  the  mouths  of  these  hungry  salvages.  It  proved  no  kind- 
ness to  Casco,  though  it  proved  a  great  one  to  himself  that  a  commander 
so  qualified  as  Captain  Willard  was  called  off  two  or  three  days  before. 
But  the  officers  of  the  place  now  concluding  that  the  whole  army  of  the 
enemy  were  watching  for  an  advantage  to  surprise  the  town,  resolved  that 
they  would  keep  a  strict  watch  for  two  or  three  days,  to  make  some  fur- 
ther discovery  before  they  sally'd  forth.  Notwithstanding  this,  one  Lieu- 
tenant Clark,  with  near  thirty  of  their  stoutest  young  men,  would  venture 
out  as  far  as  the  top  of  an  bill  in  the  entrance  of  the  wood,  half  a  mile 
distant  from  the  town.    The  out-let  from  the  town  to  the  wood  was  thro' 


604 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


a  lane  that  had  a  fence  on  each  side,  which  had  a  certain  block-house  at 
one  end  of  it;  and  the  English  were  suspicious,  when  they  camo  to  enter 
the  lane,  that  the  Indians  were  lying  behind  the  fence,  because  the  cattel 
stood  staring  that  way,  and  would  not  pass  into  the  wood  as  they  used  to 
do.    This  mettlesome  company  then  ran  up  to  the  fence  with  an  huzza! 
thinking  thereby  to  discourage  the  enemy,  if  they  should  be  lurking  there; 
but  the  enemy  were  so  well  prepared  for  them,  that  they  answered  them 
with  an  horrible  vengeance,  which  killed  the  lieutenant  with  thirteen 
more  upon  the  spot,  and  the  rest  escaped  with  much  ado  unto  one  of  the 
garrisons.    The  enemy  then  coming  into  town,  beset  all  the  garrisons  at 
once,  except  the  fort;  which  were  manfully  defended  so  long  as  their 
ammunition  lasted;  but  that  being  spent,  without  a  prospect  of  a  recruit, 
they  quitted  all  the  four  garrisons,  and  by  the  advantage  of  the  night  got 
into  the  fort.    Upon  this  the  enemy,  setting  the  town  on  fire,  bent  their 
whole  force  against  the  fort,  which  had  hard  by  it  a  deep  guUy,  that  con- 
tributed not  a  little  unto  the  ruin  of  it:  for  the  besiegers  getting  into  that 
gully,  lay  below  the  danger  of  our  guns.     Here  the  enemy  began  tlioir 
mine,  which  was  carried  so  near  the  walls,  that  the  English,  who,  by  iij^ht- 
ing  five  days  and  four  nights,  had  the  greatest  part  of  their  men  killed 
and  wounded,  (Captain  Lawrence  mortally  among  the  rest,)  began  a  par- 
ley with  them.    Articles  were  agreed,  that  they  should  have  liberty  to 
march  unto  the  next  English  town,  and  have  a  guard  for  their  safety  in 
their  march;  and#the  French  commander,  lifting  up  his  hand,  swore  by 
the  everlasting  God  for  the  performance  of  these  articles.     But  the  agree- 
ment was  kept  as  those  that  are  made  with  Hugonots  use  to  be:  Tho 
English,  being  first  admonished  by  the  French  that  the;'  were  all  rehek 
for  proclaiming  the  Prince  of  Orange  their  King,  were  captived,  and 
many  of  them  cruelly  murdered  by  the  Indians:  only  some  of  them  (and 
particularly  Major  Davis,)  were  carried  unto  Canada,  where  the  gentry 
very  civilly  treated  them.    The  garrisons  at  Papoodack,  Spurwink,  Black 
Point,  and  Blue  Point,  were  so  disanimated  at  these  disasters,  that  without 
orders  they  drew  off  immediately  to  Saco,  twenty  miles  within  Casco,  and 
fi'om  Saco  in  a  few  days  also  they  drew  off  to  Wells,  twenty  miles  within 
the  said  Saco;  and  about  half  Wells  drew  off  as  f\ir  as  Lieutenant  Storor'i, 
But  the  arrival  of  orders  and  soldiers  from  the  government,  stopt  tlicin 
from  retiring  any  further;  and  Hope-Hood,  with  a  party  that  staid  for 
further  mischief,  meeting  with  some  resistance  here,  turn'd  about,  and 
having  first  had  a  skirmish  with  Captain  Sherborn,  they  appear'd  tho  next 
Lord's  day  at  Newichawannick  or  Berwick,  where  they  burnt  some  houses, 
and  slew  a  man.    Three  days  after,  they  came  upon  a  small  hamlet  on 
the  south  side  of  the  Piscataqua  river,  called  Fox  Point,  and  besides  the 
burning  of  several  houses,  they  took  half  a  dozen,  and  killed  more  than 
a  dozen  of  the  too  securely  ungarrisoned  people;  which  it  was  as  casio  to 
do,  as  to  have  spoiled  an  ordinary  hen-roost.    But  Captain  Floyd  and 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-KNGLAND. 


605 


Captain  Greenleaf  coining  upon  those  Indians,  made  some  slaughter 
among  them,  recovered  some  captives,  with  tvuwm  thou  dmu  not  <»c.re«.:  -.-her. 
much  plunder,  and  bestowed  a  good  wound  ""*  ""'^'i'  ^  "'""^'  ■*"*«  ""^  "'~^ 
upon  Hope-Hood,  who  lost  his  gun  (which  was  next  his  life)  in  this  action. 
All  that  shall  further  belong  to  this  paragraph  of  our  story  is,  that 
when  the  Indian;)  were  got  into  the  woods,  they  made  oi*e  Goody  Stock- 
ford  their  messenger  to  her  neighbours,  whose  charity  she  so  well  solicited, 
that  she  got  a  shalop  full  of  it  unto  Casco,  where  the  Indians  permitted 
us  to  redeem  several  of  the  prisoners. 


{■      1i  ■ 


ARTICLE   X. 

HARM   WATCH'd  AND   CATCh'd   BY   THE   INDIANS, 

And  Several  Bare  Instances  of  Mortal  Wounds  upon  the  English,  not  proving  Mortal. 

That  memorable  tygre,  Hope-Hood,  (called  also  Wohawa,)  finding  the 
coast  hereabouts  too  hot  for  him,  went  away  with  his  crew  a  great  way  to 
the  westward,  with  a  design  to  bewitch  another  crew  at  Aquadocta  into 
his  assistance.  Here  a  party  of  French  Indians,  by  a  strange  mistake, 
supposing  Hope-Hood  and  his  wretches  to  have  been  the  Indians  who  had 
lately  done  some  spoil  upon  them  at  Canada,  furiously  fell  upon  them, 
and  in  their  blind  fury  slew  him  and  a  considerable  part  of  his  company. 
So  we  have  now  done  with  him:  In  the  mean  time,  some  other  Indiana 
came  upon  an  helpless  place,  called  Spruce  Creek,  and  kill'd  an  old  man, 
and  carried  a  woman  into  captivity;  but  tho'  Captain  Converse  pursued 
'em  three  days,  they  were  too  nimble  for  him.  On  July  4,  eight  or  nine 
persons,  working  in  a  field  at  a  place  call'd  Lampereel  Kiver,  the  scythe 
of  death  unhappily  mow'd  them  down  in  that  "field  of  blood:"  The 
Indians  by  surprize  kill'd  'em  all,  and  carried  a  lad  captive.  About  this 
time  a  council  of  war  was  called  at  Portsmouth,  by  which  'twas  thought 
adviseable  to  send  out  Captain  Wiswel,  with  a  considerable  scout,  for  to 
scour  the  woods  as  far  as  Casco;  and  it  being  resolved  that  one  of  the 
other  Captains,  with  about  four  score  stout  men,  should  accompanj'  Cap- 
tain Wiswel  in  this  action;  they  all  with  such  a  generous  emulation 
offered  it,  that  it  was  necessary  to  determine  it  by  a  lot,  which  fell  upon 
Captain  Floyd.  On  July  4,  assisted  with  Lieutenant  Andrews,  and  a 
detachment  of  twenty-two  men  from  Wells,  they  took  their  march  from 
Quochecho  into  the  woods.  But  the  day  following,  the  enemy  set  upon 
Captain  Hilton's  garrison  in  Kxeter,  which  Lieutenant  Bancroft,  then  posted 
at  Exeter,  with  the  loss  of  a  few  of  his  men,  relieved.  At  this  time  there 
happened  a  remarkable  tiling.  I  know  not  whether  the  story  told  by 
Plato  be  true,  that  one  Ilcrus  Annenius  (whom  Clemens  will  have  to  be 
Zoroaster)  being  slain  in  war,  lay  ten  clays  among  the  dead,  and  then  being 
brought  away,  and  on  the  twelfth  day  laid  on  a  funeral  pile,  he  came  to 


606 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


life  again.  But  it  is  true,  that  one  Simon  Stone,  being  here  wounded  with 
shot  in  nine  several  places,  lay  for  dead  (as  it  was  time !)  among  the  dead. 
The  Indians  coming  to  strip  him,  attempted  with  two  several  blows  of  an 
hatchet  at  his  neck  to  cut  off  his  head^  which  blows  added,  you  may  be 
sure,  more  enormous  wounds  unto  those  port-holes  of  death,  at  which  the 
life  of  the  poor  man  was  already  running  out  as  fast  as  it  could.  Being 
charged  hard  by  Lieutenant  Bancroft,  they  left  the  man  without  scalping 
him;  and  the  English  now  coming  to  bury  the  dead,  one  of  the  soldiers 
perceived  this  poor  man  to  fetch  a  gasp;  whereupon  an  Irish  fellow  then 
present  advised  'em  to  give  him  another  dab  with  an  hatchet,  and  so  bury 
him  with  the  rest.  The  English,  detesting  this  barbarous  advice,  lifted  up 
the  wounded  man,  and  poured  a  little  fair  water  into  his  mouth,  at  which 
he  coughed ;  then  they  poured  a  little  strong  water  after  it,  at  which  ho 
opened  his  eyes.  The  Irish  fellow  was  ordered  now  to  hale  a  canoo  ashore 
to  carry  the  wounded  men  up  the  river  unto  a  chirurgeon ;  and  as  Teague 
was  foolishly  pulling  the  canoo  ashore  with  the  cock  of  his  gun,  while  lie 
held  the  muzzle  in  his  hand,  his  gun  went  off,  and  broke  his  arm,  whereof 
he  remains  a  cripple  to  this  day:  But  Simon  Stone  was  thoroughly  cured, 
and  is  at  this  day  a  very  lusty  man;  and  as  he  was  born  with  ttvo  thumbs 
on  one  hand,  his  neighbours  have  thought  him  to  have  at  least  as  many 
hearts  as  tliumbs! 

Eeader,  let  us  leave  it  now  unto  the  sons  of  .^sculapius  to  dispute  out 
the  problem,  "What  wounds  are  to  be  judged  mortal?"  The  sovereign 
arbiter  of  life  and  death  seems  to  have  determined  it,  "That  no  wounds 
are  mortal,  but  such  as  he  shall  in  his  holy  providence  actually  make  so." 
On  the  one  side,  let  it  be  remembered,  that  a  scratch  of  a  comb  has  proved 
mortal;  that  the  incomparable  Anatomist  Spigelius,  at  the  wedding  of  his 
daughter,  gathering  up  the  reliques  of  a  broken  glass,  a  fragment  of  it 
scratched  one  of  his  fingers;  and  all  his  exquisite  skill  in  anatomy  could 
not  prevent  its  producing  an  empyema  that  killed  him ;  that  Colonel  Eos- 
siter,  cracking  a  plumb-stone  with  his  teeth,  broke  his  tooth,  and  lost  his 
life;  that  the  Lord  Fairfax,  cutting  a  corn  in  his  foot,  cut  asunder  the  thread 
of  his  life;  that  Mr.  Fowler,  a  vintner,  playing  with  his  child,  received  a 
little  scratch  of  a  pin,  which  turn'd  unto  a  gangrene  that  cost  him  his  life. 
And,  reader,  let  the  remembrance  of  such  things  cause  thee  to  live,  pre- 
paring for  death  continually.  But  then,  on  the  other  side,  that  nothing 
may  be  despaired  of,  remember  Simon  Stone.  And,  besides  him,  I  call  to 
remembrance,  that  the  Indians,  making  an  assault  upon  Deerfield,  in  this 
present  war,  they  struck  an  hatchet  some  inches  into  the  scidl  of  a  boy 
there,  even  so  deep,  that  the  boy  felt  the  force  of  a  wrench  used  by  'em 
to  get  it  out.  There  he  lay  a  long  while  weltering  in  his  blood;  they 
found  him,  they  dress'd  him,  considerable  quantities  of  his  brain  came  out 
from  time  to  time  when  they  opened  the  wound;  yet  the  lad  recovered, 
and  is  now  a  living  monument  of  the  power  and  goodness  of  God.    And 


^'■ai 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


607 


in  our  former  war  there  was  one  Jabez  Musgrove,  who,  tho'  he  were  shot 
by  the  Indians  with  a  bullet  that  went  in  at  his  ear,  and  went  out  at  his  eye 
on  the  other  side  of  his  head ;  and  a  brace  of  bullets  that  went  into  his  rvjht 
side,  a  little  above  his  hip,  and  passing  thro'  his  body  within  the  back-bone, 
went  out  at  his  left  side;      \  he  recovered,  and  lived  many  years  after  it. 

Certainly  this  fellow  was  worthy  to  huve  been  at  least  a  lackey  to  the 
Hungarian  nobleman,  whose  pourtraiture  Dr.  Patin  saw  in  a  gallery  at 
Inspruck,  representing  a  wound  made  in  his  eye  with  a  lance,  which  pen- 
etrated into  the  substancfe  of  the  brain,  even  to  the  hinder  part  of  the  head, 
and  yet  proved  not  a  mortal  wound. 


\'  ,' • 


ARTICLE   XI. 
A  WORTHY  CAPTAIN   DYING   IN  THE   BED   OF    HONOUR. 

On  July  6,  the  Lord's-day,  Captain  Floyd  and  Captain  Wiswel  sent  out 
their  scouts  before  their  breakfast,  who  immediately  returned  with  tidings 
of  breakfast  enough  provided  for  those  who  had  their  stomach  sharp  set 
for  fighting:  tidings  of  a  considerable  track  of  the  enemy  going  to  the 
westward.  Our  forces  vigorously  followed  the  track,  till  they  came  up 
with  the  enemy  at  a  place  call'd  Wheelwright's  Pond,  where  they  engaged 
'em  in  a  bloody  action  for  several  hours.  The  manner  of  the  fight  here 
was  as  it  is  at  all  times  with  Indians;  namely,  what  your  artists  at  fighting 
do  call  a  la  disbandad:*  and  here  the  worthy  Captain  Wiswel,  a  man 
worthy  to  have  been  shot  (if  he  must  have  been  shot,)  with  no  gun  inferior 
to  that  at  Florence,  the  barrel  whereof  is  all  pure  gold,  behaving  himself 
with  much  bravery,  sold  his  life  as  dear  as  he  could;  and  his  Lieutenant 
Flag,  and  Sergeant  Walker,  who  were  "  valient  in  their  lives,  in  their  death 
were  not  divided."  Fifteen  of  ours  were  slain,  and  more  wounded ;  but 
how  many  of  the  enemy  'twas  not  exactly  known,  because  of  a  singular 
care  used  by  them  in  all  their  battles  to  carry  off  their  dead,  tho'  they 
were  forced  now  to  leave  a  good  number  of  them  on  the  spot.  Captain 
Floyd  maintained  the  fight  after  the  death  of  Captain  Wiswel  several 
hours,  until  so  many  of  his  tired  and  wounded  men  drew  off,  that  it  was 
time  for  him  to  draw  off  also ;  for  which  he  was  blamed  perhaps,  by  some 
that  would  not  have  continued  it  so  long  as  he.  Hereupon  Captain  Con- 
verse repaired  with  about  a  score  hands  to  look  after  the  wounded  men, 
and  finding  seven  yet  alive,  he  brought  'em  to  the  hospital  by  sun-rise  the 
next  morning.  He  then  returned  with  more  hands  to  bury  the  dead,  which 
was  done  immediately;  and  plunder  left  by  the  er.emy  at  their  going  off 
was  then  also  taken  by  them.  But  the  same  week  these  rovers  made  their 
descent  as  far  as  Amesbury,  where  Captain  Foot  being  ensnared  by  them, 
they  tortured  him  to  death ;  which  disaster  of  the  Captain  was  an  alarum  to 

*  In  melie. 


608 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


the  town  ".nd  an  efTectual  word  of  command,  causing  'em  to  fly  out  of 
their  beds  into  their  garrisons;  otherwise  they  had  all  undoubtedly  bi  lore 
next  morning  slept  their  last;  their  beds  would  have  been  their  grur.s. 
However,  the  enemy  kill'd  three  persons,  burnt  three  houses,  butchcrovl 
many  cattel;  and  so,  that  scene  of  the  tragedy  being  over,  away  they  went. 
In  fine,  from  the  first  mischief  done  at  Lampereel  river,  to  the  last  at 
Amesbury,  all  belong'd  unto  one  Indian  expedition,  in  which,  though  no 
English  ^places  were  taken,  yet  forty  English  jpcopfe  wore  cut  off. 

'  ARTICLE   XII. 


AN   INDIAN   FORT   OR   TWO   TAKEN,   AND   SOME  OTHER  ACTIONS. 

Reader,  I  remember  the  prolixity  of  Guiccianlino  the  historian  gave 
such  offence,  that  Boccalini  brings  in  an  offender  at  Verbosity,  ordered  for 
his  punishment  by  the  Judges  at  Parnassus,  to  read  that  punctual  his- 
torian; but  the  poor  fellow  begg'd  rather  to  be  floy'd  alive,  than  to  be 
tortured  with  reading  an  historian  who,  in  relating  the  war  between  the 
Florentines  and  Pisans,  made  longer  narrations  about  the  taking  of  a 
pigeon-house,  than  there  needed  of  the  most  fortified  caatle  in  the  world. 
For  this  cause  let  me  be  excused,  reader,  if  I  make  short  uvrk  in  our  story, 
and  leave  the  honest  actors  themselves  to  run  over  circumstances  more  at 
large,  with  their  friends  by  the  fireside. 

The  enemy  appearing  a  little  numerous  and  vexatious,  the  government 
sent  more  forces  to  break  up  the  enemies'  quarters;  and  auxiliaries  both 
of  English  and  Indians,  under  the  command  of  Major  Church,  assisted  ihe 
enterprize.  About  three  hundred  men  were  dispatched  away  upon  this 
design  in  the  beginning  of  September,  who  landed  by  night  in  Casco  13:iy, 
at  a  place  called  Macquoit,  and  by  night  marched  up  to  Pochvpscot-fort; 
where,  from  the  information  of  some  escaped  capiifi'ti,  they  had  an  exjioct- 
ation  to  meet  with  the  enemy,  but  found  that  the  wretches  were  gone 
farther  afield.  They  then  marched  away  for  Amonoseoggin  fort,  wliich 
was  about  forty  miles  up  the  river;  and  wading  through  many  diJimUics, 
whereof  one  was  a  branch  of  the  river  it  self;  they  met  with  four  or  live 
salvages  going  to  their  fort  with  two  English  pristuioi-s.  They  sav'd  the 
prisoners,  but  could  not  catch  the  salvages;  however,  on  the  Lord's  day 
they  got  up  to  the  fort  undiscovered,  where,  to  their  sorrowful  disappoint- 
ment, they  found  no  more  than  one  and  twenty  of  the  enemy,  whorcof 
they  took  and  slew  twenty.  They  found  some  considerable  store  of  plun- 
der, and  rescued  five  English  captives,  and  laid  the  fort  in  ashes;  but  one 
disaster  they  much  complained  of,  that  the  captain  of  the  fort,  wliose  name 
was  Agamcus,  alias  Great  Tom,  slipt  away  from  the  hands  of  his  too  care- 
less keepers.  But  if  this  piece  of  carelessnei:s  did  any  hnrm,  there  was 
another  which  < '  d  some  good:  for  Great  Tom  having  terribly  scared  a  part 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m 


of  his  countrymen  with  the  tidings  of  what  had  happened,  and  an  Eng- 
lish lad  in  their  hands  also  telling  some  truth  unto  them,  they  betook 
themselves  to  such  &  flight  in  their  fright,  as  gave  one  Mr.  Anthony  Bracket, 
then  a  prisoner  with  'em,  an  opportunity  to  fly  four-score  miles  another 
way.  Our  forces  returning  to  Macquoit,  one  of  our  vessels  was  there  care- 
lessly ran  aground,  and  compelled  thereby  to  stay  for  the  next  tide;  and 
Mr.  Bracket  had  been  miserably  aground,  if  it  had  not  so  fell  out;  for  he 
thereby  got  thither  before  she  was  afloat,  otherwise  he  might  have  perished, 
who  was  afterwards  much  improved  in  service  against  the  murderers  of 
his  father.  Arriving  at  Winter-harbour,  a  party  of  men  were  sent  up  the 
river,  who,  coming  upon  a  parcel  of  the  Mankeen  wolves  then  hunted  for, 
killed  some  of  them,  and  seized  most  of  their  arms  and  stores,  and  recov- 
ered from  them  an  Englishman,  who  told  them  that  the  enemy  were 
intending  to  rendezvouz  on  Pechypscot  plain,  in  order  to  an  attempt  upon 
the  town  of  Wells.  Upon  this  they  reimbark'd  for  Macquoit,  and  repaired 
as  fast  as  they  could  unto  Pechypscot  plain,  and  being  divided  into  three 
parties,  they  there  waited  for  the  approach  of  the  enemy.  But  being  tired 
with  one  of  the  three  Italian  miseries,  "waiting  for  those  who  did  not 
come,"  they  only  possessed  themselves  of  more  plunder  there  hid  by  the 
enemy,  and  returned  unto  Casco-harbour.  The  enemy  it  seems  dogged 
their  motions;  and  in  the  night  they  made  a  mischievous  assault  upon 
su^h.  of  the  English  army  as  were  too  remiss  in  providing  for  their  own 
saftty  in  their  going  ashore;  killing  five  of  our  Plymouth  friends,  who  had 
lodg'd  themselves  in  an  house,  without  commanders  or  centinels.  The  Eng- 
lish, as  soon  as  the  light  of  the  day  (which  was  the  Lord's-day,  September 
21,)  gave  'em  leave,  quickly  ran  upon  the  enemy,  and  eased  the  world  of 
some  of  them,  and  made  the  rest  scamper  from  that  part  of  the  world,  and 
got  many  of  their  canoos,  and  not  a  little  of  their  ammunition,  and  their 
best  furniture  for  the  winter.  The  army  was  after  this  dismiss'd,  only  an 
hundred  men  were  left  with  Captain  Converse  and  Lieutenant  Plaisted, 
who  spent  their  time  as  profitably  as  they  could,  in  scouting  about  the 
frontiers,  to  prevent  surprizals  from  an  enemy  which  rarely  did  annoy  but 
when  they  could  surprize. 

ARTICLE  XIII. 


w 

\' 

p: 

i 

\\  . 

i 

I^t^: 

\\ 

y\\\ 


A    FLAG  OF   TRUCE.         ;; ; 

New-Englanp  was  now  quite  out  of  breath!  A  tet^ion^j,  lingering, 
expensive  defence.^  against  an  ever-a2'>proaching  and  unapproachable  adver- 
sary had  made  it  so.  But  nothing  had  made  it  more  so  than  the  expedi- 
tion to  Canada,  which  had  exhausted  its  best  spirits,  and  seem'd  its  Ultimus 
Oonatus.*  While  the  country  was  now  in  too  great  amazements  to  "pro- 
ceed any  farther"  in  the  war,  the  Indians  themselves  entreat  them  to 

*  Lut  struggle. 

Vol.  IT— 39 


610 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


"proceed  no  forther."  The  Indians  came  in  to  Wells  with  a  flag  of  trucf, 
and  there  ensued  some  overtures  with  the  English  commissioners,  M:ijor 
Hutchinson  and  Captain  Townsend,  sent  from  Boston  to  join  with  some 
others  at  Wells.  At  length,  a  meeting  was  appointed  and  obtained  at 
Sagadehock,  November  23,  where  the  redemption  of  ten  English  captives 
was  accomplished;  one  of  whom  was  Mrs.  Hull,  whom  the  Indians  were 
very  loth  to  part  withal,  because,  being  able  to  write  well,  they  made  lur 
serve  them  iu  the  quality  of  a  Secretary:  another  was  named  Nathaimel 
White,  whom  the  barbarous  Canibals  had  already  tied  unto  a  stake,  and 
cut  off  one  of  his  ears,  and  made  him  eat  it  raw,  and  intended  for  to  liavu 
roasted  the  rest  of  him  alive :  the  poor  man  being  astonished  at  his  own 
deliverance  I  At  last  they  signed  articles,  dated  November  29,  1691, 
wherein  they  engaged,  that  no  Indians  in  those  parts  of  the  world  should 
do  any  injury  to  the  persons  or  estates  of  the  English  in  any  of  the  Eng- 
lish colonies,  until  the  first  of  May  next  ensuing:  and  that  on  the  suid 
first  of  May  they  would  bring  into  Storer's  garrison  at  Wells  all  the  Eng- 
lish captives  in  their  hands,  and  there  make,  and  sign,  and  seal  articles  of 
peace  with  thb  English ;  and  in  the  mean  time  give  seasonable  advice  of 
any  plots  Avhich  iley  might  know  the  French  to  have  against  them.  To 
this  instrument  were  set  the  paws  of  Edgeremet,  and  five  more  of  thtir 
sagamores  and  noblemen. 

But  as  it  was  not  upon  the  firm  land,  but  in  their  canoos  upon  the  ivater, 
that  they  signed  and  sealed  this  instrument;  so,  reader,  we  will  be  jealous 
that  it  will  prove  but  aflucttiating  and  unstable  sort  of  a  business;  and  that 
the  Indians  will  do  a  lie  as  they  used  to  do.  However,  we  will  dismiss 
all  our  soldiers  to  their  several  homes,  leaving  only  Captain  Converse  to 
keep  Wells  in  some  order,  until  the  first  of  May  do  show  whether  any 
more  than  a  meerflag  of  truce  be  yet  shown  unto  us. 

ARTICLE  XIV. 


REMARKABLE  ENCOUNTERS. 


At  the  day  appointed,  there  came  to  the  place  Mr.  Danfbrth,  Mr. 
Moodey,  Mr.  Vaughan,  Mr.  Brattle,  and  several  other  gentlemen,  guarded 
with  a  troop,  to  see  how  the  Frenchified  Indians  would  "  keep  their  faith 
with  the  Hereticks  of  New-England."  The  Indians  being  poor  musicians 
for  Jceepimj  of  time,  came  not  according  to  their  articles,  and  when  Captain 
Converse  had  the  courage  to  go  fetch  in  some  of  them,  they  would  have 
made  a  lying  excuse,  "that  they  did  not  know  the  time."  They  brought 
in  two  captives,  and  promised  that  in  twenty  days  more  they  would  bring 
in  to  Captain  Converse  all  the  rest;  but  finding  that  in  two  and  twenty  days 
they  came  not,  with  much  concern  upon  his  mind  he  got  himself  supplied 
as  fast  as  he  could  with  five  and  thirty  men  from  the  county  of  Essex. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


611 


Ilis  men  were  not  come  half  an  hour  to  Storer's  house,  on  June  9,  ioyl, 
nor  had  they  got  their  Indian  weed  fairly  lighted  into  their  mouths,  before 
Herce  Moxus,  with  two  hundred  Indians,  made  an  attaeque  upon  the  gar- 
rison.   This  recruit  of  men,  thus  at  the  very  nick  of  time,  saved  the  place; 
for  Moxus,  meeting  with  a  brave  repulse,  drew  off;  and  gave  Modocka- 
wando  cause  to  say,  (as  a  captive  afterwards  related  it)  "My  brother  Moxus 
has  miss'd  it  now,  but  I  will  go  my  self  the  next  year,  and  have  the  dog 
Converse  out  of  his  hole."    About  this  time,  the  enemy  slew  two  men  at 
Berwick,  two  more  at  Exeter,  and  the  biggest  part  of  nine,  loading  a  vessel 
at  Cape  Nidduck.    But"  about  the  latter  end  of  July  we  sent  out  a  small 
army  under  the  command  of  Captain  March,  Captain  King,  Captain  Sher- 
burn,  and  Captain  Walten,  (Converse  lying  sick  all  summer,  had  this  to 
make  him  yet  more  sick^  that  he  could  have  no  part  in  these  actions)  who 
landing  at  Macquoit,  marched  up  to  Pechypscot,  but  not  finding  any  signs 
of  the  enemy,  "marched  down  again."    While  the  commanders  were  wait- 
ing ashore  till  the  soldiers  were  got  aboard,  such  great  numbers  of  Indians 
poured  in  upon  them,  that  though  the  commanders  wanted  not  for  courage 
or  conduct,  yet  they  found  themselves  obliged,  with  much  ado,  (and  not 
without  the  death  of  worthy  Captain  Sherburn)  to  retire  into  the  vessels 
which  then  lay  aground.    Here  they  kept  pelting  at  one  another  all  night; 
but  unto  little  other  purpose  than  this,  which  was  indeed  remarkable,  that 
the  enemy  was  at  this  time  going  to  take  the  isle  of  Shoales,  and  no  doubt 
had  they  gone  they  would  have  taken  it;  but  having  exhausted  all  their 
ammunition  on  this  occasion,  they  desisted  from  what  they  designed.    For 
the  rest  of  the  year,  the  compassion  of  Heaven  towards  distressed  New- 
England  kept  the  Indians  under  a  strange  inactivity:  only  on  September 
28,  seven  persons  were  murthered  and  captived  at  Berwick;  and  the  day 
following  thrice  seven  of  Sandy-Beach;  on  October  23,  one  Goodridge 
and  his  wife  were  murthered  at  Rowly,  and  his  children  captived ;  and  the 
day  following  the  like  fate  befel  a  family  at  Ilaverhil.    And  this  year,  a 
very  good  strong  fort  at  Cape  Nidduck,  owned  by  a  widow,  was  unhap- 
pily deserted ;  after  which  the  enemy  came  and  burnt  the  houses  in  it. 

ARTICLE  XV. 
THE  MARTYRDOM  OF  MR.  SHUBAEL  DCMMER,  WITH  THE  FATE  OF  YORK. 

Quotiea  viri  boni  violenta  morte  perierunt,  totiea  apud  pioa  crevit  fides  returrectionia.* 

Grot,  in  Zech.  13.  7. 


But  the  winter  must  not  pass  over  without  a  storm  of  blood  1  The 
Popish  Indians,  after  long  silence  and  repose  in  their  inaccessible  kennels, 
which  made  our  frontier  towns  a  little  remit  their  tired  vigilance,  did, 

*  Every  time  thnt  good  men  have  suffered  violent  deaths,  the  fliltb  of  the  Christian  in  a  resurrection  has 
received  new  support. 


612 


MA6NALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


January  25,  1691,  set  upon  the  town  of  York,  where  the  inhabitants  were 
in  their  unguarded  houses  here  and  there  scattered,  quiet  and  secure.  Upon 
the  firing  of  a  gun  by  the  Indians,  which  was  their  signal,  the  inhabitants 
looked  out;  but  unto  their  amazement,  found  their  houses  to  be  invested 
with  horrid  salvages,  who  immediately  kill'd  many  of  those  unprovided 
inhabitants,  and  more  they  took  prisoners.  This  body  of  Indians,  con- 
sisting of  divers  hundreds,  then  sent  in  their  summons  to  some  of  the 
garrisoned  houses;  and  those  garrisons,  whereof  some  had  no  more  than 
two  or  three  men  in  them,  yet  being  so  well  manned^  as  to  reply,  "  that 
they  would  spend  their  blood  unto  the  last  drop,  ere  they  would  surren- 
der;" these  cowardly  miscreants  had  not  mettle  enough  to  meddle  with 
'em.  So  they  retired  into  their  howling  thickets,  having  first  murdered 
about  fifty,  and  captivated  near  an  hundred  of  that  unhappy  people.  lu 
this  calnmity  great  was  the  share  that  fell  to  the  family  of  Mr.  Shubaol 
Dummer,  the  pastor  of  the  "little  flock"  thus  prey'd  upon;  those  blood- 
hounds, being  set  on  by  some  Eomish  missionaries,  had  long  been  wishitig 
that  they  might  embrue  their  hands  in  the  blood  of  some  New-English 
Minister;  and  in  this  action  they  had  their  diabolical  satisfaction.  Our 
DUMMEB,  the  minister  of  York,  was  one  of  whom — for  his  exemplary 
holiness,  humbleness,  modesty,  industry,  and  fidelity — the  world  ivas  not 
worthy.  He  was  a  gentleman  we?/-descended,  u'eZZ-tempered,  we?Z-educated ; 
and  now  short  of  sixty  years  of  age.  He  might  have  taken  for  his  "  coat 
of  arms"  the  same  that  the  holy  martyr  Hooper  prophetically  did,  "a 
lamb  in  a  flaming  bush,  with  rays  from  heaven  shining  on  it."  He  had 
been  solicited  with  many  temptations  to  leave  his  place,  when  the  clouds 
grew  thick  and  black  in  the  Indian  hostilities,  and  were  like  to  break 
upon  it;  but  he  chose  rather  with  a  paternal  affection  to  stay  amongst 
those  who  had  been  so  many  of  them  converted  and  edified  by  his  minis- 
try; and  he  spent  very  much  of  his  own  patrimony  to  subsist  among  them, 
when  their  distresses  made  them  unable  to  support  him  as  they  otherwise 
would  have  done.  In  a  word,  he  was  one  that  might  by  way  of  eminency 
be  called,  "a  good  man."  Tliis  good  man  was  just  going  to  take  horse 
at  his  own  door,  upon  a  journey  in  the  service  of  God,  when  the  tijgrcx 
that  were  making  their  depradations  upon  the  sheep  of  York  seiz'd  upon 
this  their  sliepherd;  and  they  shot  him  so,  that  they  left  him  dead  among 
the  tribe  of  Abel  on  the  ground.  Thus  was  he  (as  Ambrose  in  his  ek'- 
gant  oration,  '^De  obitu  Fratris,^''*  expresses  it)  Non  nobis  ereptui>,  sed  2)eri- 
culis.f  His  wife  they  carried  into  captivity,  where,  through  sorrows  and 
hardships  among  those  "dragons  of  the  desert,"  she  also  quickly  diod; 
and  his  church,  as  many  of  them  as  were  in  that  captivity,  endured  this, 
among  other  anguishes,  that  on  the  next  Lord's  day,  one  of  those  tawnirs 
chose  to  exhibit  himself  unto  them,  ("a  devil  as  an  angel  of  lightl")  in  the 
deaths  whereof  they  had  stript  the  dead  body  of  this  their  father.     Many 

t  Nut  nimtched  rrom  iia,  but  fVuin  peril, 


*  On  the  death  of  n  bruthor. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


618 


W 


were  the  tears  that  were  dropt  throughout  New-England  on  this  occasion; 
and  tJiese  among  the  rest;  for  tho'  we  do  not  as  tradition  tells  us  the  Ante- 
diluvians did  use  to  do  "by  the  blood  of  Abel,"  yet  we  cannot  but 
niournfttlly  sing  of  the  blood  of  such  an  Abel.       '  , 


EPITAPH. 


DuMMiR,  the  iktpherd  saeriflcM 
By  »«/!)«*,  becaute  the  sheep  he  priz'd. 
The  orpkan't  (kther,  church's  light, 
Tho  lot*  of  heav'n,  of  hell  the  spight. 

The  countriei  gapmun,  and  tho  face 
That  f  Aon«,  but  knew  it  not,  with  grace. 
Hunted  by  devils,  but  rellev'd 
By  angelt,  and  on  high  received. 


The  martyr'd  Pelican,  who  bled 
Rather  than  leave  his  charge  unfed. 
A  proper  bird  of  paradise. 
Shot,  and  flown  thither  in  a  trice. 

Lord,  hear  the  cry  of  righteotis  Dum  mix's  wonnds, 
Ascending  still  against  the  salvage  hounds, 
That  worry  thy  dear  Jlocks,  and  let  the  cry 
Add  force  to  theirs  that  at  thine  altar  lye. 


To  compleat  the  epitaph  of  this  good  man,  there  now  needs  no  more 
than  the  famous  old  Chaucer's  motto: 

Mora  miki  arumnarutn  requiet.* 


ARTICLE   XVI. 


THE   MEMORABLE   ACTION   AT  WELLS. 


i       i 


A  VESSEL,  the  nam  j  whereof  I  know  not,  (reader,  let  it  be  the  Charity,) 
being  immediate!/  dispatched  unto  Sagadehock,  by  the  charitable  com- 
passions of  the  more  Southward  neighbours,  with  effects  to  accomplish  it, 
happily  effected  the  redemption  of  many  that  were  taken  captives  at  York. 
But  tlio  rest  of  the  people  in  that  broken  town  talking  of  drawing  off  the 
government,  sent  Captain  Converse  and  Captain  Greenleaf,  with  such 
encouragements  unto  them  to  keep  their  station^  as  prevailed  with  'em  still 
to  stand  their  ground.  In  February  Major  Hutchinson  was  made  com- 
mander in  chief,  and  forces  under  the  command  of  Captain  Converse,  Cap- 
tain Floyd,  and  Captain  Thaxter,  were  by  him  so  prudently  posted  on  the 
frontiers,  that  by  maintaining  a  continual  communication,  it  became  a 
difficult  thing  for  the  enemy  to  make  any  more  approaches.  Lieutenant 
Wilson  particularly  hearii^g  of  a  man  shot  at  in  Quochecho-woods,  wont 
out  with  a  scout  of  about  eighteen  men,  who  came  upon  the  Indians  that 
had  shot  at  the  man,  and  killed  and  wounded  all  but  one  of  the  whole 
company.  But  now,  reader,  the  longest  day  of  the  year  is  to  come  on,  and, 
if  I  mistake  not,  the  bravest  act  in  the  war  fell  out  upon  it.  Modocka- 
wando  is  now  come,  according  to  his  promise  a  twelve-month  ago.  Cap- 
tain Converse  was  lodged  in  Storer's  garrison  at  Wells  with  but  fifteen 
men ;  and  there  came  into  Wells  two  sloops,  with  a  Shallop,  which  had 
aboard  supplies  of  ammunition  for  the  soldiers,  and  contribution  for  tho 
needy.  Tho  cattel  this  day  came  frighted,  and  bleeding  out  of  the  woods, 
which  WJV8  a  more  certain  omen  of  Indians  a  coming  than  all  the  prodigies 

*  Death  ends  my  misfortunes. 


6U 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


that  Livy  reports  of  the  "sacrificed  oxen."  Converse  immediately  issued 
out  his  commands  unto  all  quarters,  but  especially  to  the  sloops  just  then 
arrived.  The  sloops  were  commanded  by  Samuel  Storer  and  James 
Gouge,  and  Gouge's  being  two  miles  up  the  river,  he  wisely  brought  \w.r 
down  undiscovered  unto  Storer's,  by  the  advantage,  of  a  mist  then  ])ro- 
vailing.  A  careful  night  they  had  on'tl  The  next  morning  before  day- 
light, one  John  Diamond,  a  stranger  that  came  in  the  shallop  on  a  visit, 
came  to  Captain  Converse's  garrison,  where  the  watch  invited  him  in;  but 
he  chose  rather  to  go  aboard  the  sloops,  which  were  L  le  more  than  a 
gun-shot  off";  and,  alas!  the  enemy  issuing  out  from  their  lurking-places, 
immediately  seized  him,  and  haled  him  away  by  the  hair  of  the  head,  (in 
spight  of  all  the  attempts  used  by  the  garrison  to  recover  him,)  for  an 
horrihh  story  to  be  told  by  and  by  concerning  him.  The  general  of  the 
enemies'  army  was  Monsieur  Burniff ;  and  one  Monsieur  Labrocree  was  a 
principal  commander;  (the  enemy  said,  he  was  Lieutenant  General;)  there 
were  also  divers  other  Frenchmen  of  quality,  accompanied  with  Modocka- 
wando,  and  Moxus,  and  Egeremet,  and  Warumbo,  and  several  more 
Indian  sagamores:  the  army  made  up  in  all  about  five  hundred  men,  or 
fierce  things  in  the  shape  of  men,  all  to  encounter  fifteen  men  in  one  little 
garrison,  and  about  fifteen  more  men,  (worthily  called  such!)  in  a  couple 
of  open  sloops.  Diamond  having  informed  them  horv  Hioas  in  all  points, 
(only  that  for  fifteen,  by  a  mistake  he  said  thirty,)  they  fell  to  dividing  the 
persons  and  plunder,  and  agreeing  that  such  an  English  captain  should 
be  slave  to  such  a  one,  and  such  a  gentleman  in  the  town  should  serve 
such  a  one,  and  his  wife  be  a  maid  of  honour  to  such  or  such  a  squaw 
proposed,  and  Mr.  Wheelwright  (instead  of  being  a  worthy  counsellor  of 
the  province,  which  he  now  is!)  was  to  be  the  servant  of  such  a  Netop; 
and  the  sloops,  with  their  stores,  to  be  so  and  so  parted  among  them. 
There  wanted  but  one  thing  to  consummate  the  whole  matter,  even  the 
chief  thing  of  all,  which  I  suppose  they  had  not  thought  of;  that  was,  for 
Heaven  to  deliver  all  this  prize  into  their  hands:  but,  aliter  statutum  est  in 
ccelo!*  A  man  habited  like  a  gentleman  made  a  speech  to  them  in  Eng- 
lish, exhorting  'em  to  courage,  and  assuring  'em,  that  if  they  would  cour- 
ageously fall  upon  the  English,  all  was  their  own.  The  speech  being 
ended,  they  fell  to  the  tvork,  and  with  an  horrid  shout  and  shot,  made  their 
assault  upon  the  feeble  garrison ;  but  tlie  English  answered  with  a  brisk 
volley,  and  sent  such  a  leaden  shower  among  them,  that  they  retired  from 
the  garrison  to  spend  the  storm  of  their  fury  upon  the  sloops. 

You  must  know  that  Wells'  harbour  is  rather  a  creek  than  a  river,  for 
'tis  very  narrow,  and  at  low  water  in  many  places  dry;  nevertheless,  where 
the  vessels  ride  it  is  deep  enough,  and  so  far  off  the  bank,  that  there  is 
from  thence  no  leaping  aboard.  But  our  sloops  were  sorely  incommoded 
by  a  turn  of  the  creek,  where  the  enemy  could  lye  out  of  danger  so  near 


*  It  was  ordered  otherwise  In  Hoaveii. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


615 


'em  as  to  throw  mud  aboard  with  their  hands.  The  enemy  was  also  privi- 
It  dged  with  a  great  heap  of  plank  lying  on  the  bank,  and  with  an  hay- 
stoek,  which  they  strengthened  with  the  posts  and  rails;  and  from  all  these 
places,  they  poured  in  their  vengeance  upon  the  poor  sloops,  while  they 
s(j  placed  smaller  parties  of  their  salvages,  as  to  make  it  impossible  for  any 
of  the  garrisons  to  afford  'em  any  relief.  Lying  thus  within  a  dozen  yards 
of  the  sloops,  they  did  with  their  fire  arrows  divers  times  desperately  set 
the  sloops  on  fire :  but  the  brave  defendants,  with  a  swah  at  the  end  of  a 
rope  tied  unto  a  pole,  and  so  dipt  into  the  water,  happily  put  the  fire  out. 
In  brief,  the  sloops  gave  the  enemy  so  brave  a  repulse,  that  at  night  they 
retreated:  when  they  renewed  their  assault,  finding  that  their  fi)rtitxide 
would  not  assure  the  success  of  the  assault  unto  them,  they  had  recourse 
utito  ihavc policy.  First,  an  Indian  comes  on  with  a  shh  for  a  shield  before 
him;  when  a  shot  from  one  of  the  sloops  pierced  the  slab,  which  fell  down 
instead  of  a  tombstone  with  the  dead  Indian  under  it:  on  which,  as  little 
a  fellow  as  he  was,  I  know  not  whether  some  will  not  reckon  it  proper  to 
inscribe  the  epitaph  which  the  Italians  use  to  bestow  upon  their  dead 
Popes:  "When  the  dog  is  dead,  all  his  malice  is  dead  with  him."  Their 
next  stratagem  was  this:  they  brought  out  of  the  woods  a  kind  of  a  cart, 
which  they  trimm'd  and  rigg'd,  and  fitted  up  into  a  thing  that  might  be 
lied  a  chariot:  whereupon  they  built  a  platform,  shot-proof  in  the  front, 
n  .d  placed  many  men  upon  the  platform.  Such  an  engine  they  understood 
how  to  shape,  without  having  read  (I  suppose)  the  description  of  the  Plutcus 
m  ^^VegetiusP'  this  chariot  they  push'd  on  towards  the  sloops,  till  they 
were  got,  it  may  be,  within  fifteen  yards  of  them ;  when,  lo  1  one  of  their 
ivheels,  to  their  admiration,  sunk  into  the  ground.  A  Frenchman  stepping 
to  heave  the  wheel  with  an  helpful  shoulder,  Storer  shot  him  down; 
another  stepping  to  the  wheel,  Storer  with  a  well-placed  shot,  sent  him 
nfter  his  mate:  so  the  rest  thought  it  was  best  to  let  it  stand  as  it  was. 
The  enemy  kept  gauling  the  sloop  from  their  several  batteries,  and  calling 
'em  to  surrender,  with  many  fine  promises  to  make  them  happy,  which 
ours  answered  with  a  just  laughter,  that  had  now  and  then  a  mortiferoua 
hidlet  at  the  end  of  it.  The  tide  rising,  the  chariot  overset,  so  that  the 
men  behind  it  lay  open  to  the  sloops,  which  immediately  dispenced  an 
horrible  slaughter  among  them ;  and  they  that  could  get  away,  got  as  fast 
and  as  fiir  oft"  as  they  could.  In  the  night  the  en(3my  had  much  discourse 
with  the  sloops:  they  enquired,  "who  were  their  commanders?"  and  the 
English  gave  an  answer,  which  in  some  other  cases  and  places  would  have 
been  too  true,  "that  they  had  a  great  many  commanders:"  but  the  Indians 
replied,  "You  lie  I — you  have  none  but  Converse,  and  we  will  have  him 
too  before  morning!"  They  also,  knowing  that  the  magazine  was  in  the 
garrison,  lay  under  an  hill-side,  pelting  at  that  by  times;  but  Captain  Con- 
verse once  in  the  night  sent  out  three  or  four  of  his  men  into  a  field  of 
wheat  for  a  sliot,  if  they  could  get  one.    Thre  seeing  a  black  heap  lying 


616 


>^  MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


together,  ours  all  at  once  let  fly  upon  them  a  shot,  that  slew  several  of 
them  that  were  thus  "caught  in  the  com,"  and  made  the  rest  glad  that 
they  found  themselves  able  to  run  for  it.  Captain  Conyerse  was  this  while 
in  much  distress  about  a  scout  of  six  men  which  he  had  sent  forth  to 
Newichawannick  the  morning  before  the  arrival  of  the  enemy,  ordering 
them  to  return  the  day  following.  The  scout  returned  into  the  very  mouth 
of  the  enemy  that  lay  before  the  garrison;  but  the  corporal,  having  his 
wits  about  him,  call'd  out  aloud,  (as  if  he  had  seen  Captain  Converse 
making  a  sally  forth  upon  'em)  "Captain,  wheel  about  your  men  round 
the  hill,  and  we  shall  catch  'em;  there  are  but  a  few  rogues  of  'em!"  upon 
which  the  Indians,  imagining  that  Captain  Converse  had  been  at  their 
heels,  betook  themselves  to  their  heels ;  and  our  folks  got  safe  into  another 
garrison.  On  the  Lord's-day  morning  there  was  for  a  while  a  deep  silence 
among  the  assailants;  but  at  length,  getting  into  a  body,  they  marched 
with  great  formality  towards  the  garrison,  where  the  Captain  ordered  his 
handful  of  men  to  lye  snug,  and  not  to  make  a  shot  until  every  shot  might 
be  likely  to  do  some  execution.  While  they  thus  beheld  a  formidable 
crew  of  dragons,  coming  with  open  mouth  upon  them  to  swallow  them  up 
at  a  mouthful,  one  of  the  soldiers  began  to  epeak  of  surrtndering ;  upon 
which  the  Captain  vehemently  protested,  "that  he  would  lay  the  man 
dead  who  shpuld  so  much  as  mutter  that  base  word  any  morel"  and  so 
they  heard  no  more  on  it:  but  the  valiant  Storer  was  put  upon  the  like 
protestation,  to  keep  'em  in  good  fighting  trim  aboard  the  sloops  also. 
The  enemy  now  approaching  very  near,  gave  three  shouts  that  made  the 
earth  ring  again ;  and  crying  out  in  English,  "  Fire,  and  fall  on  brave  boys !" 
the  whole  body,  drawn  into  three  ranks,  fired  at  once.  Captain  Converse 
immediately  ran  into  the  several  flankers,  and  made  their  best  guns  fire  at 
such  a  rate,  that  several  of  the  enemy  fell,  and  the  rest  of  'em  disappeared 
almost  as  nimbly  as  if  there  had  been  so  many  spectres :  particularly  a 
parcel  of  them  got  into  a  small  deserted  house ;  which  having  but  a  board- 
wall  to  to  it,  the  captain  sent  in  after  them  those  bullets  of  twelve  to  the 
pound,  that  made  the  house  too  hot  for  them  that  could  get  out  of  it.  The 
women  in  the  garrison  on  this  occasion  took  up  the  Amazonian  stroke,  and 
not  only  brought  ammunition  to  the  men,  but  also  with  a  manly  resolution 
fired  several  times  upon  the  enemy.  The  enemy,  finding  that  things  would 
not  yet  go  to  their  minds  at  the  garrison,  drew  off  to  try  their  skill  upon  the 
sloops,  which  lay  still  abreast  in  the  creek,'lash'd  fast  one  to  another.  They 
built  a  great  fire-xvork,  about  eighteen  or  twenty  foot  square,  and  fill'd  it 
up  with  combustible  matter,  which  they  fired ;  and  then  they  set  it  in  the 
way  for  the  tide  now  to  float  it  up  unto  the  sloops,  which  had  now  nothing 
but  an  horrible  death  before  them.  Nevertheless,  their  demnnds  of  both 
the  garrison  and  the  sloops  to  yield  themselves,  were  answered  no  otherwise 
than  witn  death  upon  nuiny  of  them,  spit  from  tlie  guns  of  the  besieged. 
Having  tow'd  their  fire-work  as  far  as  they  durst,  they  committed  it  unto 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW.ENCLAND\ 


617 


the  tide;  but  the  distressed  Christians  that  had  this  deadly  fire  swimming 
along  upon  the  water  towards  them,  committed  it  unto  God:  and  God 
looked  from  heaven  upon  them  in  this  prodigious  article  of  their  distress. 
"These  poor  men  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  them,  and  saved  them  out  of 
their  troubles:"  The  wind,  unto  their  astonishment,  immediately  turn'd 
about,  and  with  a  fresh  gale  drove  the  machin  ashore  on  the  other  side, 
and  split  it  so,  that  the  water  being  let  in  upon  it,  the  fire  went  out.  So 
the  godly  men  that  saw  God  from  heaven  thus  fighting  for  them,  cried 
out,  with  an  astonishing  joy,  "If  it  had  not  been  the  Lord,  who  was  on 
our  side,  they  had  swallowed  us  up  quick ;  blessed  be  the  Lord  who  hath 
not  given  us  a  prey  to  their  teeth;  our  soul  is  escaped  as  a  bird  out  of  the 
snare  of  the  fowlers !"  The  enemy  were  now  in  a  pitiful  pickle  with  toiling 
and  moiling  in  the  mud,  and  black'ned  with  it,  if  mud  could  add  blackness 
to  such  miscreants;  and  their  ammunition  was  pretty  well  exhausted:  so 
that  now  they  began  to  draw  off  in  all  parts,  and  with  rafts  get  over  the 
river;  some  whereof  breaking,  there  did  not  a  few  cool  their  late  heat  by 
falling  into  it.  But  first  they  made  all  the  spoil  they  could  upon  the  cattel 
about  the  town ;  and  giving  one  shot  more  at  the  sloops,  they  kill'd  the 
only  man  of  ours  that  was  kill'd  aboard  'em.  Then,  after  about  half  an 
hour's  consultation,  they  sent  a  flag  of  truce  to  the  garrison,  advising  'em 
with  much  flattery  to  surrender;  but  the  captain  sent  'em  word,  "that  he 
wanted  for  nothing  but  for  men  to  come  and  fight  him."  The  Indian 
replied  unto  Captain  Converse,  "Being  you  are  so  stout,  why  don't  yon 
come  and  fight  in  the  open  field  like  a  man,  and  not  fight  in  a  garrison 
like  a  squaw  ?"  The  captain  rejoined,  "  What  a  fool  are  you  1  do  you  think 
thirty  men  a  match  for  five  hundred?  No,"  (says  the  captain,  counting, 
as  well  he  might,  each  of  his  fifteen  men  to  be  as  good  as  two/)  "come  with 
your  thirty  men  upon  the  plain,  and  I  will  meet  you  with  my  thirty  as  soon 
as  you  will."  Upon  this  the  Indian  answered,  "Nay,  we  own  English 
fashion  is  all  one  fool:  you  kill  me,  me  kill  you!  No;  better  lye  some- 
where and  shoot  a  man,  and  he  no  see!  that  the  best  soldier!"  Then  they 
fell  to  coaksing  the  captain  with  as  many  ^ine  ivords  as  the  fox  in  the  fable 
had  for  the  allurement  of  his  prey  unto  him;  and  urged  mightily  that 
Ensign  Hill,  who  stood  with  the  flag  of  truce,  might  stand  a  little  nearer 
their  army.  The  captain,  for  a  good  reason,  to  be  presently  discerned, 
would  not  allow  that:  whereupon  they  fell  to  threatniuj;  and  raging,  like 
so  many  defeated  devils,  using  these  words:  "Damn  ye,  we'll  cut  you  as 
small  as  tobacco  before  to  morrow  morning."  The  captain  bid  'em  to  make 
naste,  for  he  "wanted  work;"  so  the  Indian,  throwing  his  flag  on  the 
ground,  ran  away,  and  Ensign  Hill,  nimbly  stripping  his  flag,  ran  into  the 
valley;  but  the  salvages  presently  fired  from  an  ambushment  behind  an 
hill,  near  the  place  where  they  had  urged  for  a  parley. 

And  now  for  poor  John  Diamond!     The  enemy  retreating  (which 
o|>[»urtimity  the  sloops  took  to  burn  down  the  dangerous  hay-stoclc,)  into 


.■■,!•., I- 


1-'  'i.l 


.     * 


618 


'MAONALIA    CHRI8TI    AMEBIOANA;     r^. 


the  plain,  out  of  gun-shot,  they  fell  to  torturing  their  captive,  Johu  I)ia« 
mond,  after  a  manner  very  diabolical.  They  stripped  him,  they  sculjmV 
him  alive,  and  after  a  castration,  they  finished  that  article  in  the  punish- 
ment of  traitors  upon  him;  they  slit  him  with  knives  between  his  fingers 
and  his  toes;  they  made  cruel  gashes  in  the  most  fleshy  parts  of  his  body, 
and  stuck  the  gashes  with  fire-brands  which  were  afterwards  found  sticking 
in  the  wounds.  Thus  they  butchered  one  poor  Englishman  with  all  the 
fury  that  they  would  have  spent  upon  them  all;  and  performed  an  exploit 
for  five  hundred  furies  to  brag  of  at  their  coming  home.  Ghastly  to 
eatress/ — what  was  it  then  to  suffer?  They  returned  then  unto  tho 
garrison,  and  kept  firing  at  it  now  and  then  till  near  ten  a  clock  at  night; 
when  they  all  marched,  off,  leaving  behind  'em  some  of  their  dead ;  whereof 
one  was  Monsieur  Labocree,  who  had  about  his  neck  a  pouch  with  about 
a  dozen  reliques  ingeniously  made  up,  and  a  printed  paper  of  induhjtucian, 
and  several  other  implements;  and,  no  doubt,  thought  himself  in  as  good 
safety  as  if  he  had  all  the  spells  of  Lapland  about  him :  but  it  seems  none 
of  the  armdets  about  his  neck  would  save  him  from  a  mortal  shot  in  tho 
head.  Thus,  in  forty-eight  hours,  was  finished  an  action  as  worthy  to  bo 
related,  as  perhaps  any  that  occurs  in  our  story.  And  it  was  not  long 
before  the  valiant  Gouge,  who  bore  his  part  in  this  action,  did  another 
that  was  not  much  inferiour  to  it,  when  he  suddenly  recovered  from  tho 
French  a  valuable  prey,  which  they  had  newly  taken  upon  our  coast. 

I  doubt,  reader,  we  have  had  this  article  of  our  history  a  little  too  long. 
We  will  finish  it  when  we  have  remarked  that,  albeit  there  wore  too 
much  feebleness  discovered  by  my  countrymen  in  some  of  their  actions 
during  this  war  at  sea,  as  well  as  on  shore,  yet  several  of  their  actions, 
especially  at  sea,  deserve  to  be  remembered.  And  I  cannot  but  particu- 
larly bespeak  a  remembrance  for  the  exploit  performed  by  some  of  my 
neighbours  in  a  vessel  going  into  Barbadoes.  They  were  in  sight  of  Bar- 
badoes  assaulted  by  a  French  vessel,  which  had  a  good  number  of  guna, 
and  between  sixty  and  seventy  hands.  Our  vessel  had  four  guns,  and 
eight  fghting  men,  (truly  such!)  with  two  tawny  servants.  The  names  of 
these  men  were  Barret,  Sunderland,  Knoles,  Nash,  Morgan,  Fosdyko,  and 
two  more  that  I  now  forget.  A  desperate  engagement  ensued,  wherein 
our  eight  marriners  managed  the  matter  with  such  bravery,  that,  by  tho 
help  of  Heaven  they  killed  between  thirty  and  forty  of  the  French  asauil- 
ants,  without  losing  one  of  their  own  little  number:  and  they  sank  tho 
French  vessel  which  lay  by  their  side,  out  of  which  they  took  twenty- 
seven  prisoners,  whereof  some  were  wounded,  and  all  crying  for  quarter. 
In  the  fight,  the  French  pennant,  being  by  the  wind  fastned  about  tho  top- 
mast of  the  English  vessel,  it  was  torn  off  by  the  sinking  of  tho  French  ves- 
sel, and  left  pleasantly  flying  there.  So  they  sailed  into  Barbadoes,  wlui-e 
the  assembly  voted  them  one  publick  acknowledgment  of  their  courage  and 
conduct  in  this  brave  action,  and  our  history  now  gives  them  another. 


was  now  vi<^ 


Oe,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAND. 


619 


ARTICLE  XVII. 


THE   FORT   AT  PEMMAQUID. 

His  Excellency  Sir  William  Phips  being  arrived  now  the  Governour  of 
New-England,  applied  himself  with  all  possible  vigour  to  carry  on  the 
war:  and  the  advice  of  a  new  slaughter  some  time  in  July,  made  by  the 
Indians,  on  certain  poor  husbandmen  in  their  meadows,  at  the  north  side 
of  Merrimack-river,  put  an  accent  upon  the  zeal  of  the  designs  which  he 
was  now  vigorously  prosecuting.  He  raised  about  four  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  and  in  pursuance  of  his  instructions  from  Whitehall,  he  laid  the 
foundations  of  a  fort  at  Pemmaquid,  which  was  the  finest  thing  that  had 
been  seen  in  these  parts  of  America.  Captain  Wing,  assisted  with  Cap- 
tain Bancroft,  went  through  the  former  part  of  the  work;  and  the  latter 
part  of  it  was  finished  by  Captain  March.  His  Excellency,  attended  in 
this  matter  with  these  worthy  Captains,  did  in  a  few  months  dispatch  a 
service  for  the  king,  with  a  prudence,  and  industry,  and  thriftiness,  greater 
than  any  reward  they  ever  had  for  it.  The  fort,  called  the  William 
Henry,  was  built  of  stone,  in  a  quadrangular  figure,  being  about  seven 
hundred  and  thirty-seven  foot  in  compass,  without  the  outer  walls,  and  an 
hundred  and  eight  foot  square,  within  the  inner  ones;  twenty-eight  ports 
it  had,  and  fourteen  (if  not  eighteen)  guns  mounted,  whereof  six  wer?; 
eighteen-pounders.  The  wall  on  the  south  line,  fronting  to  the  sea,  wan 
twenty-two  foot  high,  and  more  than  six  foot  thick  at  the  ports,  which 
were  eight  foot  from  the  ground.  The  greater  flanker  or  round  tower  at 
tlie  western  end  of  this  line,  was  twenty-nine  foot  high.  The  wall  on  the 
east  line  was  twelve  foot  high,  on  the  north  it  was  ten,  on  the  west  it  was 
eighteen.  It  was  computed  that  in  the  whole  there  were  laid  above  two 
thousand  cart-loads  of  stone.  It  stood  about  a  score  of  rods  from  high- 
water  mark;  and  it  had  generally  at  least  sixty  men  posted  in  it  for  its 
defence,  which,  if  they  were  men,  might  easily  have  maintained  it  against 
more  than  twice  six  hundred  assailants.  Yea,  we  were  almost  ready  to 
flutter  our  selves  that  we  might  have  writ  on  the  gates  of  this  fort,  as  the 
French  did  over  that  of  Namur,  (yet  afterv^ards  taken  by  K.  William,) 
Reddi,  non  Vinci  potest*  Now,  as  the  architect  that  built  the  strong 
fortress  at  Name  in  Poland  had,  for  his  recompence,  his  eyes  put  out,  le  i 
he  should  build  such  another.  Sir  William  Phips  was  almost  as  hardly 
rccompenced  for  the  building  of  this  at  Pemmaquid.  Although  this  fort, 
thus  erected  in  the  heart  of  the  enemies'  country,  did  so  break  the  heart  of 
the  enemy,  that  indeed  they  might  have  called  it,  as  the  French  did  theirs, 
upon  the  river  of  the  Illinois,  the  fort  of  Creveccpxir ;  and  the  tranquillity 
after  enjoyed  by  the  country,  (which  was  very  much  more  than  hefon) 
was,  under  God,  much  owing  thereunto:   Yet  the  expense  of  maintaining 

*  U  mny  bo  given  up,  but  not  oonquorcd. 


>l        ■ 


620 


MAQNA'^lA    CHRI8TI    AMEBICANA; 


it,  when  we  were  so  much  impoverished  otherwise,  made  it  continually 
complained  of  as  one  of  the  "countrie's  grievances."  The  murmurings 
about  this  fort  were  so  epidemical,  that,  if  we  may  speak  in  the  foolish 
cant  of  astrology,  and  prognosticate  from  the  aspect  of  Saturn  upon  Mars 
at  its  nativity,  "Fort  William-Henry,  thou  hast  not  long  to  livel  Before 
the  year  ninety-six  expire,  thou  shalt  be  demolished."  In  the  mean  time, 
let  us  accompany  Major  Church,  going  with  a  company  to  Penobscot, 
where  he  took  five  Indians;  and  afterwards  to  Taconet,  where  the  Indians, 
discovering  his  approach,  set  their  own  fort  on  fire  themselves,  and  flying 
from  it,  left  only  their  corn  to  be  destroyed  by  him.  And  so  we  come  to 
the  end  of  1692,  only  we  are  stopt  a  little  with  a  very  strange  parenthesis. 


ARTICLE  XVIII. 

A   SURPRISING  THING   LAID   BEFORE  THE   READER, 

TOR  RIM  TO  JUDQE,  (iF  HE  CAN)  WHAT  TO  MAKE  OF  IT. 

Eeader,  I  must  now  address  thee  with  the  words  of  a  poet: 

,  Dieam  intigne,  recent,  adhue 

Indietum  ore  aiio> — Horat. 


I 


But  with  truths  more  confirmed  than  what  uses  to  come  from  the  pen  of  a 
poet.  The  story  of  the  prodigious  war,  made  by  the  spirits  of  the  invisible 
world  upon  the  people  of  New-England,  in  the  year  1692,  hath  entertain'd 
a  great  part  of  the  English  world  with  a  just  astonishment.  And  I  have 
met  with  some  strange  things,  not  here  to  me  mentioned,  which  have  made 
me  often  think  that  this  inexplicable  war  might  have  some  of  its  original 
among  the  Indians,  whose  chief  sagamores  are  well  known  unto  some  of 
our  captives  to  have  been  horrid  sorcerersy  and  hellish  conjurers,  and  such 
as  conversed  with  dmmotis.  The  sum  of  that  story  is  written  in  the  ^^Life 
of  Sir  William  Phipsf^  with  such  irreproachable  truth,  as  to  defie  the 
utmost  malice  and  cunning  of  all  our  Sadduces  to  confute  it  in  so  much  as 
one  material  article:  And  that  the  balant  and  latrant  noises  of  that  sort  of 
people  may  be  for  ever  silenced,  the  story  will  be  abundantly  justified, 
when  the  further  account  written  of  it  by  Mr.  John  Hale  shall  be  pub- 
lished: For  none  can  suspect  a  gentleman  so  full  of  dissatisfaction  at  the 
proceedings  then  used  against  the  supposed  wiithc^afts,  as  now  that  rever- 
end person  is,  to  be  a  superstitious  writer  upon  that  subject. 

Novv,  in  tbe  time  of  that  matchless  war,  there  fell  out  a  thing  at  Gloces- 
t(3r,  which  falls  in  here  most  properly  to  be  related:  A  town  so  scituated, 
surrounded  and  neighboured,  in  the  county  of  Essex,  that  no  man  in  his 
wits  will  imagine,  that  a  dozen  Frenchmen  and  Indians  would  come  and 
alarm  the  inhabitants  for  three  weeks  together,  and  engage  'em  in  several 
skirmishes,  while  there  were  two  regiments  raised,  and  a  detachment  of 

*  I  Blng  great  duvda,  na  yet  uniung     |     In  poet's  vorae— by  po«t*i>  tunguo.— 0(2ef,  III.  S25,  v,  7. 


OR,    THE    III8T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


621 


threescore  men  sent  unto  their  succour,  and  not  one  man  hurt  in  all  the 
actions,  and  all  end  una<!COuntably.  And  because  the  relation  will  be 
extraordinary,  I  will  not  be  my  self  the  author  of  any  one  clause  in  it;  but 
I  will  transcribe  the  xvords  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  did  me  the 
favour,  with  much  critical  caution,  to  examine  witnesses,  not  long  after  the 
thing  happened,  and  then  sent  me  the  following  account: 

A  FAITHFUI.  ACCOUNT  OF  HAIIT  WONDEKFUL  AND  SVBFRISINS  THINGS, 

Which  happened  in  the  town  of  Glocester,  in  the  year  1692.  ' 

"Ebenezkr  Bafson,  about  midsummer,  in  the  year  1692,  with  the  rest  of  his  family, 
almost  every  night  heard  a  noise,  as  if  persons  were  going  £.nd  running  about  his  house. 
But  one  night  being  abroad  late,  at  his  return  home,  he  saw  two  men  como  out  of  liis  door, 
and  run  from  the  end  of  the  house  into  the  corn.  But  those  of  the  family  told  him  there 
had  been  no  person  at  all  there:  whereupon  he  got  his  gun,  and  went  out  in  pursuit  after 
them,  r.id  coming  a  little  distance  from  the  house,  he  saw  the  two  men  start  up  from  behind 
a  log,  and  run  into  a  little  swamp,  saying  to  each  other,  'The  man  of  the  house  is  come  now, 
else  wo  might  have  t:tl(en  vhe  house.'    So  he  heard  nor  saw  no  more  of  them. 

"Upon  this,  the  whole  f;.mily  got  up,  and  went  with  all  speed  to  a  garrison  near  by;  and 
being  just  got  into  the  garrison,  they  heard  men  stamping  round  the  garrison:  Whereupon 
Bapson  took  his  gun  and  ran  out,  and  saw  two  men  again  running  down  an  hill  into  a 
swamp.  The  next  night  but  one,  the  said  Bapson  going  toward  a  fresh  meadow,  saw  two 
men  which  looked  like  Frenchmen,  one  of  them  having  a  bright  gun  upon  his  back,  and  both 
running  a  great  pace  towards  him,  which  caused  him  to  make  the  best  of  his  way  to  the  gar- 
rison ;  where  being  como,  several  heard  a  noise,  as  if  men  were  stamping  and  running  not  far 
from  the  garrison.  Witiiin  a  night  or  two  after  this,  the  persons  in  the  garrison  heard  a 
noise,  as  if  men  were  throwing  stones  against  the  bnrn.  Not  long  after  this,  Bapson,  with 
John  Brown,  saw  three  men,  about  a  gun-isKot  oflF  the  garrison,  which  th«y  endeavoured  to 
shoot  at,  but  were  disappointed  ^  y  their  running  to  and  fro  from  the  corn  into  the  bushes. 
They  were  seen  two  or  three  nighu  together:  but  though  the  abovesaid  strove  to  shoot  at 
them,  they  could  never  attain  it.  On  July  14,  Bapson  and  Brown,  with  the  rest  of  the  men 
in  the  garri>ion,  saw,  within  gun-shot,  half  a  dozen  men;  whereupon  all  the  men  but  one 
made  haste  out  of  the  garrison,  marching  towards  them.  Bapson  presently  overtook  two  of 
them,  whicii  run  out  of  the  bushes,  and  coming  close  to  them,  he  presented  his  gun  at  thorn, 
and  his  gun  missing  fire,  the  two  men  returned  into  the  bushes.  Bapson  then  called  unto 
the  other  persons,  which  were  on  the  other  side  of  the  swamp,  and  upon  his  call  they  made 
answer,  'Here  they  are!  here  they  are!'  Bapson  then  running  to  meet  them,  saw  three  men 
walk  softly  out  of  the  swamp  by  each  other's  side;  the  middlemost  having  on  a  white  waiatcoat. 
So  being  within  two  or  three  rod  of  them,  he  shot,  and  as  soon  as  his  gun  was  oiT,  they  all  fell 
down.  Btipson  then  running  to  his  supposed  prey,  cried  out  unto  his  companions,  whom  he 
heard  on  the  other  side  of  the  swamp,  and  said, 'he  had  kill'd  three!  he  had  kill'd  three!'  But 
coming  almost  unto  them,  they  all  rose  up,  and  one  of  them  shot  at  him,  and  hearing  the  bullet 
whist  by  him,  he  ran  behind  a  tree,  and  loaded  his  gun,  and  seeing  them  lye  behind  a  log,  he 
crept  toward  them  again,  telling  his  companions,  'they  were  here!'  So  his  companions  came 
up  to  him,  and  they  all  ran  directly  to  the  log,  with  all  speed;  but  before  they  got  thither, 
they  saw  them  start  up,  and  run  every  man  his  way;  one  of  them  run  into  the  corn,  whom 
they  pursued,  and  hemm'd  in;  and  Bapson  seeing  him  coming  toward  himself,  shot  at  him  as 
he  was  getting  over  the  fence,  and  saw  him  fall  olf  the  fence  on  the  ground,  but  when  he  came 
to  the  spot  he  could  not  find  him.  So  they  all  searched  the  corn;  and  as  they  wore  search- 
ing, they  heard  a  great  fiiscoursing  in  the  swamp,  but  could  not  understand  what  they  a.iid; 
for  they  spoke  in  an  unknown  tongue.  Afterwards,  looking  out  from  the  garrison,  they  saw 
several  men  skulking  among  the  corn  and  bushes,  but  could  not  get  a  shot  at  them. 


622 


MAGNALIA    CUBISTI    AMSRICAXA 


"The  next  morning,  just  at  day-break,  they  saw  one  man  come  out  of  the  swamp  not  ftir 
from  the  garrison,  and  stand  close  up  against  the  fence,  within  gunshot  Whereupon  Isuuc 
Prince,  with  a  long  gun,  shot  at  him  with  swan-shot,  and  in  a  moment  he  was  gone  out  of 
sight;  they  saw  him  no  more.  Upon  this,  Bapson  went  to  carry  news  to  the  harbour;  and 
being  about  half  a  mile  in  his  way  thither,  he  hoard  a  gun  go  ofT,  and  heard  a  bullet  whiss 
close  by  his  ear,  which  cut  off  a  pine  bush  just  by  him,  and  the  bullet  lodg'd  in  an  hemlock- 
tree.  Then  looking  about  he  saw  four  men  running  towards  him,  one  with  a  gun  in  his 
hand,  and  the  other  with  guns  on  their  shoulder.  So  he  ran  into  the  bushes,  and  turnintr 
about,  shot  at  them,  and  then  ran  away  and  saw  them  no  more.  About  six  men  returned  from 
the  harbour  with  him,  searching  the  woods  as  they  went;  and  they  siiw  where  the  bullet  had 
cut  off  the  pine-bush,  and  where  it  was  lodged  in  tlte  hemlwk-trec,  and  they  took  the  bullet 
out,  which  is  still  to  be  seen.  When  they  were  come  to  the  garrison,  they  went  to  look  for  the 
tracks  of  the  strange  men  that  hod  been  seen,  and  saw  several  tracks;  and  whilst  they  were 
looking  on  them,  they  saw  one  which  look'd  like  ait  Indian,  having  on  a  blue  coat,  and  his 
hair  ty'd  up  behind,  standing  by  a  tree,  and  looking  on  thom.  But  as  soon  as  they  spake  to 
each  other,  he  ran  into  a  swamp,  and  they  after  him,  and  one  of  tlicm  shot  at  him,  but  to  no 
purpose.  One  of  them  also  saw  another,  which  luok'd  like  a  Frenchman,  but  they  quickly 
lost  the  sight  of  him. 

"July  15.  Ezekiel  Day  being  in  company  with  several  others,  who  were  ordered  to  scout 
the  woods,  when  they  cume  to  a  certain  fresh  meadow,  two  miles  from  any  house,  at  some 
distance  from  the  said  meadow,  he  saw  a  man  which  he  appn>hendod  to  be  an  Indian,  clouthed 
in  blue;  and  as  soon  as  he  saw  him  start  up  and  run  awny,  he  shot  at  him;  whereupon  he 
saw  another  rise  up  a  little  way  off,  who  also  run  with  speed;  which,  together  with  the 
former,  were  quickly  out  of  sight;  and  though  himself,  togi'ther  with  his  companions,  dili- 
gently sought  after  them,  they  could  not  find  them.  The  same  day  John  Hammond,  with 
several  other  persons,  scouting  in  the  woods,  saw  another  of  these  'strange  men,'  having  on 
a  blue  shirt  and  white  breeches,  and  something  about  his  head :  but  could  not  overtake  him. 

"July  17.  Three  or  four  of  these  'unaccountable  troublera'  vnmn  near  the  garrison;  but 
they  could  not  get  a  shot  at  them.  Richard  Dolliver  also,  and  Benjamin  Ellary,  creeping 
down  an  hill  upon  discovery,  saw  several  men  come  out  of  «u  orchard,  walking  backward 
and  forward,  and  striking  with  a  stick  upon  John  Row's  dosertinl  house,  (the  noise  of  which 
was  heard  by  others  at  a  considerable  distance ;)  Ellary  counting  them  to  be  eleven  in  all ; 
Dolliver  shot  at  the  midst  of  them,  where  they  stood  thickest,  and  immediately  they  dispersed 
themselves,  and  were  quickly  gone  out  of  sight. 

"July  18.  Which  was  the  time  that  Major  Appleton  sent  alnnit  si.xty  men  from  Ipswich, 
for  the  town's  assistance  under  these  inexplicable  alarms  which  thoy  had  suffered  night  nnd 
day,  for  about  a  fortnight  together;  John  Day  testifies,  that  ho  went  in  compiiny  with  Ipswich 
and  Gloucester  forces  to  a  garrison  about  two  miles  and  a  hnlf  fVom  the  town;  and  news 
being  brought  in  that  guns  went  off  in  a  swamp  not  far  from  the  garrison,  some  of  the  men, 
with  himself,  ran  to  discover  what  they  could ;  and  when  he  canje  to  the  head  of  the  swamp, 
he  saw  a  man  with  a  blue  shirt  and  bushy  black  hair  run  out  of  the  swamp,  and  into  the 
woods;  he  ran  after  him  with  all  speed,  and  came  several  times  within  shot  of  him :  but  the 
woods  being  thick,  he  could  not  obtain  his  design  of  shooting  him;  at  length  ho  was  at 
once  gone  out  of  sight;  and  when  afterwards  he  went  to  look  for  his  track,  he  could  find 
none,  though  it  were  a  low  miry  place  that  he  ran  over, 

"About  July  25,  Bapson  went  into  the  woods  after  his  oattol,  and  saw  three  men  stand 
upon  a  point  of  rocks  which  look'd  toward  the  sea.  So  he  cn^pt  among  the  bushes  till  he 
came  within  forty  yards  of  them :  an  4  then  presented  hh  gun  at  them,  and  snapt,  but  his  gun 
miss'd  fire,  and  so  it  did  above  a  do2:cn  times,  till  thoy  all  thn>o  came  up  towards  him,  walking 
a  slow  pace,  one  of  them  having  a  gun  upon  his  back.  Nor  did  they  take  any  more  notice  of 
him,  than  just  to  give  him  a  look;  though  he  snapt  his  gun  at  them  all  the  while  they  walked 
toward  him,  and  by  him:  neither  did  they  quicken  their  pace  at  all,  but  went  into  a  panel 


our  mos 


OS,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


623 


nf  bushes,  and  he  saw  them  no  more.  When  he  came  home  he  snapt  his  gun  several  timeH, 
sometimes  with  but  a  few  corns  of  powder,  and  yet  it  did  not  once  misn  fire.  After  this,  there 
occurred  several  strange  things;  but  now,  concluding  they  were  but  spectres,  they  toulc 
little  further  notice  of  them." 

[Several  other  testimonies,  all  of  the  same  effect  with  the  foregoing, 
my  friend  had  added,  which  for  brevity  1  omit:  and  only  add,  the  most 
considerable  of  these  passages  were  afterward  sworn  before  one  of  their 
majesties'  council.] 

"Reverend  and  truly  honoured  sir:  According  to  your  request,  I  have  collected  a  brief 
account  of  the  occurrences  remark'd  in  our  town  the  last  year.  Some  of  them  are  very 
admirable  things,  and  yet  no  less  true  than  strange,  if  we  may  believe  the  assertions  of  credi- 
ble persons.  Tho'  because  of  great  haste  it  is  a  rough  draught,  yet  there  is  nothing  written 
but  what  the  persons  mentioned  would,  if  duly  called,  confirm  the  truth  of  by  oath. 

"I  might  have  given  you  a  larger  account;  only  several  who  saw  and  heard  some  of  the 
most  remarkable  things,  are  now  beyond  sea.  However,  I  hope  the  substance  of  what  is 
written  will  be  enough  to  satisiie  all  rational  persons  that  Glocester  was  not  nlarumed  hist 
summer  for  above  a  fortnight  together  by  real  French  and  Indians,  but  that  the  deiil  and  his 
agents  were  the  cause  of  all  the  molestation  which  at  this  time  befel  the  town;  in  tie  name 
of  whose  inhabitants  I  would  take  upon  me  to  entreat  your  earnest  prayers  to  the  Father 
of  mercies,  that  those  apparitions  may  not  prove  the  sad  omens  of  some  future  and  more 
horrible  molestations  to  them. 

"Sir,  your  very  humble  servant,  J.  E. 

Now,  reader,  albeit  that  passage  of  the  sacred  story,  2  Chron.  xx.  22, 
"The  Lord  set  ambushments  against  the  children  of  Ammon,  Moab,  and 
Mount  Seir,  and  they  were  smitten,"  is  by  the  best  expositors  thus  under- 
stood :  that  there  was  the  ministry  of  the  floly  Angels  wondrously  employ 'd 
in  this  matter ;  the  Angels  in  the  shape  of  Moabites  and  Ammonites  fell  upon 
them  of  Mount  Seir,  and  upon  this  apprehended  provocation  they  then 
all  fell  upon  one  another,  until  the  whole  army  was  destroyed:  neverthe- 
less, I  entirely  refer  it  unto  thy  judgment,  (without  the  least  offer  of  my 
own)  whether  Satan  did  not  now  "set  ambushments"  against  the  good 
people  of  Glocester,  with  daemons  in  the  shape  of  armed  Indians  and 
Frenchmen,  appearing  to  considerable  numbers  of  the  inhabitants,  and 
mutually  firing  upon  them  for  the  best  part  of  a  month  together.  I  know 
the  most  considerate  gentlemen  in  the  neighbourhood  unto  this  day  believe 
the  whole  matter  to  have  been  a  prodigious  piece  of  the  strange  depcent 
from  the  "invisible  world,"  then  made  upon  other  parts  of  the  country. 
And  the  publication  of  this  prodigy,  among  other  "  wonders  of  the  invisi- 
ble world "  among  us,  has  been  delay'd  until  now,  that  so  the  opinion  of 
our  most  considerate  gentlemen  about  it  might  have  time  for  a  thorough 
concoction:  and  that  the  gentlemen  of  the  order  of  St.  Thomas  may  have 
no  objection  to  make  against  it.  But,  be  it  what  it  will,  they  are  not  a  few 
profane  squibs  from  the  sons  of  the  extravagant  Bekkar,  that  will  be  a  fit 
explication  for  things  thus  attested,  and  so  very  marvellous. 


.    i 


)    1 


624 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


ARTICLE  XIX. 


PACRM  TE  POSCIMVS  OMJVES.* 


In  the  year  1698,  his  Excellency  sent  away  Captain  Converse,  to  draw 
off  the  fittest  of  the  officers  and  soldiers  quartered  in  the  east  for  a  march ; 
and  causing  about  three  hundred  and  fifty  more  to  be  levied,  gave  him 
what  he  had  merited  above  a  year  ago — even  a  commission  of  major,  and 
commander  in  chief  over  these  forces.  While  Major  Converse  was  at 
Wells,  hearing  of  some  Indians  that  were  seen  in  the  woods,  he  surprised 
them  all ;  and  finding  that  they  had  cut  off  a  poor  family  at  Oyster  river, 
he  gave  the  chief  of  them  something  of  what  they  also  had  merited.  Going 
to  Pemmaquid,  after  some  service  there,  they  sailed  up  Sheepscote  river, 
and  then  marched  through  the  woods  to  Taconet,  which  being  deserted 
by  the  Indians,  they  ranged  through  many  other  woods,  but  could  meet 
with  none  of  their  enemies.  Repairing  then  to  Saco,  they  began  another 
fort,  which  was  carried  on  by  that  worthy  gentleman  Major  Hook,  and 
the  truly  commendable  Captain  Hill,  and  proved  a  matter  of  good  conse- 
quence unto  the  province.  While  these  things  were  doing,  sometiaie  in 
July,  the  straggling  Indians  did  some  spoil  upon  Quaboag,  a  remote  vil- 
lage in  the  road  unto  Connecticut:  but  advice  being  dispatched  unto  the 
towns  upon  Connecticut-river,  a  party  immediately  sally 'd  out  after  the 
spoilers,  and  leaving  their  horses  at  the  entrance  of  a  swamp,  whither  by 
their  track  they  had  followed  them,  they  came  upon  the  secure  adversary, 
and  kill'd  the  most  of  them,  and  recovered  the  captives,  with  their  plun- 
der; and  returning  home,  had  some  reward  for  so  brisk  an  action. 

But  now  the  Indians  in  the  east,  probably  disheartened  by  the  forts 
erecting,  that  were  like  to  prove  a  sore  annoyance  to  them  in  their  enter- 
prizes;  and  by  the  fear  of  wanting  ammunition,  with  other  provisions, 
which  the  French  were  not  so  able  just  now  to  dispence  unto  them;  and 
by  a  presumption  that  an  army  of  Maqua's,  (part  of  those  terrible  ainnilKiIs 
to  the  westward,)  whereof  'tis  affirmed  by  those  who  have  publislicd  the 
stories  of  their  travels  among  them,  that  they  have  destroy'd  no  less  than 
two  million  salvages  of  other  nations  about  them,  through  their  being 
supplied  with  fire-arms,  before  hundreds  of  other  nations  (lying  between 
them  and  the  river  Mcschasippi)  was  come  into  their  count  y,  because  they 
found  some  of  their  squa's  kill'd  upon  a  Whortle-berry  plain:  all  the 
charms  of  the  French  friar,  then  resident  among  them,  could  not  hinder 
them  from  suing  to  the  English  for  peace.  And  the  English  being  so 
involved  in  debts,  that  they  scarce  knew  how  to  prosecute  the  war  any  fur- 
ther, took  some  notice  of  their  suit.    Accordingly  a  peace  was  made  upon 


the  ensuing  articles: 


*  We  all  sue  thee  for  peace. 


■rby 
sary, 
)lun- 

forts 

?ntor- 

sions, 

ami 

uhuls 

the 

than 

Deing 

I  they 
the 
liider 
|g  so 

fur- 
ipon 


OB,    THE    UISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


FROTIHCE  OF  THE   HASSACHUSETS  BAT  IK  NEW-ENGLAHD. 


625 


The  SHtmitiiom  and  Agreement  of  the  Eaetem  Indiana  at  Fort  William  Henry  in  Pemmaquid, 
the  lit*  day  of  Avgutt,  in  the  fifth  year  of  the  reign  of  our  Sovereign  Lord  and  Lady,  Wil' 
liam  and  Mary,  by  the  grace  of  God,  of  England,  Scotland,  France,  and  Ireland,  King  and 
Queen,  Defender*  of  the  Faith,  ««;.,  1693. 

"  Whereas  a  bloody  war  has  for  eome  years  now  past  been  made  and  carried  on  by  the  Indians 
within  the  eastern  parts  of  the  said  province,  against  tlieir  Majesties'  subjects  the  English,  through 
the  instigation  and  influences  of  the  French  ;  and  being  sensible  of  the  miseries  which  we  and  our 
people  nre  reduced  unto,  by  adhering  to  their  ill  council :  We,  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed, 
being  Sagamores  and  Chief  Captains  of  all  the  Indians  belonging  to  the  several  rivers  of  Penob- 
■cote  and  Kennebeck,  Ainarascogin  and  Saco,  parts  of  the  said  province  of  the  Maasachusets  Bay, 
within  their  said  Mojesties'  sovereignty,  having  made  application  unto  his  Excellency  Sir  William 
Phlpsi,  Captain  General  ond  Governour  in  Chief  in  and  over  the  said  province,  ihat  the  war  may 
be  put  to  an  end,  do  lay  down  our  arms,  and  cast  our  selves  upon  their  said  Majesties'  grace  and 
favour.  And  each  of  us  respectively  for  our  selves,  and  in  he  name  and  with  th''  free  consent  of 
all  the  Indians  belonging  unto  the  several  rivers  aforesaid,  and  of  all  other  Indians  within  the  said 
province,  of  and  from  Merrimack  river  unto  the  most  easterly  bounds  of  the  said  province :  hereby 
acknowlfilging  our  hearty  subjection  and  obedience  unto  the  crown  of  En;:'and  ;  and  do  solemnly 
covenant,  promise  and  agree,  to  and  with  the  said  Sir  Will':  m  Phips,  ."d  his  sucmsors  iii  the 
place  of  Captain  General .;  id  Governour  in  Chief  of  the  aforesaid  province  or  ter  ')ry,  on  their 
said  Majesties'  behnlf  in  manner  following,  viz : 

"  That  nt  all  time  and  times  for  ever,  from  and  after  the  date  of  these  preset. 's,  we  will  cense 
and  forbear  all  acts  of  hostility  towards  the  subjects  of  the  crown  of  ^n^land,  and  not  offer  '.3 
least  hurt  or  violence  to  them,  or  any  of  them>  in  their  persons  or  es  I'e  .  But  will  henceforward 
hold  and  maintain  a  firm  and  constant  amity  and  friendship  with  all  th<  English. 

"  Item. — We  abandon  and  forsake  the  French  interest,  and  will  not  in  any  wise  adhere  to,  join 
with,  aid  or  assist  them  in  their  wars  or  designs  against  the  English,  nor  countenance,  succour  or 
conceal  any  of  the  enemy  Indians  of  Canada,  or  other  places,  that  shall  hi<ppen  to  come  to  any  of 
our  plantations  within  the  English  territory,  but  secure  them,  if  in  our  power,  and  deliver  them  up 
unto  the  English. 

"That  all  English  coptivcs  in  the  hands  or  power  of  any  o.'the  Indinns, within  the  limits  afore- 
said, shall  with  all  possible  speed  be  set  at  liberty,  and  returned  home  without  any  raneom  or 
payment  to  be  made  or  given  for  them,  or  any  of  them. 

"  That  their  Majesties'  subjects  the  English  shall  and  may  peaceably  and  quietly  enter  upon, 
improve,  and  for  ever  enjoy  all  and  singular  their  rights  of  lands,  and  former  settlements  and  posses- 
t-ions  within  the  eastern  parts  of  the  said  province  of  the  Massachusets  Bay,  without  any  pretensions 
or  claims  by  us,  or  any  other  Indians,  and  be  in  no  wise  molested,  interrupted,  or  disturbed  therein. 
"  Thnt  all  trade  and  commerce,  which  may  hereafter  '  ■  r-llowed  between  the  English  and  Indians, 
shall  be  under  such  management  and  regulation  as  m:  ,  ue  .  ated  by  an  act  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, or  as  the  governour  of  the  said  province,  for  the  lime  being,  with  the  advice  and  consent  of 
the  council,  shall  see  cause  to  direct  and  limit. 

"  If  any  controversie  or  difference  at  any  time  hereafter  happen  to  arise  between  any  of  the 
English  and  Indians,  for  any  real  or  supposed  vrong  or  injury  done  on  one  side  or  the  other,  no 
private  revenge  shall  be  taken  by  the  Indians  foi  the  same,  but  proper  application  be  made  to  their 
Majesties'  government  upon  the  place,  for  remedy  thereof,  in  a  due  course  of  justice  ;  we  hereby 
submitting  ourselves  to  be  ruled  and  governed  by  their  Mojesties'  laws,  and  desire  to  have  the 
benefit  of  the  same. 

"  For  the  full  manifo station  of  our  sincerity  and  integrity  in  all  that  which  we  have  herein  before 
covenanted  and  promised,  we  do  deliver  unto  Sir  William  Phips,  their  Majesties'  governour  "as 
aforesaid,  Ahnssombamett,  brother  to  Fidgeremett,  Wenongahewitt,  cousin  to  Madockawando,  and 
Edgeremett,  and  Bagntawawongon,  alias  Sheepscoat  John,  to  abide  and  remain  in  the  custody  of 
the  English,  where  the  governour  shall  direct,  as  hostages  or  pledges  for  our  fidelity,  and  the  true 
performance  of  all  and  every  the  foregoing  articles,  reserving  liberty  to  exchange  them  in  some 

Vol.  II.-40 


1 

r  il 

I       ! 


626 


MA6KALIA    CERISTI    AMERICANA; 


reasonable  time  for  a  like  number,  to  the  acceptance  of  the  governour  and  council  of  the  eeid 
province,  so  they  be  persons  of  as  good  account  and  esteem  amongst  the  Indians  as  those  which 
are  to  be  exchanged.  In  testimony  whereof,  we  have  hereunto  set  our  several  marks  and  seals, 
the  day  and  year  first  above-written. 

"  The  above-written  instrument  was  deliberately  read  over,  and  the  several  articles  and  clauses 
thereof  interpreted  unto  the  Indians,  who  said  they  well  understood  and  consented  thereunto,  and 
was  then  signed,  sealed,  and  delivered  in  the  presence  of  us, 

John  Wfno, 


(    ! 


Edgeremett, 
Madockawaniio, 
Wassambomet  of  Navidgwock, 
Wenobson  of  Teconnet,  in  behalf  of  Moxt;s, 
Ketterramoois  of  Narridgwock, 
Ahanqtjit  of  Penobscot, 

BoMASEEN, 

Nitamemet, 

Webenes, 

Awansouece, 


Nicholas  Manning, 

Benjamin  Jackson, 

Robin  Doney, 

Madavmbis, 

Paquaharet,  aliag,  Nathaniel, 

John  Hornvbrouk, 

John  BAGATAWAW0NO0,a!ta«, 

Sheepscoat  John, 

FUILL.  OUNSAKIS,  SquttW. 


■  Interpretets." 


ARTICLE    XX. 


BLOODY   FISHING   AT  OYSTER   RIVER,  AND   SAD  WORK   AT   GROTON. 

A  year's  breathing  time  was  a  great  favour  of  Heaven  to  a  country  quite 
out  of  breath  with  numberless  calamities.  But  the  favour  was  not  so 
thankfully  enjoyed  as  it  should  have  been.  And  now,  "the  clouds  return 
after  the  rain."  The  spectre  that  with  burning  tongsdrove  Xerxes  to  his 
war  upon  the  Grsecians,  had  not  lost  his  influence  upon  our  Indians.  The 
perfidy  of  the  Indians  appeared  first  in  their  not  restoring  the  English 
captives  according  to  their  covenant;  but  the  perfidious  wretches  excused 
this  with  manjr  protestations.  That  which  added  unto  our  jealousies  about 
them,  was  their  insolent  carriage  towards  a  sloop,  commanded  by  Captain 
Wing;  and  the  information  of  a  fellow  called  Hector,  that  the  Indians 
intended  most  certainly  to  break  the  peace,  and  had  promised  the  French 
priests,  taking  the  sacrament  thereupon,  to  destroy  the  first  English  town 
they  could  surprize.  Eumours  of  Indians  lurking  about  some  of  the 
frontier-plantations,  now  began  to  put  the  poor  people  into  consternation; 
but  upon  an  imagination  that  they  were  only  certain  bever-hunters,  the 
consternation  of  the  people  went  off  into  security.  'Tis  affirmed  by  Eng- 
lish captives,  which  were  then  at  Canada,  that  the  desolation  of  Oyster 
river  was  commonly  talk'd  in  the  streets  of  Quebec  two  months  before  it 
V'as  effected ;  for  the  spies  had  found  no  town  so  secure  as  that.  And  now 
what  was  talked  at  Quebec  in  the  month  of  May,  must  be  done  at  Oyster 
river  in  the  month  of  July ;  for  on  Wednesday,  July  18,  1694,  the  treach- 
erous enemy,  with  a  great  army,  fell  upon  that  place,  about  break  of  day, 
and  kill'd  and  captiv'd  ninety-four  (or  an  hundred)  persons,  about  a  score 
of  whom  were  men  belonging  to  the  trained  band  of  the  town.  Several 
persons  remarkably  escaped  this  bloody  deluge,  but  none  with  more 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


627 


bravery  than  one  Thomas  Bickford,  who  had  an  house,  a  little  pallisado'd, 
by  the  river  side,  but  no  man  in  it  besides  himself.  He  dexterously  put 
his  wifo,  and  mother,  and  children  aboard  a  canoo,  and,  sending  them 
down  the  river,  he  alone  betook  himself  to  the  defence  of  his  house,  against 
many  Indians  that  made  an  assault  upon  him.  They  first  would  have 
persuaded  him  with  many  fair  promises,  and  then  terrified  him  with  as 
many  fierce  threatnings,  to  yield  himself;  but  he  flouted  and  fired  at  them, 
daring  'em  to  come  if  they  durst.  His  main  stratagem  was  to  change  his 
livery  as  frequently  as  he  could;  appearing  sometimes  in  one  coat,  some- 
times in  another,  sometimes  in  an  hat,  and  sometimes  in  a  cap ;  which  caused 
his  besiegers  to  mistake  this  one  for  many  defendants.  In  fine,  the  pitiful 
wretches,  despairing  to  heat  him  out  of  his  house,  e'en  left  lim  in  it; 
whereas  many  that  opened  unto  them,  upon  their  solemn  engagements  of 
giving  them  life  and  good  quarter,  were  barbarously  butchered  by  them ; 
and  the  wife  of  one  Adams,  then  with  child,  was  with  horrible  barbarity 
ripped  up.  And  thus  there  was  an  end  of  the  peace  made  at  Pemmaquid ! 
Upon  this,  the  friends  of  Mrs.  Ursula  Cutt  (widow  of  Mr.  John  Cutt, 
formerly  President  of  New-Hampshire,)  desired  her  to  leave  her  farm, 
which  was  about  a  mile  above  the  bank,  exposed  to  the  enemy,  on  the 
south  side  of  Piscataqua  river.  She  thank'd  tiiem  for  their  care;  but 
added,  that  she  believed  the  enemy  had  now  done  their  do  for  this  time; 
and  however,  by  the  "end  of  the  week"  her  "business  at  the  form"  would 
be  all  "dispatched,"  and  on  Saturday  she  would  repair  to  her  friends  at 
the  bank.  But,  alas!  before  the  "end  of  the  week,"  she  saw  the  end  of 
her  life:  On  Saturday,  about  one  or  two  a  clock  in  the  afternoon,  the 
"business  at  the  farm"  was  "dispatched"  sure  enough !  The  Indians  then 
kill'd  this  gentlewoman  and  three  other  people,  a  little  before  they  had 
finished  a  point  of  husbandry  then  in  their  hands.  Nor  did  the  storm  go 
over  so:  some  drops  of  it  fell  upon  the  town  of  Groton,  a  town  that  lay, 
one  would  think,  far  enough  off*  the  place  where  was  the  last  scene  of  the 
tragedy.  On  July  27,  about  break  of  day,  Groton  felt  some  surprizing 
blows  from  the  Indian  luitchets.  They  began  their  attacks  at  the  house 
of  one  Lieutenant  Lakin,  in  the  out-skirts  of  the  town;  but  met  with  a 
repulse  there,  and  lost  one  of  th^^r  crew.  Nevertheless,  in  other  parts  of 
that  plantation,  (when  the  good  people  had  been  so  tired  out  as  to  lay 
down  their  military  watch)  there  were  more  than  twenty  persons  killed, 
and  more  than  a  dozen  carried  away.  Mr.  Gershom  Ilobart,  the  minister 
of  the  phec,  '"ith  part  of  his  family,  was  remarkably  preserved  from  falling 
into  their  hands  when  they  made  themselves  the  masters  of  his  house; 
tliough  they  took  two  of  his  children,  whereof  the  one  was  killed,  and 
the  other  sometime  after  hajipily  rescued  out  of  his  captivity. 

I  remember,  the  Jews  in  their  book,  '^Taanith"  tell  us,  "the  elders  pro- 
claimed a  fast  in  their  cities  on  this  occasion,  because  the  wolves  had 
devoured  two  little  children  beyond  the  Jordan."    Truly,  the  elders  of 


h  1 


628 


MAQNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


New-England  were  not  a  little  concerned  at  it,  when  they  saw  the  uolves 
thus  devouring  their  children,  even  on  this  side  of  Merrimack! 


ARTICLE  XXI. 
MORE   ENGLISH   BLOOD   SWALLOWED,   BUT  REVENGED. 

Reader,  we  must  after  this,  ever  now  and  then,  expect  the  happening 
of  some  unhappy  accident.  The  blood  thirsty  salvages,  not  content  with 
quaffing  the  blood  of  two  or  three  persons,  found  at  work  in  a  field  at 
Spruce  Creek,  on  August  20,  and  of  another  person  at  York,  the  same 
day,  (captivating  also  a  lad  which  they  found  with  him;)  they  did  on 
August  24  kill  and  take  eight  persons  at  Kittery.  Here  a  little  girl, 
about  seven  years  old,  the  daughter  of  one  Mr.  Downing,  fell  into  tl^oir 
barbarous  hands;  they  knock'd  her  o'  the  head,  and  barbarously  scalped 
her,  leaving  her  on  the  cold  ground,  (and  it  was  then  very  cold,  beyond 
what  use  to  be,)  where  she  lay  all  the  night  ensuing:  yet  she  was  found 
alive  the  next  morning,  and,  recovering,  she  is  to  this  day  alive  and  well ; 
only  the  place  broke  in  her  skull  will  not  endure  to  be  closed  up.  He 
had  another  daughter,  which  at  the  same  time  almost  miraculously  escap'd 
their  hands.  But  so  could  not,  at  another  time,  Joseph  Pike,  of  New- 
bury, the  deputy  sheriff  of  Essex,  who  on  September  4,  travelling  between 
Amesbury  and  Haverhil,  in  the  execution  of  his  office,  with  one  Long, 
they  both  had  an  "  arrest  of  death  "  served  upon  them  from  an  Indian 
ambusca^o.  Bommaseen,  a  commander  of  prime  quality  among  the  In- 
dians, who  had  set  his  hand  unto  the  late  "articles  of  submission,"  catne, 
November  19,  with  two  other  Indians,  to  Pemmaquid,  "as  loving  as  bears, 
and  as  harmless  as  tygres,"  pretending  to  be  just  arrived  from  Canada,  and 
much  ajfflidcd  for  the  late  mischiefs,  (whereof  there  was  Avitness  that  he 
was  a  principal  actor;)  but  Captain  March,  with  a  sufficient  activity,  seiz'd 
them;  as  Robin  Doney,  another  famous  villain  among  them,  with  three 
more,  had  been  seiz'd  at  Saco  fort  a  little  before.  Bommaseen  was  con- 
vey'd  unto  Boston,  that  he  might,  in  a  close  imprisonment  there,  hiivo 
time  to  consider  of  his  treacheries  and  his  cruelties,  for  which  the  jusUcc 
of  Heaven  had  thus  delivered  him  up.  When  he  was  going  to  Pemma- 
quid, he  loft  his  company  with  a  strange  reluctancy  and  formality,  as  if  he 
had  presaged  the  event;  and  when  at  Pemmaquid  he  found  the  event  of 
his  coming,  he  discovered  a  more  than  ordinary  disturbance  of  mind;  his 
passions  foam'd  and  boil'd  like  the  very  waters  at  the  fall  of  Niagara. 

But  being  thus  fallen  upon  the  mention  of  that  vengeance  whcrewitli 
Heaven  pursued  the  chief  of  the  salvage  murderers,  it  may  give  some 
diversion  unto  the  reader,  in  the  midst  of  a  long  and  a  sad  story,  to  insci  t 
a  relation  of  an  accident  that  fell  out  a  little  after  this  time. 

The  Indians,  (as  the  captives  inform  us)  being  "hungry,  and  hardly 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLANb. 


629 


bestead,"  passed  through  deserted  Casco,  where  they  spied  several  horses 
in  Captain  Bracket's  orchard.  Their  famish'd  Squa's  begged  them  shoot 
the  horses,  that  they  might  be  revived  with  a  little  roast-meai;  but  the 
young  men  were  for  having  a  little  sport  before  their  supper.  Driving 
the  horses  into  a  pond,  they  took  one  of  them,  and  furnished  him  with  an 
halteVj  suddenly  made  of  the  main  and  the  tail  of  the  animal,  which  they 
cut  off.  A  son  of  the  famous  Hegon  was  ambitious  to  mount  this  Pega- 
sccan  steed:  but  being  a  pitiful  horseman,  he  ordered  them,  fof  fear  of  his 
falling,  to  tie  his  legs  fast  under  the  horse's  belly.  No  sooner  was  this 
"beggar  set  on  horseback,"  and  the  spark,  in  his  own  opinion,  thoroughly 
equipt,  but  the  mettlesome  horse  furiously  and  presently  ran  with  him  out 
of  sight.  Neithe  •  horse  nor  man  were  ever  seen  any  more ;  the  astonish'd 
tawnies  howl'd  after  one  of  their  nobility,  disappearing  by  such  an  unex- 
pected accident.  A  few  days  after,  they  found  one  of  his  legs,  (and  that 
was  all,)  which  they  buried  in  Captain  Bracket's  cellar,  with  abundance 
of  lamentation. 


^riti 


:;.iit|ii:!      1 


ARTICLE  XXII. 


A  CONFERENCE  WITH  AN  INDIAN  SAGAMORE. 

But  now  Bommaseen  is  fallen  into  our  hands,  let  us  have  a  little  dis- 
course with  him. 

Behold,  reader,  the  troubles  and  the  troublers  of  New-England!  That 
thou  mayest  a  little  more  exactly  behold  the  spirit  of  the  matter,  I'll  recite 
certain  passages  occurring  in  a  discourse  that  pass'd  between  this  Bomma- 
seen (who.  was  one  of  the  Indian  princes  or  chieftains)  and  a  minister  of 
the  gospel,  in  the  year  1696. 

Bommaseen  was  with  some  other  Indians  now  a  prisoner  in  Boston. 
He  desired  a  conference  with  a  minister  of  Boston,  which  was  granted 
him.  Bommaseen,  with  the  other  Indians  assenting  and  asserting  to  it, 
then  told  the  minister  that  he  pray'd  his  instruction  in  the  Christian  reli- 
gion; inasmuch  as  he  was  afraid  that  the  French,  in  the  Christian  religion 
which  they  taught  the  Indians,  had  abused  them.  The  minister  enquired 
of  him  what  of  the  things  taught  'em  by  the  French  appear'd  most  sus- 
picious to  'em?  He  said,  the  French  taught  'em  that  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ  was  of  the  French  nation;  that  his  mother,  the  Virgin  Mary,  was 
a  French  lady;  that  they  were  the  English  who  horl  murdered  him;  and 
that  whereas  he  rose  from  the  dead,  and  went  up  to  the  heavens,  all  that 
would  recommend  themselves  unto  his  favour,  must  revenge  his  quarrel 
upon  the  English  as  far  as  they  can.  He  asked  the  minister  whether  these 
things  were  so;  and  pray'd  the  minister  to  instruct  him  in  the  true  Chris- 
tian religion.  T|io  minister,  considering  that  the  humour  and  manner  of 
the  Indians  was  to  have  their  discourses  managed  with  much  of  similitude 
in  thorn,  looked  about  for  some  agreeable  object,  from  whence  ho  might 


680 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTI    AMEEICANA; 


with  apt  resemblances  convey  the  idccas  of  truth  unto  the  minds  cf  sal- 
vages; and  he  thought  none  would  be  more  agreeable  to  them  thtiti  a 
tankard  of  drink,  which  happened  then  to  be  standing  on  the  table.  So 
he  proceeded  in  this  method  with  'em. 

He  told  them  (still  ^vith  proper  actions  painting  and  pointing  out  the 
signs  unto  them)  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  had  given  us  a  good  religion, 
which  might  be  resembled  unto  the  good  drink  in  the  cup  upon  the  tiible; 
that  if  we  take  this  good  religion,  (even  that  good  drink,)  into  our  ho;irt,s, 
it  will  do  us  good,  and  preserve  us  from  death;  that  God's  hook,  the  Bible, 
is  the  cup  wherein  th'  t ;.  'od  drink  of  religion  is  offered  unto  us;  that  tlie 
French,  having  the  ip  i  good  drink  in  their  bauds,  had  put  poison  into 
it,  and  then  made  tue  Indians  to  drink  that  poisoned  liquor,  whenMpon 
they  run  mad,  and  fell  to  killirg  of  the  English,  though  they  could  not 
but  know  it  must  unavoidably  Jssue  in  their  own  destruction  at  the  last; 
that  it  was  plain  the  English  had  put  no  poison  into  the  good  drink :  fi)r 
they  set  the  cup  wide  open,  and  invited  all  men  to  come  and  see  before 
they  taste,  even  the  very  Indians  themselves — for  we  translated  the  Bible 
into  Inuian;  that  they  might  gather  from  hence,  that  the  French  had  put 
poison  into  the  good  drink,  inasmuch  a?  the  French  kept  the  cup  fast  shut, 
(the  Bible  in  an  unknown  tongue,)  and  kept  their  hands  upon  the  ey<:s  of 
the  Indians,  when  they  put  it  unto  their  mouths. 

The  Indians  expressing  themselves  to  be  well  satisfied  with  what  the 
minister  had  hitherto  said,  pray'd  him  to  go  on  with  showing  'em  what  mis 
th&good  drink  and  what  was  i\iQ  poison  which  the  French  had  put  into  it. 

He  then  set  before  them  distinctly  the  chief  articki  of  the  Christian 
religion,  with  all  the  simplicity  and  sincerity  of  a  Protestant:  adding  upon 
each,  "This  is  the  good  drink  in  the  Lord's  cup  of  life:"  and  they  still  pro- 
fessed, "that  they  liked  it  all." 

Whereupon  he  demonstrated  unto  them,  how  the  Papists  had  in  their 
idolatrous  Popery,  some  way  av  other  depraved  and  alter'd  every  one  of 
these  articles,  with  scandalous  ingredients  of  their  own  invention;  adding 
upon  each,  "this  is  the  poison  which  the  French  have  put  into  the  cup." — 
At  last  he  m'^ntioned  this  article: 

"To  obtain  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  you  must  confess  your  sina  to  God,  and  pray  to  God, 
that  he  would  pardon  your  sins  for  the  salte  of  Josus  Christ,  wlio  dii'd  for  tlie  sins  of  liis 
people:  God  loves  Jesus  Christ  infinitely;  and  if  you  place  your  eye  on  Jesus  Christ  on!}', 
when  you  beg  the  pardon  of  your  sins,  God  will  pardon  them.  You  need  confess  your 
Bins  to  none  but  G<id,  except  in  cases  wliisn  men  have  known  your  sins,  or  have  been  huit 
by  your  sins;  and  then  those  men  should  know  tiiat  you  confess  your  sins;  but,  j.fler  nil, 
none  but  God  can  pardon  them," 

He  then  added,  "The  French  have  put  poison  into  this  good  drink; 
they  tell  you  that  you  must  confess  your  sins  to  a  priest,  and  submit  unto 
a  penance  enjoined  by  a  priest;  and  this  priest  is  to  give  you  a  pardon. 
There  is  uo  need  of  all  this,  'tis  nothing  but  French  poison,  all  of  it." 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND, 


631 


The  wretches  appearing  astonish'd  to  meet  with  one  who  would  so  fairly- 
put  them  into  a  glorious  way  to  obtain  the  "pardon  of  their  sins,"  and  yet 
take  no  bever-skins  for  it,  in  a  rapture  of  astonishment  they  fell  on  their 
knees,  and  got  his  hand  into  theirs,  and  fell  to  kissing  of  it  with  an  extrcam 
show  of  affection. 

He  shaking  them  oif  with  dislike  of  their  posture,  Bommaseen,  with 
the  rest  of  them,  stood  up ;  and  first  lifting  up  his  eyes  and  hands  to 
Heaven,  declaring  that  God  should  be  judge  of  his  heart  in  what  he  said, 
he  then  said,  "Sir,  I  thank  you  for  these  things;  I  resolve  to  spit  up  all 
the  French  poison;  you  shall  be  my  father;  I  will  be  your  son;  I  beseech 
you  to  continue  to  instruct  me  in  that  religion  which  may  bring  me  to  the 

salvation  of  my  soul!" Now  God  knows  what  Iieart  this  Indian  had 

when  he  so  expressed  himself;  to  him  let  us  leave  it. — But  so  much  for 
this  digression. 


m 


ARTICLE    XXIII. 


MORE   MISCHIEFS   IN   SPITE   OF   TREATIES. 

Except  it  were  the  falling  of  two  soldiers  belonging  to  Saco  garrison 
into  the  hands  of  the  enemy,  who  took  the  one,  and  kill'd  the  other,  some 
time  in  March,  1695,  many  months  pass'd  away  without  any  action  between 
them  and  us,  and  it  is  reported  by  returned  captives  that  the  hand  of 
God  reach'd  them,  and  a  mortal  sickness  did  at  a  strange  rate  carry  off 
multitudes  of  them.  At  length,  a  praying  Indian  of  the  Reverend  Eliot's 
catechumens,  but  afterwards  a  Pagan,  and  now  a  popish  apostate,  with  a 
great  fleet  of  canoos  came  into  an  island,  about  a  league  from  the  fort  at 
Pemmaquid,  May  20,  1695;  and  after  they  had  laid  still  there  all  the 
Lord's  day,  on  Monday  morning  they  sent  unto  the  English  for  another 
treaty.  They  declared  their  design  was  to  "exchange  captives,"  and  renew 
the  peace,  and  condemned  themselves  for  their  violating  the  peace  made 
near  two  years  ago.  Eight  captives  they  immediately  delivered  up;  and 
upon  a  grant  of  a  (rnce  for  thirty  days,  Colonel  John  Philips,  Lieutenant- 
colonel  Hawthorn,  and  Major  Converse,  were  sent  commissioners  unto 
Pemmaquid  for  the  management  of  that  aftair. 

Our  commissioners,  with  good  reason,  demanding  a  surrender  of  all  the 
English  captives  according  to  former  agreement,  before  they  would  allow 
any  new  propositions  of  peace  to  be  offered,  the  Indians,  disgusted  that 
their  idol  Bommaseei)  was  left  at  Boston,  broke  off  the  conference,  and 
went  off  in  disconterc.  Advice  was  immediately  dispatchod  into  all  parts 
of  the  eastern  country  to  stand  well  upon  their  guard ;  notwithstanding 
which,  on  July  C,  Major  Hammond,  of  Kittery,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the 
lurking  Indians;  and  the  next  week  two  men  a^  Exeter  were  kill'd  by 
some  of  the  same  dangerous  lurkers.  Major  Hammond  was  now  aboard 
a  canoo,  intending  to  put  ashore  at  Saco ;  but  S'.'mo  of  the  garrison-soldiers 


m- 


iili! 


jll'rii,!;,] 

: 


682 


MAONALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


there,  not  knowing  that,  they  had  such  a  good  friend  aboard,  inadvertently 
fired  upon  the  canoo;  and  so  the  Indians  carried  him  clear  away.  They 
transported  him  at  length  to  Canada,  where  he  met  with  extraordinary 
civilities;  Count  Frontcnac,  the  governour  himself,  nobly  purchased  liim 
of  his  tawny  master,  id  sent  him  home  to  New-England  by  a  vessel 
which  also  fetch'd  from  thence  a  considerable  number  (perhaps  nenr  thirty) 
of  English  prisoners.  In  August,  the  house  of  one  Eogera,  at  Uillcrii;H, 
was  plundered,  and  about  fifteen  people  kill'd  and  taken  Lj  Indian?,  wluch 
by  appearing  and  approaching,  'tis  said  on  Jiorse-bad\  were  not  suspin  t-.  I 
for  Indians,  (for,  "who  sot  them  on  horse-b^ck?")  till  they  surprized  tlic 
house  they  came  to.  And  about  the  same  time,  Sergear.t  Haley,  venturing 
out  of  his  fort  at  Saco,  stept  into  the  "snares  of  death."  On  September 
9,  Sergeant  March,  with  three  more,  wore  killed  by  the  Indians,  and  six 
more  at  the  same  time  wounded  at  Pemmaquid,  rowing  a  gondnh  •,  ound 
an  high  rocky  point  above  the  barbican.  On  OctoLor  7,  the  Indians  »;!ntrod 
the  house  of  one  John  Brown,  at  Newbury,  carrying  away  i.  .  •'  persons 
with  thein;  whereupon  Captain  Greenlief,  nimbly  })ar3uin|!;  the  murdorors, 
did  unh;.'v>pily  so  stumble  on  them  in  the  night,  tliat  they  wounded  the 
good  man.  and  rnnde  their  escape  over  the  river.  The  captain  retook  all 
the  captives:  but  the  Indians  in  their  going  off  strook  them  all  so  vioioutly 
on  the  head  wi  J',  the  clubs,  which  I  remember  a  French  historian  some- 
where calls  b;y  the  frightful  name  of  head-breakers,  tliat  they  afterwards  all 
of  them  died,  except  a  lad  that  was  only  hurt  in  tiie  shoulder.  Some  of 
them  lingered  out  for  half  a  year,  and  some  of  them  for  more  than  a 
who!^  year;  but  if  the  doctors  closed  up  the  wounds  of  their  heads,  they 
would  grow  light-headed,  and  faint,  and  sick,  and  could  not  bear  it;  so  at 
last  they  died  with  their  very  brains  working  out  at  their  wounds. 

But  having  thus  run  over  a  "journal  of  deaths"  for  the  year  1695,  let 
us  before  the  year  be  quite  gone  see  some  vengeance  taken  u{)i)n  the 
"heads  in  the  house  of  the  wicked."  Know  then,  reader,  that  Captain 
March,  petitioning  to  b  dismiss'd  from  his  command  of  the  fort  at  Pem- 
maquid, one  Chub  succeeded  him.  This  Chub  found  an  opportunity,  in 
a  pretty  chubbed  manner,  to  kill  the  famous  Edgeremett  and  Abenqiiid,  a 
couple  of  princi'pal  sagamores,  with  one  or  two  other  Indians,  on  a  Lord's- 
day,  the  sixteenth  of  February.  Some  that  well  enough  liked  the  thing 
which  was  now  done,  did  not  altogether  like  the  manner  of  doing  it, 
because  there  was  a  pretence  of  treaty  between  Chub  and  the  sagamores, 
whereof  he  took  his  advantage  to  lay  violent  hands  on  them.  If  there 
were  any  unfair  dealing  (which  I  know  not)  in  this  action  of  Chub,  there 
will  be  another  February  not  far  off,  wherein  the  "avengers  of  \)Iood" 
will  take  their  satisfaction. 


uneasie  ad 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


ARTICLE    XXIV. 


f-i 


•  STILL  MISCHIEF  UPON  MISCHIEF. 

The  next  whole  year,  namely,  1696,  had  it  not  been  for  the  degree  of 
Vi  famine,  which  the  "dteration  of  the  course  of  nature"  in  these,  as  weJ 
as  other  parts  of  the  world,  threatned  us  withal,  would  have  been  a  yeai 
of  less  trouble  than  some  of  the  rest  in  our  troublesome  decad.    The  most 
uneasie  accident  of  this  year  shall  be  told  when  we  arrive  unto  the  month 
of  August;  but  in  the  mean  time  it  was  a  matter  of  some  uneasiness  that, 
on  May  7,  one  John  Church,  of  Quochecho,  who  had  been  a  captive, 
escaped  from  the  hands  of  the  Indians,  almost  seven  years  before,  was  now 
slain  and  stript  by  their  barbarous  hands:  and  on  June  24,  one  Thomas 
Cole,  of  "Wells,  and  his  wife,  were  slain  by  the  Indians,  returning  home 
with  two  of  his  neighbours  and  their  wives,  all  three  sisters,  from  a  visit 
of  their  friends  at  York:  and  on  June  26,  at  several  places  within  the 
confines  of  Portsmouth,  several  persons,  twelve  or  fourteen,  were  mas- 
sacred, (with  some  houses  burnt,)  and  four  taken,  which  yet  were  soon 
retaken ;  among  whom  there  was  an  ancient  woman  scalpt  for  dead,  and 
no  doubt  the  salvages,  upon  producing  her  scalp,  received  the  "  price  of 
her  death"  from  those  that  hired  them,  and  yet  she  so  recovered  as  to  be 
Btill  alive.    Moreover,  on  July  26,  the  Lord's-day,  the  people  at  Quochecho, 
returning  from  the  public  worship  of  God,  three  of  them  were  killed,  three 
of  them  were  wounded,  and  three  of  them  carried  away  prisoners  to  Penob- 
scot; which  last  three  were  nevertheless  in  less  tl);m  three  weeks  returned. 
But  now  we  are  got  into  fatal  August;  on  the  film  or  sixth  day  of  which 
month,  the  French,  having  taken  one  of  the  English  men  of  war,  called 
the  Newport,  and  landed  a  few  men,  who  joined  with  the  Indians  to  pursue 
their  business.  Chub,  with  an  unaccountable  baseness,  did  surrender  the 
brave  fort  at  Pemmaquid  into  their  hands.     There  were  ninety-five  meu 
double-armed  in  the  fort,  which  might  have  defended  it  against  nine  times 
as  many  assailants;  that  a  fort  now  should  bo  so  basely  given  up!  imi- 
tating the  stile  of  Homer  and  Virgil,  I  cannot  help  crying  out,  0  jnenc 
Kovanglce,  neque  enim  NovanglH*  and  yet,  if  you  read  the  story  written  by 
the  Sieur  Froger,  how  poorly  St.  James's  fort  in  Africa  was  given  up  to  the 
French  in  the  year  1695,  you'll  say  that  the  things  done  in  America  are 
not  so  bad  as  what  have  been  done  in  other  parts  of  the  world.     The 
enemy  having  demolished  so  fair  a  citadel,  now  growing  mighty  uppish, 
triumph'd,  as  well  they  might,  exceedingly;  and  threatned  that  they  would 
carry  all  before  them.     The  honourable  Lieutcnant-governour  Stoughton, 
who  was  now  commander  in  chief  over  the  province,  immediately  did  all 
that  could  be  done  to  put  a  stop  unto  the  fury  of  the  adversary.     By  sea 
ho  sent  out  three  men  of  war,  who,  disadvantaged  by  the  winds,  came  not 

*  New  England  wumuii,  ndt  Nuw  EnjJtIanil  men  t 


iH'  ■  :i 


i    i 


•  :1''. 


'"■■■('ID 


\    ii 


684 


MAGNALIA    CURISTI    AMERICANA; 


soon  enough  to  engage  the  French.  By  land — the  Indians  being  so  posted 
in  all  quarters,  that  the  people  could  hardly  stir  out,  but  about  li.tlf  u 
score  of  the  poor  people  in  their  fields  hero  and  there  ^ere  pick'd  oft'— he 
sent  Colonel  Gidney  with  five  hundred  men,  who,  perceiving  the  salvages 
to  be  drawn  oft',  only  strengthened  the  garrisons,  and  returned.  The  lieu- 
tenant-governour,  that  he  might  not  in  any  other  point  bo  wanting  to  tiie 
public  safety,  hereupon  dispatched  Colonel  Hawthorn,  with  a  suitable 
number  of  soldiers  and  frigats,  unto  St.  John's,  with  ordei's  to  fetch  away 
some  great  guns  that  were  lying  there,  and  join  with  Major  Church,  who 
was  gone  with  forces  that  way  to  attack  the  fort  at  St.  John's,  which  was 
the  nest  of  all  the  wasps  that  stung  us;  but  the  difliculty  of  the  cold  season 
so  discouraged  our  men,  that,  after  the  making  of  some  few  shot,  the 
enterprize  found  itself  under  too  much  congelation  to  proceed  any  further. 
So  we  will  afflict  our  selves  no  further  for  this  year;  except  only  with 
mentioning  the  slaughter  of  about  fivo  poor  soldiers,  belonging  to  Saco- 
fort,  October  13,  who  had  a  discovery  of  the  enemy  seasonable  enough  to 
have  made  their  escape;  yet  not  agreeing  about  the  way  of  making  it,  as 
if  led  by  some  fatality  to  their  destruction^  or  as  if  they  had  been  like 
squirrels,  that  must  run  down  the  tree  squeaking  and  crying  into  the  mouths 
of  the  rattle-snakes  that  fix  their  eyes  upon  them,  they  went  back  into  the 
very  path  where  the  Indian  ambush  was  lying  for  them. 


ARTICLE   XXV. 


A  NOTABLE  EXPLOIT;  t)VX  FXMIXA  FJICTl* 

On  March  15,  1697,  the  salvages  made  a  descent  upon  the  skirts  of 
Haverhill,  murdering  and  captivating  about  thirty-nine  persons,  and  burn- 
ing about  half  a  dozen  houses.  In  this  broil,  one  Hannah  Dustan,  having 
lain  in  about  a  week,  attended  with  her  nurse,  Mary  Neft',  a  body  of  teirible 
Indians  drew  near  unto  the  house  where  she  lay,  with  dt  signs  to  carry  on 
their  bloody  devastations.  Her  husband  ha.stcned  from  his  employinonts 
abroad  unto  the  relief  of  his  distressed  family;  and  first  bidding  seven  of 
his  eight  children  (which  were  from  two  to  seventeen  years  of  age)  to  got 
aw.ay  as  fast  as  they  could  unto  some  garrison  in  the  town,  he  went  in  to 
inform  his  wife  of  the  horrible  distress  come  upon  them.  Ere  she  could 
get  up,  the  fierce  Indians  were  got  so  near,  that,  utterly  desparing  to  do 
her  any  service,  he  ran  out  after  liis  children;  resolving  that  on  the  liorso 
which  he  had  with  him,  he  would  ride  away  with  that  which  he  should  in 
this  extremity  find  his  atl'octions  to  pitch  most  upon,  and  leave  the  rest 
unto  the  care  of  the  Divine  Providence.  lie  overtook  his  children,  about 
forty  rod  from  his  door;  but  then  such  was  the  agony  of  his  |)arental 
aifections,  that  he  found  it  impossible  for  him  to  distinguish  any  one  of 

*  A  woiimii  tlu)  lumlur  in  th»  urhicvuinonU 


OR,    THE    IIISTOKY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


685 


them  from  the  rest;  wherefore  he  took  up  a  courageous  resolution  to  live 
and  die  with  them  all.  A  party  of  Indians  came  up  with  him;  and  now, 
though  they  fired  at  him,  and  he  fired  at  them,  yet  he  manfully  kept  at 
the  reer  of  his  little  army  of  unarmed  children,  while  they  marched  off 
with  the  pace  of  a  child  of  fivre  years  old;  until,  by  the  singular  provi- 
dence of  God,  he  arrived  safe  with  them  all  unto  a  place  of  safety  about 
a  mile  or  two  from  his  house.  But  his  house  must  in  the  mean  time  have 
more  dismal  tragedies  acted  at  it.  The  nurse,  trying  to  escape  with  the 
new-born  infant,  fell  into  the  hands  of  the  formidable  salvages;  and  tl'ose 
furious  tawnies  coming  into  the  house,  bid  poor  Dustan  to  rise  immediately. 
Full,  of  astonishment,  she  did  so;  and  sitting  down  in  the  cliimney  with 
an  heart  full  of  most  fearful  expectation,  she  saw  the  raging  dragons  rifle  all 
that  they  could  carry  away,  and  set  the  house  on  fire.  About  nineteen  or 
twenty  Indians  now  led  these  away,  with  about  half  a  score  other  English 
captives;  but  ere  they  had  gone  many  steps,  they  dash'd  out  the  brains 
of  the  infant  against  a  tree;  and  several  of  the  other  captives,  as  they 
began  to  tire  in  the  sad  journey,  were  soon  sent  unto  their  long  home ;  the 
salvages  would  presently  bury  their  hatchets  in  their  brains,  and  leave 
their  carcases  on  the  ground  for  birds  and  beasts  to  feed  upon.  However, 
Dustan  (with  her  nurse)  notwithstanding  her  present  condition,  travelled 
that  night  about  a  dozen  miles,  and  then  kept  up  with  their  new  masters 
in  a  long  travel  of  an  hundred  and  fifty  miles,  more  or  less,  within  a  few 
days  ensuing,  without  any  sensible  damage  in  their  health,  from  the  hard- 
ships of  their  travel,  their  lod/jing,  their  diet,  and  their  many  other  difiiculties. 
These  t)vo  poor  women  were  now  in  the  hands  of  those  whose  "  tender 
mercies  are  cruelties;"  but  the  good  God,  who  hath  all  "hearts  in  his  own 
hands,"  heard  the  sighs  of  these  prisoners,  and  gave  them  to  find  unex- 
pected favour  from  the  master  who  hath  laid  claim  unto  them.  That 
Indian  family  consisted  of  twelve  persons;  two  stout  men,  three  women, 
and  seven  children;  and  for  the  shame  of  many  an  English  family,  that 
has  the  character  of  prayerless  upon  it,  I  must  now  publish  what  these 
poor  women  assure  me.  'Tis  this:  in  obedience  to  the  instructions  which 
the  French  have  given  them,  they  would  have  prayers  in  their  family  no 
less  than  thrice  every  day;  in  the  morning,  at  noon,  and  in  the  evening; 
nor  would  they  ordinarily  let  their  children  eat  or  sleep,  without  first  saying 
their  prayers.  Indeed,  these  idolaters  were,  like  the  rest  of  their  whiter 
brethren,  persecutors,  and  would  not  endure  that  these  poor  women  should 
retire  to  their  English  prayers,  if  they  could  hinder  them.  Nevertheless, 
the  poor  women  had  nothing  but  fervent  prayers  to  make  their  lives  com- 
fortable or  tolerable;  and  by  being  daily  sent  out  upon  business,  they  had 
opportunities,  together  and  asunder,  to  do  like  another  Hannah,  in  "pour- 
ing out  their  souls  before  the  Lord."  Nor  did  their  praying  friends  among 
our  selves  forbear  to  "pour  out"  supplications  for  them.  Now,  they  could 
not  observe  it  without  some  wonder,  that  their  Indian  master  sometimes 


i 

"  i' 

i 

(1 

i  filli 


m 


686 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERtCANA; 


when  he  saw  them  dejected,  would  say  unto  them,  "What  need  you 
trouble  your  self?  If  your  God  will  have  you  delivered,  you  shall  be  sol" 
And  it  seems  our  God  would  have  it  so  to  be.  This  Indian  family  was 
now  travelling  with  these  two  captive  women,  (and  an  English  youth  taken 
from  Worcester,  a  year  and  a  half  before,)  unto  a  rendc/AOUZ  of  salvages, 
which  they  call  a  town,  some  where  beyond  Penacook ;  and  they  still  told 
these  poor  women  that  when  they  came  to  this  town,  tlioy  must  be  stript, 
and  scourg'd,  and  run  the  gantlet  through  the  whole  army  of  Indians. 
They  said  this  was  the  fashion  when  the  captives  first  came  to  a  town;  and 
they  derided  some  of  the  faint-hearted  English,  which,  they  said,  fainted 
and  swoon'd  away  under  the  torments  of  this  discipline.  But  on  April  30, 
while  they  were  yet,  it  may  be,  about  an  hundred  and  fifty  miles  from  the 
Indian  town,  a  little  before  break  of  day,  when  the  whole  crew  was  in  a 
dead  sleep,  (reader,  see  if  it  prove  not  so !)  one  of  these  women  took  up  a 
resolution  to  imitate  the  action  of  Jael  upon  Siseria;  and  being  where  she 
had  not  her  own  life  secured  by  any  laiv  unto  her,  she  thought  she  was 
not  forbidden  by  any  laiv  to  take  away  the  life  of  the  mwtia'ers  by  whom 
her  child  had  been  butchered.  She  heartened  the  nurse  and  the  youth 
to  assist  her  in  this  enterprize;  and  all  furnishing  themselves  with  hatchets 
for  the  purpose,  they  struck  such  home  blows  upon  tlio  heads  of  their 
sleeping  oppressors,  that  ere  they  couid  any  of  them  struggle  into  any 
effectual  resistance,  "at  the  feet  of  these  poor  prisoners,  they  bow'd,  they 
fell,  they  lay  down;  at  their  feet  they  bow'd,  they  fell;  where  they  bow'd, 
there  they  fell  down  dead."  Only  one  squaw  escaped,  sorely  wounded, 
from  them  in  the  dark;  and  one  boy,  whom  they  reserved  asleep,  intend- 
ing to  bring  him  away  with  them,  suddenly  w.nked,  and  scuttled  away 
from  this  desolation.  But  cutting  off  the  scjilps  of  the  ten  wretches,  they 
came  off,  and  received  fijii/  pounds  from  the  General  Assembly  of  the  pro- 
vince, as  a  recompence  of  their  action ;  besides  which,  they  received  many 
"presents  of  congratulation "  from  their  more  private  friends:  but  none 
gave  'em  a  greater  taste  of  bounty  than  Colonel  Nicholson,  the  Governour 
of  Maryland,  who,  hearing  of  the 'r  action,  sent  'em  a  very  generous  token 
of  his  favour. 

ARTICLE    XXVI. 
REMARKABLE  SALVATIONS:    AND  SOME  KEMARKAHLK  DISASTERS. 

Besides  a  man  taken  at  York  in  May,  and  another  man  kill'd  at  Hat- 
field in  June,  and  a  third  kill'd  at  Groton,  and  a  fourth  with  two  children 
carried  captives,  there  fell  out  more  mischief  with  no  small  mercy  on  June 
10,  at  Exeter.  The  day  before,  some  women  and  children  would  needs 
ramble  without  any  guard  into  the  woods  to  gather  strawberries;  but  some 
that  were  willing  to  chastise  them  with  a  fright  fin*  thoir  presumption, 
made  an  alarum  in  the  town,  whereupon  many  came  together  in  their 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENQLANP. 


arras.  The  Indians,  it  seen  ^^  were  at  this  very  time  (unt  nown  to  the 
English)  lying  on  the  other  aiue  of  the  town,  ready  to  make  a  destructive 
assault  upon  it;  but  supposing  this  alarum  to  be  made  on  their  acc(junt, 
they  therefore  supposed  themselves  to  be  discovered.  Wherefore  they 
laid  aside  their  purpose  of  attempting  the  destruction  of  the  town,  and 
contented  themselves  with  hilling  one  man,  takinrf  another,  and  wounding 
a  third.  But  on  July  4,  Lord's-day,  Major  Charles  Frost,  who  had  been  a 
person  of  no  little  consequence  to  our  frontiers,  returning  from  the  public 
worship  of  God  in  Berwick,  (to  repair  unto  which,  about  five  miles  from 
his  own  house,  he  had  that  morning  expressed  such  an  earnestness,  that 
much  notice  was  taken  of  it,)  pass'd  several  more  dangerous  places  with- 
out any  damage;  but  in  a  place  on  a  little  plain,  by  the  turn  of  a  path, 
where  no  danger  was  expected,  "the  adder  in  the  path"  surprized  him; 
the  Indians  having  stuck  up  certain  boughs  upon  a  log,  there  mortally 
shot  him,  with  two  more,  while  his  two  sons  that  were  in  the  front  of  the 
company  happily  escaped;  and  the  two  young  men  that  rode  post  unto 
Wells  with  these  tidings,  in  their  going  back,  had  their  own  death  added 
for  another  article  of  such  unhappy  tidings.  About  the  latter  end  of  this 
month  also,  three  men,  movHug  the  meadows  at  Newichawannic,  were 
themselves  cut  down  by  the  Indians;  though  one  of  the  mowers  bravely 
slew  one  of  the  murtherers.  But  the  most  important  action  of  this  year 
was  a  little  further  off.  About  the  beginning  of  July,  Major  March  was 
employed  with  about  five  hundred  soldiers,  not  only  to  defend  the  fron- 
tiers, but  £,lso  to  seek  out  and  beat  up  the  enemies'  quarters.  In  the  mean 
time,  the  lieutenant-governour,  apprehending  an  invasion  from  a  formida- 
ble French  fleet  on  the  coast  of  New-England,  with  his  accustomed  pru- 
dence and  vigour  applied  himself  to  put  the  whole  province  into  a  posture 
of  defence:  And  the  militia,  with  the  several  forts,  especially  that  of 
Boston,  (very  much  through  the  contrivance  and  industry  of  Captain 
Fairweather,)  were  brought  into  so  good  a  posture,  that  some  could  hardly 
forbear  too  much  dependance  on  our  preparations.  But  it  being  more 
particularly  apprehended  that,  in  the  intended  invasion,  the  Indians, 
assisted  by  the  French,  would  make  a  descent  upon  our  frontiers  by  land, 
Major  March  was  advised  therefore  to  employ  some  v.f  his  forces  in  scout- 
ing about  the  woods.  Before  the  Major  arrived  at  York,  a  party  of  the 
enemy  kill'd  a  man  that  stood  centinel  for  some  of  his  neighbours  at  work 
in  the  marsh  at  Wells,  and  catching  another  alive,  they  carried  him  a  mile 
and  a  half  off,  and  roasted  him  to  death.  But  Captain  Bracket,  that  fol- 
lowed them  quite  as  far  as  Kennebunk,  did  but  almost  overtake  them :  For 
truly,  reader,  our  soldiers  cannot  (as  antiquity  reports  the  old  Grtucian 
and  Roman  soldiers  could)  march  at  a  running  pace,  or  trot  heavily  loa(l(!(1, 
five  and  twenty  miles  in  four  hours;  but  rather  suspect  whether  those 
reports  of  antiquity  be  not  roniantick.  Tliree  soldiers  of  Saco  fort,  aiter 
this,  cutting  some  fire  wood  on  Cow-Island,  for  the  use  of  the  fori,  were 


.]*' 

i-:| 


II 


.,.■  -u 


MAONALIA    CIIRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


by  the  Indians  cut  off;  while  that  Lieutenant  Fletcher,  with  .'lis  two  sona, 
that  should  have  guarded  them,  went  o./owUnf/;  and  ■  v  doMg  so,  they 
likewise  fell  into  the  snare.  The  Indians,  carrying  these  three  c.iptivea 
down  the  river  in  one  of  their  canoos,  Lieutenant  Larabe,  who  was  abroad 
with  a  scout,  way-laid  them;  and,  firing  on  the  foremost  of  the  canoos 
that  had  three  men  in  it,  they  all  three  fell,  and  sank  in  the  "river  of 
death;"  several  were  killed  aboard  the  other  canoos;  and  the  rest  ran 
their  canoos  ashore,  and  escaped  on  the  other  side  of  the  river ;  and  one 
of  the  Fletchers,  when  all  the  Indians  with  him  were  kill'd,  was  delivered 
out  of  the  hands  which  had  made  a  prisoner  of  him,  tho'  his  poor  father 
afterwards  died  among  them.  Hereupon  Major  March,  with  his  army, 
took  a  voyage  farther  eastward,  having  several  transport  vessels  to  accom- 
modate them.  Arriving  at  Casco-bay,  they  did,  on  the  9th  of  September, 
come  as  occult  as  they  could,  further  east  among  the  islands,  near  a  place 
called  Corbin's  sounds;  and  landed  before  day  at  a  place  called  Damascotta 
river;  where,  before  half  of  them  were  well  got  ashoar,  and  drawn  up,  the 
scarce  yet  expected  enemy  entertained  them  with  a  volley  and  an  huzzah  ! 
None  of  ours  were  hurt;  but  Major  March  repaid  'em  in  their  own  leaden 
coin:  and  it  was  no  sooner  light,  but  a  considerable  battel  ensued.  The 
commanders  of  the  transport  vessels  were  persons  of  such  a  mettle,  that 
they  could  not  with  any  patience  forbear  going  ashore  to  take  a  part  of 
their  neighhoitr''s  fare;  but  the  enemy,  seeing  things  operate  this  way,  fled 
into  their  fleet  of  canoos,  which  hitherto  lay  out  of  sight,  and  got  off  as 
fast  and  as  well  as  they  could,  leaving  some  of  their  dead  behind  them, 
which  they  never  do  but  when  under  extream  disadvantages.  Our  army 
thus  beat  'em  off,  with  the  loss  of  about  a  dozen  men,  whereof  one  was 
the  worthy  Captain  Dymmock,  of  Barnstable;  and  about  as  many  wounded, 
whereof  one  was  Captain  Philips,  of  Charlestown ;  and  in  this  action  Cap- 
tain Whiting,  a  young  gentleman  of  much  loorth  and  hope — courageously 
acting  his  part  as  commander  of  the  forces,  "the  helpers  of  the  war," 
which  the  colony  of  Connecticut  had  charitably  lent  unto  this  expedition 
— had  his  life  remarkably  rescued  from  a  bullet  grazing  the  top  of  his 
head.  But  there  was  a  singular  providence  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in 
the  whole  of  this  matter.  For  by  the  seasonable  arrival  and  encounter 
of  our  army,  an  horrible  descent  of  Indians,  which  probably  might  have 
laid  whole  plantations  desolate,  was  most  happily  defeated.  And  at  the 
same  time  the  signal  hand  of  Heaven  gave  a  defeat  unto  the  purposes 
of  the  French  squadrons  at  sea,  so  that  they  had  something  else  to  do,  than 
to  visit  the  coast  of  New-England. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND.  639 

ARTICLE  XXVII. 
THE  END  OF  THE  YEAR  ;   AND,  WE  HOPE,  OF  THE  WAR. 

"0  THOU  SWORD  of  the  wilderness,  when  wilt  thou  be  quiet?" — On 
September  11,  a  party  of  the  enemy  came  upon  the  town  of  Lancaster, 
then  prepared  for  mischief  by  a  wonderful  security,  and  they  did  no  little 
mischief  unto  it  Near  twenty  were  killed,  and  among  the  rest  Mr.  John 
Whiting,  the  pastor  of  the  church  there:  Five  we  carried  captive;  two 
or  three  houses  were  burnt,  and  several  old  people  in  them.  Captain  Brown 
with  fifty  men  pursued  them,  till  the  night  stopp'd  their  pursuit;  but  it 
seems  a  strange  dog  or  two,  unknown  to  the  company,  did  by  their  bark- 
ing alarum  the  enemy  to  rise  in  the  night,  and  strip  and  scalp  an  English 
captive  woman,  and  fly  so  far  into  the  woods  that,  after  two  days'  bootless 
labour,  our  men  returned.  November  arrived  before  any  farther  blood- 
shed ;  and  then  'twas  only  of  one  man  in  the  woods  at  Oyster  river.  De- 
cember arrived  with  the  welcome  tidings  of  a  peace  concluded  between 
England  and  France,  which  made  us  hope  that  there  would  be  little  more 
of  any  bloodshed  at  all. 

The  winter  was  the  severest  that  ever  was  in  the  memory  of  man ;  and 
yet  February  must  not  pass  without  a  stroke  upon  Pemmaquid  Chub, 
whom  the  government  had  mercifully  permitted,  after  his  examination,  to 
retire  unto  his  habitation  in  Andover.  As  much  out  of  the  way  as  to 
Andover,  there  came  above  thirty  Indians,  about  the  middle  of  February, 
as  if  their  errand  had  been  for  a  vengeance  upon  Chub,  whom  (with  his 
wife)  they  now  massacred  there.  They  took  two  or  three  houses,  and 
slew  three  or  four  persons;  and  Mr.  Thomas  Barnard,  the  worthy  minis- 
ter of  the  place,  very  narrowly  escaped  their  fury.  But  in  the  midst  of, 
their /»ry  there  was  one  piece  of  mercy,  the  like  whereof  had  never  been 
seen  before :  for  they  had  got  Colonel  Dudley  Bradstreet,  with  his  family, 
into  their  hands;  but  perceiving  the  town  mustering  to  follow  them, 
their  hearts  were  so  changed,  that  they  dismissed  their  captives  without 
any  further  damage  unto  their  persons.  Keturning  back  by  Haverhil, 
they  hilVd  a  couple,  and  a  couple  they  took,  with  some  remarkable  circum- 
stances worthy  to  be  made  a  distinct  history.  But,  reader,  we  are  now  in 
haste  for  to  have  our  ^^reseni /i<itor?/ come  unto  an  end:  And  though  the 
end  of  this  year  did  not  altogether  prove  the  end  of  the  icar — for  on  May 
9,  1698,  the  Indians  murdered  an  old  man  at  Spruce-Creek,  and  carried 
away  three  sons  of  that  old  man,  and  wounded  a  man  at  York — yet  we 
were  not  without  prospect  of  our  troubles  growing  towards  a  period:  and 
even  in  that  very  murder  at  Spruce-Creek,  there  fell  out  one  thing  that 
might  a  little  encourage  our  hopes  concerning  it.  The  murderer  was  a 
famous  kind  of  a  giant  among  the  Indians;  a  fellow  reputed  seven  foot 
high:  this  fellow  killed  the  poor  old  man  in  cold  blood,  after  he  had  sur- 


'■' 


't  .  \ 


'>^  •  \ 


■t 

;  (1  .\l 

cipB 

f 

640 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


rendered  himself  a  prisoner:  But  behold,  before  many  hours  were  out, 
this  famous  and  bloody  fellow  accidentally  slot  himself  to  death  by  his 
gun  going  off,  when  he  was  foolishly  pulling  a  canoo  to  the  shore  with  it. 
The  last  bloody  action  that  can  have  a  room  in  our  story  is  this.    The 
Indians,  (though  sometimes  it  hath  been  much  doubted  what  Indi&nsl) 
have  in  this  war  made  several  descents  upon  some  of  the  upper  towns 
that  were  our  most  northerly  settlements  upon  Connecticut-river.    But 
the  pious  and  honest  people  in  those  towns,  have  always  given  them  a 
brave  repulse,  and  had  a  notable  experience  of  the  Divine  favour  to  them 
in  their  preservations.    Deerfield  has  been  an  extraordinary  instance  of 
courage  in  keeping  their  station,  though  they  have  lived  all  this  while  in 
a  very  Pihahiroth;  and  their  worthy  pastor,  Mr.  John  Williams,  deserves 
the  thanks  of  all  this  province,  for  his  encouraging  them  all  the  ways 
imaginable  to  stand  their  ground.    Once  the  enemy  was  like  to  have  sur- 
prised them  into  a  grievous  desolation;  but  he,  with  his  praying  and  val- 
iant little  flock,  most  happily  repelled  them.    And  now,  about  the  middle 
of  July,  1698,  a  little  before  sun-set,  four  Indians  killed  a  man  and  a  boy 
in  Hatfield  meadows,  and  carried  away  two  boys  into  captivity.    The 
advice  coming  to  Deerfield  in  the  night,  they  presently  dispatched  away 
twelve  men  to  way-lay  the  enemy  coming  up  the  river ;  having  first  look'd 
up  unto  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  that  they  might  find  the  enemy,  and  harm 
none  but  the  enemy,  and  rescue  the  children  which  the  enemy  had  seized 
upon.     After  a  travel  of  near  twenty  miles,  they  perceived  the  Indians  in 
their  canoos  coming  up  the  river,  but  on  the  other  side  of  it,  within  u  lod 
or  two  of  the  opposite  shore :  Whereupon  the}'^  so  shot  as  to  hit  one  ol"  the 
Indians,  and  they  all  jumpt  out  of  the  canoos,  and  one  of  the  boys  with 
them.     The  wounded  salvage  crawled  unto  the  shoar;  where,  his  back 
being  broken,  he  lay  in  great  anguish,  often  endeavouring  with  his  hatchet 
for  to  knock  out  his  own  brains,  and  tear  open  his  own  breast,  but  coiiid 
not:    and  another  Indian,  seeing  the  two  boys  getting  one  to  another, 
design'd  'em  a  shot,  but  his  gun  would  not  go  off:  whereupon  he  foUowed 
'em  with  his  hatchet  for  to  have  knock'd  'em  on  the  head;  but  just  as  lie 
came  at  'em,  one  of  our  men  sent  a  shot  into  him  that  spoil'd  his  cnter- 
prizc;  and  so  the  boys,  getting  together  into  one  canoo,  brought  it  over  to 
the  friends  thus  concerned  for  them.     These  good  men,  seeing  their  exploit 
performed  thus  far — two  Indians  destroy 'd,  and  two  children  delivered — 
they  fell  to  praising  of  God;  and  one  young  man  particularly  ke;)t  thus 
expressing  himself:  "Surely,  'tis  God,  and  not  we,  that  have  wrought  this 
deliverance!"     But  as  we  have  sometimes  been  told  that,  even  in  the 
beating  of  a  pf<?.se,  the  dilating  of  the  heart,  by  a  diastole  of  delight,  may 
bo  turned  into  a  contracting  of  it,  with  a  systole  of  .sorrow;  in  the  beating 
of  a  few  j)ulse,  after  this,  they  sent  five  or  six  rrten  with  the  canoo,  to 
fetch  the  other,  which  was  lodged  at  an  island  not  far  of!",  that  they  niiyht 
pursue  the  other  Indians:  when  those  two  Indians,  having  hid  themselves 


OR,    TEE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


641 


in  the  high-grass,  unhappily  shot  a  quick  death  into  the  young  man,  whose 
expressions  were  but  now  recited.  This  hopeful  young  man's  brother-in- 
law  was  intending  to  have  gone  out  upon  this  action;  but  the  young  man 
himself  importuned  his  mother  to  let  him  go:  which,  because  he  was  an 
only  soHy  she  denied;  but  then,  fearing  she  did  not  well  to  "withhold  her 
son"  from  the  service  of  the  publick,  she  gave  him  leave:  saying,  "See 
that  you  do  now,  and  as  you  go  along,  resign,  and  give  up  your  self  unto 
the  Lord ;  and  I  desire  to  resign  you  to  him !"  So  he  goes,  and  so  he  dies; 
and  may  he  be  the  last  that  falls  in  a  long  and  sad  war  with  Indian  salvages! 


ARTICLE  XXVIII. 


I 


■i 


m 


; .  ]' 


THE    EPILOGUE    OF    A    LONG   TRAGEDY. 

For  the  present  then  the  Indians  have  done  murdering;  they'll  "do  so 
no  more  till  next  time."  Let  us  then  have  done  writing,  when  we  have  a 
little  informed  our  selves  what  is  become  of  the  chief  murderers  among 
those  wretches,  for  whom,  if  we  could  find  a  7iame  of  a  length  like  one 
of  their  own  Indian  long-winded  words,  it  might  be, 

BOMBARDO-GLADIO-FJN-HASTI-FLAMMI-LOQUENTES* 

Major  Converse,  and  Captain  Alden,  in  pursuance  of  instructions  received 
from  the  licutenant-governour  and  council,  arriving  at  Penobscot  on  Octo- 
ber 14, 1(55)8,  were  there  informed  that  Madockawando,  the  noted  sagamori>, 
with  several  other  sachinis  of  the  east,  were  lately  dead.  And  sixty  days 
after  this,  the  chief  sachiins  now  living,  with  a  great  body  of  Indians, 
entertained  them  with  a  friendly  discourse;  wherein  they  said,  that  the 
Earl  of  Frontcnae  had  sent  them  word,  there  was  a  peace  concluded 
between  the  kings  of  France  and  England,  and  that  one  of  the  articles  in 
the  pence  was,  lor  prisoners  on  both  sides  to  be  returned,  and  they  were 
resolved  to  obey  the  Earl  of  Frontenac  as  their  father;  and  accordingly 
such  prisoners  of  ours  as  they  had  now  at  hand  might  immediately  return, 
if  nr  i:t)uld  j)rrsuadc  them,  for  t/icij  would  not  coni2)el  them.  When  oui' 
English  mes-sengers  argued  with  them  upon  the  perJidioHsuess  of  their 
making  a  new  irnr  after  their  submission,  the  Indians  replied,  that  they 
were  instigated  by  the  French  to  do  what  they  diJ,  against  their  own 
inclinations;  addijig,  that  there  were  two  Jesuits— one  toward  Anionoseog- 
gin,  tlie  other  at  Narridgaway— both  of  which  they  desired  the  Earl  of  1U.>1- 
lomont  and  the  Earl  of  Frontenac  to  procure  to  be  removed;  otherwise  it 
could  not  be  expected  that  any  peace  would  continue  long.  The  Indians 
also,  iuid  the  English  [)risoners,  gave  them  to  understand,  that  the  last 
wintiT,  many,  both  Indians  and  l^higlish  prisoners,  were  starved  to  death; 
and  particularly,  nine  Indians  in  one  company  went  a  hunting,  but  met 

*  tlriMilliinK  liombfs  'wnrdr,  doalli,  spears,  and  fluinut 

Vol.  II.— 41 


H:t:n 


!i      il 


mm 


642 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


with  such  hard  circumstances,  that,  after  they  had  eat  up  their  dogs  and 
their  cats^  they  died  horribly  famished:  and  since  the  last  winter,  a  grievous 
and  unknown  disease  is  got  among  them,  which  consumed  them  wonder- 
fully. The  sagamore  Saquadock  further  told  them  that  the  Kennebeck 
Indians  would  fain  have  gone  to  war  again  this  last  summer,  but  the  otlier 
refused,  whereupon  they  likewise  desisted:  and  they  resolved  now  to  ''  light 
no  more:"  but  if  any  ill  accident  or  action  should'  happen  on  either  side, 
he  did,  in  the  name  of  the  Indians,  desire  that  we  would  not  presently 
make  a  war  upon  it,  but  in  a  more  amicable  way  compose  the  differences. 
That  the  Indian  affairs  might  come  to  be  yet  more  exactly  understood, 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  province  employ'd  Colonel  John  Philips  and 
Major  Converse  to  settle  them.  These  gentlemen  took  a  difficult  and  a 
dangerous  voyage,  in  the  depth  of  winter,  unto  the  eastern  parts  in  the 
province-galley,  then  under  the  command  of  Captain  Cyprian  Southack; 
and  the  principal  sagamores  of  the  Indians  there  coming  to  them,  did 
again  renew  and  subscribe  the  suhmissio,\,  which  they  had  formerly  made 
in  the  year  1693,  with  this  addition  unto  it: 

"  And  whereas,  notwithstanding  the  aforesaid  snbmission  and  agreement,  tlie  sjiid  Tndinns, 
be  Dngiiig  to  the  rivers  aforesaid,  or  some  of  them,  tliro'  the  ill  counsel  and  instigation  of 
tlio  Freneh,  have  perpetrated  sundry  hostilities  against  his  Majesties'  subjects  the  English, 
and  have  not  delivered  and  returned  home  several  English  captives  in  their  hands,  as  in  tlv 
said  submission  they  covenanted; 

"Wherefore,  we  whose  names  are  hereunto  subscribed,  s^igamores,  captains,  and  principal 
men  of  tiie  Indians  belonging  unto  the  rivers  of  Kennebeck,  Ammonoscoggin,  and  S;t'jo, 
and  parts  adjacent,  being  sensible  of  our  great  offence  and  folly,  in  not  complying  with  the 
aloresaid  submission  and  agreement,  and  also  of  the  sufTerings  and  mischiefs  that  wo  iiave 
hereby  exposed  our  selves  unto,  do  in  all  humble  and  most  submissive  manner  cast  our 
selves  upon  his  Majesties'  mercy,  for  the  pardon  of  all  our  rebellions,  hostilities,  and  viola- 
tions of  our  promises,  praying  to  bo  received  into  his  Majesties'  grace  and  protection;  and 
for,  and  on  behalf  of  ourselves,  and  of  all  other  the  Indians,  belonging  to  the  several  rivers 
and  places  aforesaid,  within  tlic  sovereignty  of  his  Majesty  of  Great-Britain,  do  iigniii 
acknowledge  and  profess  our  hearty  and  sincere  obedience  unto  the  crown  of  England,  and 
do  solemnly  renew,  ratifie  and  confirm  all  and  every  of  the  articles  and  agreements  contained 
in  the  aforosaid  recited  commission.  And  in  testimony  thereof,  we,  the  said  snganiorcs, 
captains,  and  principal  men,  have  hereunto  set  our  several  marks  and  seals  at  Casco-Bay, 
near  Mares-Point,  the  seventh  day  of  January,  in  the  tenth  year  of  the  reign  of  his  Majesty 
King  William  the  Third,  Annoquc  Domini,  1699." 

Subscribed  by  Moxus, — and  a  great  number  more.  In  the  presence  of  James  Converse, 
Cyprian  Southack,  John  Gills,  Interpreter,  and  Scodook,  alias  Sumson. 

At  this  time,  also,  the  Indians  restored  as  many  of  the  English  captives 
in  their  hands  as  were  able  to  travel  above  an  hundred  miles  in  this 
terrible  season  of  the  year,  from  their  head-quarters  down  to  the  sea-side; 
giving  all  possible  satisfaction  for  the  restoration  of  the  rest  as  early  in  the 
spring  as  there  could  be  any  travelling. 

The  condition  of  these  captives  has  afforded  many  very  remarl-ahk 
tJiinijs,  whereof  'tis  a  thousand  pities  that  so  many  are  lost.  But  because 
one  of  the  two  .gentlemen  employ'd  as  commissioners  for  the  treaty  with 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


6ti3 


tlae  Indiana,  took  certain  minutes  of  remarkable  things  from  some  of  the 
captives,  I  am  willing  to  give  the  reader  a  taste  of  them. 

"At  Mares-Point  in  Casco-Bay,  Jan.  14,  1698-9. 

"The  ciptives  informed  me,  that  the  Indians  have  three  forts  at  Narridgnwog,  and  Nar- 
rackomiigog,  and  Amassaeanty.  And  at  each  of  these  forts  the)'  have  a  chappel,  and  have 
images  in  them.  They  informed  me,  that  three  captives  in  one  wigwam  were  starved  to 
death  last  winter. 

"Miiry  Fairbanks  and  Samuel  Hutcliing,  and  some  other  captives,  tpld  me  that  Jonathan 
Hutelilng,  belonging  to  Spruce-Creek,  a  lad  fourteen  years  old,  they  met  him  crying  for 
want  of  victuals,  for  in  two  or  three  days  he  had  nothing  to  eat  Afterward,  as  he  was 
going  to  fetch  some  wood,  lie  felt  sometliing  hard  in  his  bosom.  He  put  in  his  hand,  and 
unto  his  astonishment  he  found  there  two  great  large  ears  of  Indian  corn,  which  were  very 
well  roasted.     He  cat  them,  and  knew  not  how  they  came  unto  him. 

"  Some  other  of  the  captives  told  me  that  one  Mary  Catter,  (which  person  we  now  brought 
home  with  us,  belonging  to  Kittery,)  her  m.ister,  and  many  other  Indians,  came  down  to 
Casi'o-Uay.  There,  seeing  some  sloops  or  shallops,  they  thought  they  were  the  English 
coming  upon  them,  and  ran  away  into  the  woods,  and  left  the  said  Mary  Catter  very  sick  in 
the  wigwam,  without  any  tiling  at  all  to  eat.  They  staid  away  many  days;  'iut  left  a  fire 
in  the  wigwam.  She  lay  wishing  for  something  to  eat,  and  at  length  in  c.ime  a  turtle.  She 
got  that,  and  eat  it;  but  afterwards  began  to  desp;iir  of  out-living  the  famine,  which  was 
returned  upon  her.  At  length,  when  she  wa?  very  hungry,  in  came  a  partridge;  she  took  a 
stick,  and  struck  it,  and  drest  it,  and  eat  it.  And  by  that  time  she  was  imngry  again,  her 
master  came  to  look  after  her. 

"Tiuy  tell  of  several  of  the  Indians  that  have  kill'd  themselves  with  their  own  guns,  in 
taking  tiicm  out  of  their  canoo?. 

"Assacombuit  sent  Thomasin  Rouse,  a  child  of  about  ten  years  old,  unto  the  wnter-sido 
to  carry  something.  The  child  cried;  lie  took  a  stick,  and  struck  her  down:  she  lay  for  dead: 
he  took  her  up,  and  threw  her  into  the  water:  some  Indians  not  far  off  ran  in  and  fetch'd 
her  out.     This  child  we  have  now  brought  hone  with  us. 

"This  Assacombuit  hath  killed  and  taken  this  war,  (they  tell  me,)  an  hundred  and  fifty 
men,  women,  and  children.    A  bloody  devil." 

Thus  the  Paper  of  Minutes. 

The  reader  has  nothing  but  peace  before  iitvu.  Doubtless  he  comforts 
himself  with  hopes  of  times  better  to  lire  in,  thnn  to  iirile  of! 

But  that  which  yet  more  assures  a  "  brenk  of  day  "  after  a  long  and  sad 
ni'jht  unto  its,  is,  that  the  best  king  at  this  day  upon  earth,  and  the 
greatest  monarch  that  ever  swayed  inc.  sceptre  of  Great  Britain,  hath 
commissioned  a  noble  person,  who  hath  in  him  an  illustrious  hnage  of  his 
own  roi/al  virtues^  to  take  the  government  of  the  provinces;  and  he  is 
accordingly  arrived  now  near  our  horizon.  When  the  schools  of  the 
Jews  delivered,  that  there  were  "three  great  gifts"  of  the  good  God  unto 
the  world — the  lnn\  the  rain^  and  the  licjht — R.  Zeira  added,  "I  pray  let 
us  take  in  peace  for  a  fourth.  All  tlieso/o^r  (jijh  of  God  are  now  enjoyed 
by  New-England;  but  I  must  now  ask,  that  our  hope  of  a.  Jijlh  may  be 
added  unto  the  number;  which  is  a  (/mvyxo?/?- of  signalized  virtues.  To 
the  truly  noble  Earl  of  BeUomont  the  whole  English  nation  must  own  it 
self  en(lobted  while  it  is  a  nation,  for  tlie  most  generous  and  successful 
zeal  with  which  he  laboured  for  those  acts  of  Parliament;  by  assenting 


Id 

ij 


ik 


6U 


MAGNALIA    CHEISTI    AMERICANA; 


whereunto,  the  mighty  William  hath  irradiated  England  with  bhssi'nr/s 
that  it  never  saw  before  his  happy  reign:  blessings  richly  worth  all  ilie 
expences  of  a  revolution.  England  owes  no  less  immortal  statues  unto  the 
Earl  of  Bellamont,  than  Ireland  nnto  his  illustrious  ancestors.  But  the 
contineiit  oi  America  must  now  share  in  the  influence  of  that  noble  person, 
whose  merits  have  been  signalized  on  the  most  famous  islands  of  Eurojie; 
and  the  greatest  person  that  ever  set  foot  on  the  English  continent  of 
America  is  now  arrived  unto  it.  We  are  now  satisfying  our  selves  in  the 
expectations  of  the  great  and  good  influences  to  be  derived  from  the 
conduct  of  a  governour,  in  whom  there  will  meet, 

—  Virtus  et  Summa  potestas* 

And  now,  reader,  I  will  conclude  our  history  of  the  Indian  war,  in 
terms  like  those  used  by  the  Syrian  writer  at  the  conclusion  of  his  book: 

Finis,  per  Auxilium  Domini  Noatri  Jesu  Christi,  mense  duodecimo,  per  manus  }ieccatoris  pau- 
peris et  errantis.f 

ARTICLE  XXIX. 


QUAKERS   ENCOUNTllED. 

For  the  present,  then,  we  have  done  with  the  Indians:  but  while  the 
Indians  have  been  thus  molesting  us,  we  have  suffered  molestations  of  an- 
other sort,  from  another  sort  of  enemies,  which  may  with  very  good  reason 
be  cast  into  the  same  history  with  them.  If  the  Indians  have  chosen  to  pi'cv 
upon  the  frontiers  and  out-skirts  of  the  Province,  the  Quakers  have  chosen 
the  yery  same  frontiers,  and  out-skirts  for  their  more  spiritual  assaults;  ami 
finding  little  success  elsewhere,  they  have  been  labouring  incessanthj,  and 
sometimes  not  unsuccessfulli/,  to  enchant  and  poison  the  souls  of  poor 
people,  in  the  very  places  where  the  bodies  and  estates  of  the  people  have 
presently  after  been  devoured  by  the  salvages.  But  that  which  makes  it 
the  more  agreeable,  to  allow  th.e  Quakers  an  article  in  our  history  of  the 
Indians  is,  that  a  certain  silly  scribler,  the  very  first-born  o[  Avnseusicalil;/, 
(and  a  first-horn  too,  that  one  midit  salute  as  the  martyr  Polycarp  once 
did  the  wicked  Marcion,)  one  Tom  Maule,  at  this  time  living  in  Salem. 
hath  exposed  unto  the  publick  a  volume  of  nonsensical  blasphemies  and 
heresies,  wherein  he  sets  himself  to  defend  the  Indians  in  their  bloody 
villanies,  and  revile  the  country  for  defending  it  self  against  them.  And 
that  the  venom  o'.'  this  pamphlet  might  be  iniprov<'d  unto  the  lieiglith  of 
slanderous  wickedness,  there  hath  been  since  added  unlo  it,  in  another 
pamphlet,  a  parcel  of  ingredients  compounded  for  mischief,  as  if  "bj  the 
art  of  the  apothecary."  None  but  he  whom  the  Jews  in  their  "7(</w'7'/.s" 
call  Bentamalion,  could  have  insjjired  such  a  slanderer!  Have  the  Quii..ers 
ever  yet  censured  this  their  author  for  holding-forth  in  his  Alcoran,  {\w^'x 

*  virtue  nnd  Boverolnii  pnwcr. 

t  Fiiiitliud,  Ijy  the  ulil  nf  our  l.md  .Ic^us  Christ,  in  n  twulvomonth,  by  tho  hoiids  of  B  pour  anil  erring  elnucr. 


:lh 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


645 


221,)  "That  the  devil,  sin,  death,  and  hell,  are  but  nothing,  they  are  but 
a  non-entity;"  and,  (page  183,)  that  "all  men  who  have  a  body  of  sin 
remaining  in  them,  are  vniches"?  I  have  cause  to  believe  they  never  did! 
nor  that  they  ever  advised  him  to  pull  in  his  horns^  from  goring  the  sides 
of  New-England  with  such  pi;ssages  as  those  in  (page  195)  the  same  hor- 
rible pamphlet:  "God  hath  veil  rewarded  the  inhabitan+3  of  New-Eng- 
land for  their  unrighteous  dealings  towards  the  native  Indians,  whom  now 
the  Lord  hath  suffered  t<  reward  the  inhabitants  with  a  double  measure 
of  blood,  by  fire  and  sword,"  &c.  And  those  "unrighteous  dealings"  he 
explains  to  be  the  killing  of  the  Indians,  (or  murdering  of  them,)  by  the 
old  planters  of  theiie  colonies  in  their  first  settlement.  Thus  are  the  ashes 
of  our  fathers  vilely  staled  upon  by  one  who,  perhaps,  would  not  stick  at 
the  villany  of  doing  as  much  upon  their  baptism  it  self.  I  must  tell  yo  i, 
friends,  that  if  you  don't  publickly  "give  forth  a  testimony"  to  defie  Tom 
Maule,  and  "his  works,"  it  will  be  thought  by  some,  (who  it  may  be  don't 
wish  you  so  well  as  I  do,)  that  you  own  this  bloody  stuff;  which  doubtless 
you'll  not  be  so  ill-advised  as  to  do.  But,  certainly,  if  the  good  people  of 
New-England  now  make  it  not  a  proverb  for  a  Zmr  of  the  first  magnitude, 
"He  is  as  very  a  liar  as  Tom  Maule,"  they  will  deprive  their 
language  of  one  significant  expression  which  now  offers  it  self  unto  them. 

Let  us  now  leave  our  friend  Maule's  works  as  a  fit  volume  to  be  an 
appendix  unto  the  famous  "  Tartaretu.s,^^  and  worthy  of  a  room  in  Panta- 
gruel's  library.  The  fittest  way  to  answer  him,  would  be  to  send  him  to 
Boston  woods! 

In  the  mean  time,  I  owe  unto  the  publick  a  piece  of  history,  which  it 
may  be  for  the  safety  of  our  northern  towns  to  be  acquainted  withal. 
Know,  sirs,  that  once  the  famous  Gtorge  Keith  undertook  to  be  the 
champion  of  our  New-English  Quaker,?,  and  bid  foir  to  be  the  very  Balae, 
or  Prester  John,  of  all  the  English  Tartars;  but  a  minister  of  Boston,  upon 
that  occasion,  publishing  a  book,  entitled,  ^'Little  Flocks  guarded  against 
Grievous  Wolves,^''  could  not  but  complain  of  it  as  a  very  "scandalous 
thing"  in  George  Keith  to  maintain  the  points  of  the  Foxian  Quakerism, 
while  he  really  differed  from  them.  All  this  while  George  Keith  was 
admired  by  our  Quakers  as  an  apostle,  or  an  oracle:  but  he  finding  it 
impossible  to  maintain  the  gross  tenets  of  the  common  Qunkcrs,  preach'd 
unto  them  the  necessity  of  believing  on  a  Christ  v;ithout,  as  well  as  a  Christ 
icithin.  Hereupon  there  grew  such  alienations  between  him  and  the  other 
Quakers,  (who  had  been  taught  by  George  Fox  to  say,  "the  devil  is  in 
them  who  say,  they  are  saved  by  Christ  without  them,")  that  he  not  only 
has  written  divers  learned  books  to  confute  those  very  doctrines  of  the 
common  Quakers,  which  the  pnstors  of  New-Kngland  had  upon  his  pro- 
vocation written  against,  but  also  has  therefor  undergone  a  storm  of 
persecution  from  the  Friends  in  Pcnsilvania;  yea,  'tis  verily  thought  that 
piKjr  George  would  have  been  made  a  sacrifice  to  Squire  Samuel  Jennings, 


■i|' 


m 


1:^      i 


iiiM 


iiMi 


646 


MAQNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


and  the  rest  of  the  Pensilvanian  dragons;  and  that  since  a  crime  wliich 
their  laws  had  made  capital,  was  mention'd  in  the  mittimus  whereby  Keith 
was  committed,  they  would  have  hang'd  him,  if  a  revolution  upou  tlu-ir 
government  had  not  set  him  at  liberty.  Being  by  the  fines,  and  pn-  ils, 
and  fierce  usages  of  the  Quakers  in  Pensilvania,  driven  over  to  Kn^liiin|. 
the  wonderful  hand  of  God  hath  made  this  very  man,  I  think  I  may  sav, 
incomparably  the  greatest  plague  that  ever  came  upon  that  sect  of  Kncii/n.- 
mens.  Although  he  do  himself  still  retain  the  name  of  a  Quaker,  yti  lio 
hath  in  one  treatise  after  another  earnestly  called  upon  the  divines  throiiLli* 
out  tie  nation  more  vigorously  to  employ  their  talents  against  the  Qualvcis, 
as  a  more  "dangerous  generation"  of  people  than  they  are  well  juviiiv; 
and  he  did  in  the  year  1696,  with  the  leave  of  the  Lord  Mayor,  chaMcn-o 
the  Quakers  to  make  their  appearance  at  Turner's-hall,  in  the  chief  iMtv  of 
Europe;  where  he  proved,  unto  the  satisfaction  of  a  vast  assembly,  that  I  lie 
chief  writers  of  the  Quakers  assert  Christ  neither  to  be  God  nor  vion:  iiml 
that  they  deny  Christ  to  be  pray'd  unto;  and  that  they  had  alBrm'd  "Christ's 
outward  blood,  shed  on  the  ground,  to  be  no  more  than  the  blood  of  aii(>t.lu>r 
saint;"  and  that  they  had  charged  him  with  "new  doctrine,"  for  direetii)}^'  to 
faith  in  Christ  without  us,  as  well  as  tvithin  us;  and  that,  at  their  niectinos 
they  had  censured  him  for  saying,  "  that  Christ's  body  came  out  of  the 
grave,"  which  they  say,  "it  never  did:"  and  many  more  such  horrid  mjittofs. 
To  confirm  these  things,  besides  the  grievous  bites  vhich  Francis  /ii'ijg, 
one  of  their  late  friends,  hath  given  them,  one  Daniel  Leeds,  without 
wholly  casting  off"  the  profession  of  a  Quaker,  hath  lately  printed  a  book, 
wherein  he  produces  above  threescore  instances  of  the  Jlat  contradictious 
which  he  hath  observed  in  the  books  of  the  Friends,  that  have  most  pro- 
tended  unto  infallihility ;  and  he  demonstrates,  from  evidetit  nmttt>r  of 
fiict,  that  though  they  deci  -d  unto  the  world,  "that  their  snfi'erings  had 
been  grenter,  and  more  unjust,  than  the  sufferings  of  Jesus  and  his  Apos- 
tles;" yet  they  themselves  were  no  sooner  mounted  into  the  seat  of 
government,  than  they  fell  to  persecuting  as  bad  as  any  in  the  world. 
Albeit,  Fox  writes,  "they  that  cause  people  to  be  put  im  prison,  and  have 
their  goods  taken  away,  are  disorderly  teachers,  and  shall  be  rooted  out:" 
nevertheless,  Leeds  proves,  by  many  examples,  that  the  Pensylvunians 
did  it  even  upon  their  own  frien(ls,  for  meer  scrvplcs  of  their  cntiscimrrs, 
'Tis  reported,  the  Quake  are  so  eont'ounded  at  this  book  oi'  Leeds,  that 
they  have  been  at  tae  charge  to  buy  'p  the  ivhole  impression  of  it,  and  so 
to  stifle  and  smother  it:  if  it  be  so,  i  nope  'twill  but  produce  a  )i>-n)  im/nrs- 
sion  of  so  rare  a  book.  The  "marvellous  jirovidcnee"  of  our  Lord  .lesns 
Christ,  having  thus  einploy'd  the  pens  of  the  Quakers  themst>lves  to  wai-a 
you  that  you  beware  of  Quackerism,  it  will  be  a  marvellous  inlatnntion 
in  any  of  you,  after  this,  to  be  led  away  with  that  "error  of  lli(>  wicked." 
Reader,  make  a  pause,  and  here  admire  the  "marvellous  ))roviden(!i'"  of 
our  Lord  Jesua  Christ!     ^I'he  fir.st  and  great  Apostle  of  the  Quakers,  evi'U 


^  Wtm. 


*l 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


U7 


'sns 

.1." 

<.r 

,-i'U 


George  Fox,  the  shoe-maker,  in  his  ^^  Omit  Mi/stery,^^  pag.  94,  excIuiUa 
from  tlie  church  of  Christ  those  who  "are  not  infallible  in  discerning  tlie 
hearts  of  other  men."  Wiiereas  now,  in  spite  of  all  their  infallihiliti/, 
such  friends  as  Keith  (and  Leeds)  whom  they  once  admired,  profess  tliut 
they  never,  in  their  hearts,  believed,  as  the  common  Foxian  Quakers  do; 
and  Quakerism  suffers  from  none  in  the  world  more  than  these.  But 
that  I  may  a  little  suggest  unto  you  certain  methods  of  encountring  those 
adversaries  of  your  faith,  which  "go  about  seeking  whom  they  may 
deceive,"  and  whom  I  do  here  ofter  to  prove  as  horrid  idolaters  as  even 
those  that  worshipp'd  the  rats  of  Kgypt,  if  it  be  fairly  demanded  of  me, 
I  will  lirst  recite  unto  you  certain  passages  of  a  discourse,  which  a  minister 
of  Boston  had  with  a  very  busie  and  noisie  teacher  among  the  Quakers, 
(and  another  of  the  Friends)  in  his  return  from  his  visitation  unto  some  of 
our  northern  towns,  where  the  giddy  people  had  cry'd  him  up  for  a  nonesuch. 

Quaker.  We  are  come  to  give  thee  a  friendly  visit. 

Minister.  I  am  glad  to  see  you  at  my  liouse;  you  Blmll  be  welcome  to  the  beat  entertninment 
my  house  can  afford  you.  But  will  you  do  me  the  favour  to  let  me  understand  the  designs  upon 
which  you  visit  these  parts  of  the  country  { 

Quaker.  I  come  to  preach  Jesus  Christ. 

Minister.  Fixcuae  me — what  Christ,  1  pray? 

Quaker.  The  same  Christ  that  appeared  unto  Abraham,  and  Isaac,  and  Jacob;  and  that  ap- 
peared unto  Moses  in  the  bush,  and  that  was  with  Israel  in  the  wiidernes*— 

Minister.  I  would  interrupt  you.  I  perceive  that  we  shall  be  drawn  into  some  discourse.  Matti^r 
of  argument  will  occur,  I  foresee,  in  our  discourse.  Arfritment  sometiniea  does  draw  forth  words 
that  may  have  too  much  warmth  in  them ;  I  purpose  none  such.  But  if  you  are  sensible  that  I  do 
let  fall  any  one  such  ward  ''n  our  disputation,  do  me  the  favour  to  tni;e  notice  of  it  unto  me,  and  I'll 
immediately  correct  it.     Now  if  you  please — 

Quaker.  Thou  speakest  very  well.  This  is  but  according  to  the  good  report  we  have  heard 
of  thee. 

Minister.  Friend,  I  am  sensible  that  you  are  come  among  ua  to  preach  a  religion,  different  from 
that  which  is  commonly  preached,  professed,  and  practised  in  the  country.  If  you  approve  the 
religion  of  the  country,  I  cnn't  see  where's  the  sense  of  it,  for  you  to  take  such  tedious  journies  for 
our  illumination.  I  pray  be  so  kind  as  to  let  me  know  what  point  in  our  holy  religion  you  do  not 
approve? 

Quaker.  'Tis  not  my  business  here  to  enquire  into  thy  relif^ion.  I  am  come  to  preach  the  religion 
of  Jesus  Christ ;  the  same  that  the  holy  prophets  and  apostles  believed ;  even  the  inward  manifesta- 
tion of  Christ  in  our  hearts — 

Minister.  To  make  short  work  on  it,  I  perceive  you  both  to  be  that  sort  of  people  wo  call 
Quakers.  Now,  there  is  among  the  Quakers  that  exiream  uncertainty,  variety,  and  contra'liction, 
that  no  man  can  say  what  you  hold,  any  further  than  each  individual  person  will  confess  his  own 
tenets.  I  must  therefore  pray  the  favour  of  you  to  tell  nie:  do  you  own  George  Fox's  book, 
entituled  "  The  Great  Mystery?" 

Quaker.  'Tis  none  of  our  business  to  tell  what  books  we  own,  and  what  we  do  not  own:  and  it 
is  none  of  thy  business  to  ask  us.  I  say,  we  own  Jesus  Christ  and  his  inward  manifestation  in  our 
hearts.     And  that's  enough  ! 

Minister.  You'll  excuse  me:  I  do  again  ask,  whether  you  do  own  George  Fox's  book  of"  The 
Great  Mystery?"  because  doubtless  you  have  read  it.  And  if  yoti'U  ask  ffie  as  much  concerning 
ony  book  under  Ileoven,  (that  I  have  read)  whether  I  own  it,  or  Aotp  much  I  own  of  it,  I'll  answer 
you  with  nil  the  freedom  in  the  world. 

Quaker.  I  say  what  hast  thou  to  do  with  George  Fox?  or  to  examine  me? 

Minister.  Yes,  friend,  I  do,  and  must,  and  will  examine  you.     For  you  are  come  to  hold-forth 


M 


'"        1 


%m 


m 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


unto  as  many  of  my  flock  as  you  can ;  and  the  word  of  God  bids  me  to  try  you.  And  I  have  to 
do  with  George  Fox  too ;  because  George  Fox  in  his  writings  has  to  do  with  me.  And  if  you  will 
sincerely  tell  me,  whether  you  own  George  Fox,  or  no,  I  shall  more  probably  tell  who  you  are.  In 
short,  if  you'll  say,  you  deny  and  renounce  George  Fox,  then  I  must  go  another  way  to  work  witb 
you.  If  you'll  say  you  own  him,  then  I  must  endeavour  to  save  "ou  from  some  of  his  damnable 
heresies? 

Quaker.  What  heresies? 

Minister.  Numberless.  But  I  do  at  this  time  call  to  mind  three  of  them.  First,  "That  the 
soul  of  man  is  without  beginning,  and  infinite."  This  is,  if  I  forget  not,  in  the  90th  page  of  that 
book.  Secondly,  "  That  it  is  not  contrary  to  the  Scripture,  that  God  the  Father  took  upon  him 
humane  nature;"  and,  "that  the  Scripture  does  not  tell  people  of  a  Trinity,  nor  three  persons  in 
God;  but  that  these  three  persons  were  brought  in  by  the  Pope."  (This  is  in  pag.  246.)  Thirdly, 
"  That  they  that  are  not  compleat  in  Sanctificatiun,  are  not  complcat  in  Justitication."  (This  is  in 
pag.  284.)     Now,  what  say  ye,  sirs? 

Quaker.  What  hast  thou  to  do  to  rake  into  the  ashes  of  the  dead  ?  Let  George  Fcx  alone. 
Hast  thou  any  thing  to  charge  upon  me  ? 

Minister.  I  shall  know,  if  you'll  tell  me,  whether  you  own  George  Fox,  or  no.  And  you  can 
tell  me  if  you  will.     I  would  be  more  civil  to  you,  sirs. 

Quaker.  I  never  saw  that  book  of  George  Fox.  [And  so  said  the  other  Quaker  that  was 
with  him.] 

Minister.  Sirs,  you  astonish  mc !  What !  Never  see  George  Fox's  book  of  "  The  Great 
Mystery  !"  'Tis  impossible  !  ihis  thing  is  to  me  a  mystery  !  Sirs,  that  book  is  the  very  Bible  of 
Quakerism.  'Tis  essential  unto  a  Quaker,  at  least  unto  a  teaching  Quaker,  as  you  are,  to  be 
indoctrinated  from  that  book.     Never  see  it,  man  ! — However,  if  you  say  so,  I  must  believe  it. 

Quaker.  [Fell  into  an  haranpjue,  repeating  what  he  had  preached  abroad  about  the  country 
which,  because  I  would  niis-rtcite  nothing,  I  dare  not  undertake  exactly  to  recite  in  this  place.] 

Minister.  I  perceive  our  coi.versation  will  be  to  little  odvantnge,  except  we  get  a  little  closer  to 
some  cerfam  point,  which  I  have  hitherto  endeavoured,  but  ineffectually.  Sirs,  there  are  several 
points  which  I  would  willingly  bring  you  to.  And  there  happening  to  be  several  of  my  honest 
neighbours  at  hand,  I  have  pray'd  them  (with  your  leave)  to  walk  in,  that  they  may  be  witnesses 
of  what  passes  between  us.  First,  I'll  begin,  if  you  please,  with  this :  I  told  you,  at  the  beginning, 
I  would  not  willingly  treat  you  with  one  hard  triird.  There  is  nn  hard  word  whi'.'h  will  presently 
occur  by  the  unovoidnble  course  of  disputation.  I  would  prny  you  to  ease  me  of  the  trouble  of 
speaking  it.     You  shall  yourself  have  the  speaking  of  it. 

Quaker.  Whot's  that  ? 

Minister.  I  ptny,  friend,  what  doth  the  Scriptures  say  of  them  that  soy,  "  they  know  Jesus 
Christ,"  and  yet  "keep  not  his  conmmndinents  I" 

Quaker.  Nay,  what  dost  thou  say  the  Sc-ripiure  says  in  that  case? 

Minister  You  will  compel  me  I  see — 1  say,  then,  the  Soripture  says,  "  He  that  snya  I  know 
him,  and  keeps  not  hia  commandments,  is  a  liar,  and  ihe  truth  is  not  in  him."     'Tis  in  1  Joh.  ii.  4. 

Quaker.  And  what  then  ? 

Minister.  Why  this  then.  He  that  says  "  I  know  Jesus  Christ,"  and  yet  "  keeps  not  the  com- 
mandments" of  Je-uB  Christ,  is  n  "liar,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  him."  You  say,"  you  know  Jesus 
Christ."  But  you  must  give  me  leave  to  sny,  that  you  "  keep  not  the  commandments"  cf  Jcpus 
Christ.  Therefore — pray  sirs,  do  you  help  out  the  conclusion.  I  am  loth  to  speak  it.  You  know 
what  it  is. 

Quaker.  Yes,  yes;  we  know  well  enoujih  what  conclusion  thou  wouldst  be  at;  thou  wouldst  sny 
that  we  are  liars,  and  the  truth  is  not  in  us. 

Minister.  Right!  since  it  must  be  so. 

Quaker.  But  what  commandment  of  Jesus  Christ  is  there  that  we  do  not  keep? 

Minister.  The  commnndment  of  Jesus  Christ  is,  for  his  disciples  to  be  "baptised  with  Wi.: -, 
but  you  Qunkers  do  not  keep  thot  conimnniini''iit  of  Je.-.i4.H  Christ. 

Quaker.  How  dost  thou  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded  baptism  with  water. 

Minister.  I  know  you  must  have  the  won!  irrtter.  or  noihini!  will  content  you  ;  else  I  would 
hove  urged,  for  a  sullicienl  proof,  our  Lord's  coiniuandin!;  his  minisiera  to  baptixr  men  (Mntth.  .\xviii. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


649 


19) ;  this  command  expresses  our  duty.  'Tia  not  our  duty  to  baptige  men  with  the  Holy  Spirit. 
This  belongs  not  unto  us,  but  unto  Him  whose  that  Holy  Spirit  is.  You  will  not  say  we  gin,  if  we 
don't  baptise  the  disciples  in  all  nations  with  the  Holy  Spirit.  So  then  it  must  be  a  baptism  with 
water  which  is  there  commanded  by  our  Lord.  But,  as  I  said,  you  must  have  the  word  water,  and 
you  shall  have  it.    The  Apostle  Peter  said — 

Quaker.  The  Apostle  Peter!  the  Apostle  Peter!  thou  wast  to  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded 
baptism  with  water,  and  now  thou  art  come  to  the  Apostle  Peter! 

Minister.  Stay,  friend,  not  so  fast!  Will  you  say,  then,  that  the  commandments  brought  by  tho 
Apostle  Peter,  as  the  commandments  of  Jesus  Christ,  are  not  the  commandments  of  Jesus  Chrictt 
But,  however,  I'll  mend  the  expression — The  Spirit  of  Jesus  Christ  in  the  Apostle  Peter.  (Now  I 
hope  it  fits  you!) 

Quaker.  [J.  S.]  Thou  art  a  monster,  all  mouth,  and  no  ears— 

Minister.  Prethee  talk  civilly ;  don't  make  me  believe  that  I  am  at  Ephesus.  If  I  were  in  one 
of  your  houses,  I  would  not  give  you  such  language ;  you  had  but  now  a  greater  liberty  to  use  your 
mouth  than  I  have  hitherto  taken ;  and  my  ears  were  patient.  But  yon  foresee  my  argument  is 
going  to  pinch  you.    'Tis  but  civility  to  let  me  finish  it.  • 

Quaker.  Thou  wast  to  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded  baptism  with  water.  And  thou  halt 
not  proved  it.     And  therefore  thou  speakest  falsely. 

Minister.  What  do  you  mean?  Tnese  little  shuffles  won't  help  you.  I  say,  the  Spirit  of  Jesus 
Christ  in  the  Apostle  Peter,  after  our  Lord's  ascens^ion,  when  it  was  impossible  for  John's  baptism 
(which  was  into  the  Messiah  suddenly  to  come,  not  already  come)  to  have  place,  did  sny ,  in  .\cts  x.  47, 
"  Con  any  man  forbid  water,  that  these  should  not  be  baptised,  which  have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  \" 

Quaker.  How  does  this  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded  these  to  be  baptised  wiih  water? 

Minister.  Thus:  If  Jesus  Christ  had  not  commanded  baptism  with  water,  any  man  might  have 
then  forbid  it.     But  no  >nnn  couid  forbid  it.     Therefore  Jesus  Christ  commanded  it. 

Quaker.  Therefore!  therefore!  argo!  argo!  Why,  dost  thou  think  religion  is  to  be  proved  by 
thy  therefore' s — by  thy  argo's  ? 

Minister.  Friend,  I  perceive  the  word  therefore  is  a  very  dead-doing  sort  of  a  word  to  ye.  I'll 
dismiss  this  terrible  word.  I'll  only  say,  the  reason  why  none  could  forbid  beliovers  to  be  baptised 
with  water,  was  meerly  because  Jesus  Christ  commanded  it. 

Quaker.  Because!     Why,  the  word  because  is  as  bad  as  the  word  therefore. 

Minister,  (smiling.)  It  may  be  so.  But,  in  the  mean  time,  you  arc  wonderfully  unreasonable! 
I  say,  why  could  none  forbid  water  for  the  faithful  to  be  baptised? 

Quaker.  Who  says  none  could  forbid  water?  'tis  only  said,  Can  any  man  forbid  water? 

Alinisler.  I  pray,  sirs,  and  is  not  this,  none  can  7  But  I'll  bring  the  matter  to  hear  upon  you  with- 
out those  two  dangerous  words,  therefore  and  because,  nt  which  you  are  so  terrified.  I  will  put 
the  motter  into  the  form  of  a  question,  and  your  answer  to  this  question  shall  put  an  end  to  our 
present  velitations. 

Quaker.  What  hove  we  to  do  to  answer  thy  questions? 

Minister.  My  question  is,  "  Whether  a  man  might  not  forbid,  in  the  worship  of  Jesus  Christ, 
what  Jesus  Christ  himself  hath  no  way  commanded?  You  can  answer  this  question  if  you  will; 
and  I  desire — I  demand  your  answer. 

Quaker.  What?  for  us  to  answer  thy  questions!  that  would  be  to  ensnare  our  ae'vcs. 

Minister.  I  nm  very  sensible  of  that.  Therefore  take  notice  you  are  ensnared  in  the  toils  of 
your  own  miserable  delusions.     But  still  I  say,  answer  my  question. 

Quaker.  Do  you  see,  neighbours?  Friend  M.  was  to  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded  bap- 
tism, and  now  he's  come  to  a  question! 

Minister.  So  I  nm  truly.  And  I  see  'tis  a  question  that  puts  you  into  a  sxceat.  I  be.seech  you  to 
answer  it.  I  rcgi/irc  you  to  answer  it.  What  shall  I  say  ?  I  rfr/fe  you  to  answer  it.  Pardon  my 
eoeenr.y;  yon  force  me  to't! 

Quaker.  I  say,  how  does  a  question  prove  that  Jesus  Christ  commanded  baptism  with  water? 
nnil  why  dost  thou  bnptise  infants? 

Miiiislrr.  Nay,  I'll  keep  you  to  the  question.  Your  answer  to  the  question  will  provi"  it  ;  I  om 
desijininc  to  make  ynu  your  selves  prove  it.  And,  sirs,  I  do  here  offer  to  you,  that  I  will  give  the 
1  e.-t  iin«wer  I  can  to  any  question  in  the  world  that  you  shall  put  unto  me.  Why  ore  you  so  loth 
to  un.-wr  one  short  question  of  mine? 


V- 


650 


MAGNALIA    CIIKISTl    AMKHCtNA; 


\ 


Quaker.  I  be  not  obliged  to  nn.«npr  ihy  c   fstion. 

Minister.  I  must  contrive  some  t'uii  wny  to  rompel  some  nnswM  unto  this  out  question.  Give 
me  leave  therefore  to  tell  you,  tliot  if  you  do  not  answer  tliiti  ()uei>tiun,  you  gn  nwny  conquer  d  nn.t 
oonfoundod.  Yea,  sirs,  I  inu!-t  in  faithfuhu':*!)  tell  you  thai  you  curry  Bw  v  the  dreadful  nii.  k  of 
hereticks  upon  vou.  even,  "  to  be  condemned  in  your  own  conxoienee,"  You  go  nwny  w/Z-co/i- 
d''inned,  that  yd.i  din't  keep  the  "  conimnndnients  of  Jesus  Chriol  •"  nnd  therefore  thai  you  are — 
what  you  remember  the  Apostle  John  said  concerning  yuu. 

Quaker.  1  don't  condemn  thee  for  using  baptism  with  water. 

Miiiislrr.  This  i.-s  no  answer  to  the  question  rtill :  for  you  tIerT'i  obst^rve  it  your  self;  niiiher 
you,  nor  any  Quakers  under  Heaven.     Wherefore  I  still  urge  for  nn  answer. 

Quaker.  Thou  art  not  civil  to  us.  I>  this  thy  civility  to  slrnnjjer!*  I  We  have  henrd  n  crent 
fame  of  thee,  for  thy  civil  and  obliging  ciirriage  towards  others  thnt  art*  not  of  thy  perswosion.  Dm 
now  thou  art  uncivil  to  us.  That  which  I  have  to  .say  is,  I  will  keep  to  thnt  book,  the  Bible,  niij 
I  will  preach  what  is  in  that  book. 

Minister.  (Taking  up  the  Bible.)  Friend,  you  pretend  then  to  nndrretand  this  hook.  I  do  lure 
moke  you  this  ofler,  that  I  will  immediately  turn  you  to  ten  several  plnceM  in  one  hook  of  this  Muly 
Bible,  (the  Chronicles)  and  if  you  can  give  me  a  toleroble  solution  of  ittiy  one  of  tlii-m,  I'll  acknowl- 
edge that  you  are  worthy  to  preach  out  of  it. 

Quaker.  Canst  thou  do  it  thy  self  { 

MinLster.  I  humbly  hope  I  can. 

Quaker.  IIow  dost  thou  know  thnt  I  can't  ?  [wrong'd  you. 

Minister.  I  say  you  coh'^.     Now  do  you  accept  my  offer  1     If  you  e«w,  tU  own  that  I  have 

Quaker.  What's  that  to  thee  what  I  can  do  ! 

Minister.  Look  you,  neighbours ;  I  think 'tis  i"  no  purpose  to  proceed  unto  any  other  points, 
with  such  unreasonable  folks  as  these.     You  set   iiow  'tis,     li'  you  desire  it,  I'll  proceed,    ' 

Neighbours.  No,  sir ;  'tis  to  no  purpose  ;  they  are  a  people  of  no  reason. 

Quaker.  Nay,  Friend  M ,  I  would  not  hnve  thee  to  he  so  Iturd  upon  us ;  I  mean  thee  no 

harm.  I  hear  thou  takest  a  great  deal  of  pains  for  the  good  of  tliy  people  ;  and  they  will  do  wtU 
to  hearken  to  thee.  I  hnve  rebuked  some  of  them  for  speakini;  evil  of  thee.  Yen,  it  is  my  judgment 
that  thou,  and  other  surli  ministers  as  thou  art,  ought  honorably  to  he  mnintnined  by  the  people. 

Minister.  Y"u  ditler  from  all  your  friends,  methiiiks.  WItat !  would  you  hnve  us  to  be  A:i'e- 
lings?  'Tis  \'ory  t^trange  to  hear  u  Quaker  plead  for  the  mainteHauer  of  our  ministry.  But,  for 
ji.iir  satisfuctior,  IT  tell  you,  the  people  whom  I  serve  I  never  onee  in  nil  luy  life  asked  tor  any 
niaii)toii".!ice  i>i  solnry;  and  I  never  made  any  agreement  with  them  about  any  salary  in  nil  my  life, 

Quaker.  I  suy,  1  would  not  have  thee  too  hard  upon  us.  New-Kngland  hns  persecuteil  our 
friends  at  a  grievous  rate. 

Minister.  Nay,  friends,  be  not  you  too  hard  upon  wie,  about  that  nmtter.  I  npprove  prrserulinn 
as  little  as  any  of  you  all.  I  abhor  it;  I  hnve  preach' d  ngninsi  it,  1  hnvo  irri<  ngninst  it,  I  have 
bewailed  the  mistakes  that  some  good  men  have  committed  in  it.  1  would  imve  you  trented  wiih 
all  the  civility  imaginable.  1  would  not  hnve  the  civil  magistrate  inlliot  upoit  you  the  damnge  of 
one  farthing  for  your  eoiiseienecs. 

Quaker.  But  now  you  may  see  how  the  judgments  of  God  arc  come  upon  the  east-country,  by 
the  Indiiins,  for  your  persecution. 

Mini.iter.  I  can't  tell  that  neither.  For  tho'  I  am  sorry  at  my  henri  ih.it  ever  y'on  were  per.*e- 
cuted,  yet  I  cnn't  say,  that  because  Biislon  was  guilty  of  persecution,  tltert-fore  Newichawannick, 
end  Casco-Bay,  (places  in  other  proviures)  thnt  never  had  any  such  thinn  in  it,  must  be  cut  off. 

Quaker.  Yes,  they  persecuted  at  the  eastward.  There  were  two  women  of  our  friends  cruelly 
scourged  there. 

Minister.  I  suppose  you  refer  to  a  Ftory  published  by  one  Oeorjp'  Bishop,  a  Quaker:  h"  com- 
plains bitterly  of  the  New-F'ngland  persecution,  because  then'  enmo  two  Quaker  women  stiirk 
naked  into  our  public  assemblies,  and  they  were  carried  unto  the  whippins-post  for  it.  This  w.ns  in 
the  novthern  parts  of  the  country,  as  I  have  been  told.  These  bajtjinges,  I  btlieve,  were  the  perse- 
cuted women  you  talk  of! 

Quaker.  Well,  and  what  if  they  did  appear  naked,  to  show  the  |H'ople  (he  nnkednessof  their  sins  1 

Minister    For  abame,  sirs !     Let  us  have  no  more  of  this  talk. 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


651 


Quaker.  Why  didstt  tlion  treat  George  Keiih  ?o  hnrdly  1 

Minister.  Ife  deaerved  it  when  I  bo  treated  him.  And  you  Quakers  have  since  treated  him  ten 
times  wor^'e  than  ever  I  did.  You  write  whole  books  of  railing  against  him.  I  never  got  him  into 
gaols,  and  under  fines.  I  should  have  been  troubled  at  any  that  would  have  done  so.  But  you 
have  done  it.     Therefore  I  believe  'tis  best  for  you  to  leave  that  subject . 

And  SO,  after  a  few  other  small  pulls,  the  saw  stood  still:  the  conference 
ended. 

There  are  five  or  six  witnesses  which  I  have  to  attest  unto  the  truth  of 
this  relation  which  I  have  here  given,  of  a  conference  with  a  Quaker, 
which  had  all  the  Friends  far  and  near  loondering  (as  well  as  ininderuirf) 
after  him.  And  yet  these  Crdians  boasted  among  their  friends,  liow  much 
they  had  confounded  the  minister  in  il      conference. 


All  that  I  would  presume  now 
have  such  Quaker:^  annoying  of 
even  with  all  convenient  civility  an 
people;  while  you  charge  your  chi 


amend  unto  those  towns  which 

"'<*  this:    Brethren,  carry  it  well, 

y,  towards  this  poor  deluded 

servants  that  they  do  not  go 


unto  their  meetings:  and  ca,st  not  \our  st'lves  also  into  temptation  by 
needlessly  being  there.  But,  after  all — yea,  hefore  all — make  an  experiment 
which  the  good  people  at  Lyn  made  a  little  while  ago,  with  a  success  truly 
observable  and  memorable. 

The  Quakers  made  a  more  than  ordinary  descent  upon  the  town  of 
Lyn,  and  Quakerism  suddenly  spread  there  at  such  a  rate  as  to  alarum 
the  neighbourhood.  The  pastor  of  the  church  there  indicted  a  day  for 
prayer  ivith  fasting,  to  implore  the  help  of  Heaven  against  the  unaccount- 
able enchantment ;  and  the  good  people  presented  accordingly,  on  July  19, 
1694,  their  fervent  supplications  unto  the  Lord,  that  the  spiritual  j^layiie 
might  proceed  no  further.  The  Spirit  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  gave  a 
remarkable  effect  unto  this  holy  method  of  encountring  the  charms  of 
Quakerism;  it  proved  a  better  method  than  any  coercion  of  the  civil 
magistrate:  Quakerism  in  Lyn  received  (as  I  am  informed)  a  death-wound 
from  that  very  day;  and  the  number  of  Quakers  in  that  place  hath  been 
so  far  from  increasing,  that  I  am  told,  it  hath  since  rather  decreased  notably. 
Now,  let  other  endangered  plantations  "go  and  do  likewise." 

The  Quakers  are  such  enemies  to  the  holy  religion  which  is  the  life  of 
New-England,  that  you  must  excuse  my  concern  to  have  you  fortify'd 
against  their  attempts  also,  while  I  am  giving  you  an  history  of  your  other 
enemies.  What  all  of  them  would  be  at,  methinks,  was  a  little  intimated 
by  what  one  of  them  once  declared.  The  Globe-tavern  was  near  our  pub- 
lick  and  spacious  meeting-house  at  Salem;  and  a  noted  Quaker  there 
caused  a  paper  to  be  set  upon  the  door  of  that  meeting-house,  which  had 
such  stuff  as  this  written  in  it: 

"  Beware,  beware,  and  enter  not ! 
But  rather  to  the  Globe,  and  spend  a  pot." 

This  is  but  like  a  passage  mentioned  in  the  life  of  that  excellent  man, 
Mr.  P.  Ilenry,  lately  published.    A  debauched  gentleman,  in  his  revels, 


M 


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652 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


drinking  and  swearing,  at  Malpas,  was  reproved  by  a  Quaker  then  in  his 
company.  "Why,"  said  the  gentleman,  "I'll  ask  thee  one  question: 
Whether  it  is  better  for  me  to  follow  drinking  and  swearing,  or  to  go  and 
hear  Henry?"  The  Quaker  answered,  "Nay,  of  the  two,  rather  follow 
thy  drinking  and  swearing."  Behold  the  spirit  of  Quakerism !  When  I 
once  compelled  a  Quaker  to  confess  that  the  body  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth 
rose  from  the  grave,  and  went  up  into  the  heavens,  he  begg'd  me  that  I 
would  not  improve  his  confession,  as  if  made  on  the  behalf  of  all  his 
friends.  And  another  of  them,  as  I  hear,  publickly  held-forth  in  one  of  his 
late  stercorations,  that  the  husks  of  the  swina,  on  which  the  prodigal  fed  in  the 
parable,  were  the  bread  and  wine  in  that  which  people  call  the  sacrament. 

But  what  will  become  of  those  forlorn  villages,  that  shall  resign  them- 
selves to  the  conduct  of  that  "light  within,"  which  our  sacred  Scriptures 
indeed  never  expressly  mention  but  once  or  twice,  and  then  call  it  real 
darkness;  and  which  may  lead  men  to  all  this  wickedness?  There  was 
among  the  Mahometans  in  the  eastern  parts  of  the  world  a  sect  called 
Batenists,  from  the  Arabic,  Baten,  (which  signifies  within:)  who  were 
the  enthusiasts  that  followed  "the  light  within,"  like  our  Quakers,  and  on 
this  principle  they  did  such  numberless  villanies,  that  the  world  was  not 
able  to  bear  them.  None  of  all  their  diabolical  raveries,  which  I  know 
I  am  now  pulling  on  my  self,  and  which  I  value  no  more  than  if  they 
came  from  the  Pouliats  of  Malabar,  shall  frighten  me  from  soliciting  your 
Christian  cares  and  prayers,  that  you  may  be  not  over-run  with  Etiglish 
Batenists.  And  I  must  solicitously  make  the  observaticn  that,  although 
such  a  number  of  Quakers  in  our  nation  be  a  dreadful  judgment  of  God 
upon  men,  smiting  them  with  spiritual  plagues  for  their  unfruitful ness  and 
unthankfulness  under  the  gospel ;  nevertheless,  'tis  a  special  favour  of 
God,  that  the  number  of  Quakers  is  no  greater;  for  if  they  should  mul- 
tiply, not  only  would  Christianity  be  utterly  extinguished,  but  humanity 
it  self  exterminated.  It  is  well  known  that  when  a  Quaker  had  stolen  an 
hour-glass,  their  Mahomet,  George  Fox,  (of  whom  Sol.  Kccles,  in  a  sheet 
called  "T/ie  Quaker'' s  Challenge,''^  page  6,  says,  "he  was  the  Christ,")  thus 
vindicated  it,  {Great  Myst.,  page  77:)  "As  for  any  being  moved  of  the 
Lord  to  take  away  your  hour-glass  from  you,  by  the  eternal  power  it  is 
owned."  Reader,  dost  not  thou  even  tremhk  to  think  what  a  dark  land  we 
should  have,  if  it  should  ever  be  filled  with  these  pretended  followers  of 
the  light,  who  wear  the  name  of  trtrnblersf  In  truth,  I  know  not  unto 
what  better  one  might  compare  them,  than  unto  the  macheveliors  growing 
upon  St.  Lucia;  trees  which  bear  apples  of  such  an  odour  and  colour  as 
invites  people  to  eat  thereof;  but  it  is  horribly  dangerous  to  do  so;  for 
there  is  no  antidote  that  can  secure  a  man  from  speedy  death,  who  }.ath 
once  tasted  of  them.  The  leaf  of  the  trees  makes  an  ulcer  on  any  place 
touched  with  it;  the  dew  that  falls  from  them  fetches  off  the  skin;  tlio 
very  shadow  swells  a  man  so  as  to  kill  him,  if  he  be  not  speedily  helped. 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


658 


ARTICLE  XXX. 


THINGS  TO  COME. 

From  relating  of  things  past,  it  would  no  doubt  be  very  acceptable  to 
the  reader  if  we  could  pass  to  foretelling  of  things  to  come.    Our  curiosity 
in  this  point  may  easily  come  to  a  degree  culjoable  and  criminal.    We  must  - 
be  humbly  content  with  what  the  God  in  whose  hands  are  our  times  hath 
revealed  unto  us.     Two  things  we  will  venture  to  insert: 

First,  for  our  selves  at  home,  let  us  remember  an  awful  saying  of  our 
Goodwin,  quoted  by  my  Reverend  friend  Mr.  Noyes,  in  his  late  excellent 
sermon  at  our  anniversary  election :  "  As  you  look  for  storms  in  autumn, 
and  frosts  in  winter,  so  expect  judgments  where  the  gospel  hath  been 
preached;  for  the  quarrel  of  the  covenant  must  be  avenged." 

Secondly,  for  the  church  abroad,  I  am  far  from  deserting  what  was  as- 
serted in  the  sermon  preached  at  our  anniversary  election  in  the  year  1696 : 

"  The  tidings  wliich  I  bring  unto  you  are,  that  there  is  a  revolution  and  a  reformation 
at  the  very  door,  which  will  be  vastly  more  wonderful  than  any  of  the  deliverances  yet  seen 
by  the  church  of  God  from  the  beginning  of  the  world.  1  do  not  say  that  the  next  year 
will  bring  on  this  happy  period;  but  this  I  do  say,  the  bigger  part  of  this  assembly  may,  in  tliu 
course  of  nature,  live  to  see  it  These  things  will  come  on  with  horrible  commotions,  and 
concussions,  and  confusions:  The  mighty  angels  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  will  make  their 
descent,  and  set  the  world  a  trembling  at  the  approaches  of  their  almighty  Lord ;  they  will 
shake  nations,  and  shake  churches,  and  shake  mighty  kingdoms,  and  shake  once  more,  not  earth 
only,  but  heaven  also." 

Unto  these  two  things,  my  reader  will  not  mis-improve  it,  I  hope,  if  I 
add  a  third  lately  fallen  into  my  hands ;  and  never  yet  so  exposed  unto 
the  publick. 

A  WONDERFUL   MATTER    INCONTESTABLY   DEMONSTRATED, 
.Snd  mnek  desired  by  aome  good  men  to  be  in  this  place  communicated, 

"Mr.  John  Sadler,  a  very  learned  and  a  very  pious  man,  and  a  most  exemplary  Christian, 
lay  sick  in  his  bed  ut  his  maimer  of  Wurmwell,  in  Dorsetshire:  In  the  year  1663,  in  the 
time  of  his  illness,  he  was  visited  by  Mr.  Cuthburt  Bound,  the  minister  of  Warmwell. 

"Mr.  Sadler  then  desired  his  man  (one  Thomas  Gray)  to  see  that  there  tiliould  be  no  body 
else  in  the  room,  and  lock  the  door,  and  give  him  the  key. 

"He  then  sot  up  in  his  bed,  and  asked  Mr.  Bound  and  the  attendant  Gray,  whether  they 
saw  no  body  ?  And  whether  they  did  not  hear  what  a  person  said  that  stood  at  a  corner 
of  the  chamberl  They  replied, '  No.'  He  wondered  at  it,  and  said, '  the  man  spuke  so  loud 
that  the  whole  parish  might  hear  him.' 

'"  Hereupon  calling  fur  a  pen  and  ink,  he  wrote  what  was  told  him,  and  made  them  set 
their  hands  to  it;  for  he  told  them,  'the  man  would  not  be  gone  till  he  had  seen  that  done.' 
—The  articles  written  down  were — 

I.  <>>Tlint  ihore  would,  oflvr  eo  many  moiiUiti,  be  a  plague  In  London,  whorpof  to  many  would  die  [naming  the 
number]. 

II,  »>That  the  (^ronlust  part  of  Iho  cily  thould  be  burnt,  ond  Pauls  lie  pnrllculiiily  stiowed  bim,  tumbled  down 
Into  rulna,  ub  \(  boiiton  down  wUli  gitmt  Kinia. 

III,  "'Thnt  thi'ro  would  bn  Ihrrr  sca-fghts  liutwcen  the  EiiKllfh  nnd  llio  Dutch. 

IV.  "'Tiiut  tlierc  would  nppuur  titrce  Hating  stars;  the  last  of  wliioh  would  be  terrible  to  behold,  [lie  wid 
the  man  ahow'd  liliu  the  star.] 


!■■■: 


654 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


V  '''That  afterwards  there  would  come  three  emaU  ehipt  to  land  in  the  west  of  Weymuiith,  which  would  put 
all  Eiiyluiid  in  an  uproar,  but  it  woidd  come  to  nothing. 

V  (.  " '  That  in  the  year  liitIS,  there  would  come  to  pass  such  a  thing  in  the  Icingdum,  as  all  thu  >n  urld  would  take 
notice  of. 

Vil.  '"That  after  Mm  and  after  some  further  dieturiunce^  there  would  be  kappf  timet;  and  a  wonderftU  thing 
would  come  to  pass,  which  he  was  not  now  to  declare. 

VIII.  ■''That  he  and  his  man  (Gray)  should  die  before  the  accomplishment  of  these  things,  but  Mr.  Bound 
should  live  to  see  it. 

IX.  "'  For  (he  conflrmation  of  the  whole,  the  man  thus  appearing  told  him  that  he  should  be  veil  the  next  day  • 
and  there  would  come  tArea  mm  to  visit  him— 4ne  ttota  Ireland,  one  Drom  Guernsey,  and  bis  brother  Bingham.' 

"Accordingly,  the  day  following,  Mr.  Sadler  went  nbroad:  and  this  day  there  accidentally 
met  at  his  house,  and  so  dined  with  him,  first,  the  Lord  Steel,  who  had  been  the  Lord  Chan- 
cellor  of  Ireland,  and  now  returning  from  thence  in  his  way  to  Ijondonj  vume  to  see  Mr. 
Sadler;  secondly,  Monsieur  de  la  Marsh,  a  French  Minister  from  Guernsey;  and  lastly,  his 
brother  Bingham. 

"  Mr.  Bound  and  Gray,  within  three  days  after  this,  made  affidavit  of  it  before  Colonel 
Giles  Strangewayes,  and  Colonel  Crocker,  who  is  yet  alive. 

"Mr.  Dan'"'  Sadler  and  Mr.  John  Sadler,  the  sons  of  this  old  Mr.  Sadler,  very  serious  and 
worthy  Christians,  are  at  this  time  living  in  Rotterdam ;  one  of  them  is  his  majesties'  agent 
for  transportation. 

"Mr.  Daniel  Sadler,  making  his  applications  to  Mr.  Bound  for  his  testimony  about  this 
matter,  the  said  old  Mr.  Bound,  in  a  letter  dated  Warm  well,  August  30,  (O.  S.)  1()97, 
asserts  the  m.ttter  at  lirge  unto  him,  and  subscribes,  'This  1  shall  lestifie  before  the  kinij 
himself,  if  occasion  bo,  when  he  comes  into  England.  Yours,  Cuthburt  Bound,  yet  minister 
of  Warmicell.^ 

"Mr.  Daniel  Sadler  has  this  testimony  further  fortified  by  a  letter  from  one  Mr.  Robert 
Loder;  telling  him  that  he  had  met  with  an  old  copy  of  the  depositions  aforesaid,  whit^h 
accordiiigly  he  transcribes  for  him;  and  several  yet  living  in  Dorchester  affirmed  unto  him 
the  truth  of  the  story.    The  copies  of  these  letters  are  now  in  Boston,  in  New-England. 

"Mr.  John  Sadler  adds  his  testimony  that  his  father  told  unto  his  mother  and  himself 
that  he  had  been  told  of  remarkable  things  to  come  to  pass,  particularly  the  huming  of 
London  and  Pauls.  But  that  they  were  not  acquainted  with  all  the  matters  he  foretold  unto 
Mr.  Bound  and  Gray.  Only  he  remembers  well  they  two  were  with  him  in  his  chamber 
alone;  and  his  father  went  abroad  within  a  day  or  two;  and  that  (according  to  the  sign  he 
had  given  to  them,)  the  three  persons  aforesaid  visited  him.  lie  adds,  that  his  father  spoke 
of  leaving  in  writing  the  things  that  had  been  shown  to  him;  and  that  a  little  after,  he  saw 
once  a  thin  octavo  manuscript  in  his  father's  study,  which  he  believed  had  those  things  in  it; 
but  after  that  he  could  never  find  it.    This  testimony  is  dated  in  October,  1697." 

A  worthy  and  a  godly  gentleman,  at  this  time  living  in  Rotterdam,  and  well  acquainted 
with  both  Mr.  Daniel,  and  Mr.  John  Sadler,  sends  this  to  ^  crease  Mather,  in  New- 
England,  with  a  letter,  dated  26t!i  March,  1698. 

Eeader,  I  am  not  ignorant  that  many  cheats  and  shams  have  been 
imposed  upon  the  world,  under  the  notion  of  communications  from  the 
invisible  world;  and  I  hope  I  am  not  becoming  a  visionary.  But  fancies 
and  juggles  have  their  foundation  laid  in  realities:  there  would  never  have 
been  impostures  of  apparitions^  and  of  communications  from  the  invisible 
world,  if  there  never  had  been  realhj  some  such  things  to  be  counterfeited 
and  imitated.  Wise  men  therefore  will  count  it  a  foil//  in  its  exaltation  and 
extremity  to  deride  all  instances  of  strange  things  arriving  to  us  from  the 
invisible  world,  because  that  somethings  have  been  delusions.  No;  'tis  a 
icisdoin  that  is  pleasing  to  God,  and  useful  to  the  world,  for  a  due  nf)tii'e  to 
be  taken  o(rare  things,  wherein  we  have  incontcstiible^'/wy!)'  of  an  inmible 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


655 


world,  and  of  the  interest  it  hath  in  humane  affairs.  The  narrative  of  Mr. 
Sadler  is  advantaged  with  such  incontestable  proofs,  and  contains  in  it 
such  notable  passages,  that  I  believe  I  do  well  to  lay  it  before  serious 
men;  and  I  believe  no  serious  men  will  play  the  buffoon  upon  it.  By  no 
means  pretend  I  to  pass  any  judgment  upon  this  remarkable  narrative;  by 
no  means  do  I  presume  to  tell  what  I  think  of  it  any  more  than  this,  that 
it  is  remarkable.  Nevertheless,  for  the  caution  of  unwary  readers,  I  will 
annex  the  words  of  an  excellent  writer  upon  Divine  Providence: 

"Wutch  against  an  unmortified  itch  after  excentrical  or  extraordinary  dispensations  of 
Providence.  Luther  said, '  The  martyrs,  without  the  apparition  of  angels,  being  confirmed  by 
the  word  of  God  alone,  died  for  the  name  of  Christ;  and  why  should  not  we  acquiesce?' 
And  ho  obaervcth  how  the  detil  hath  greatly  deluded  parties  who  have  been  gaping  after 
visions." 

Nor  will  it  be  unprofitable  to  recite  the  words  of  another  author,  whom 
I  must  quote,  as  E.  David  Kimchi  did  use  to  quote  E.  Joseph  Kimchi, 
under  the  title  of  Ad/)ni  Avi: 

"Evil  angels  do  now  appear  more  often  than  good  ones.  'Tis  an  unwarrantable  and  a 
very  dangerous  thing  for  men  to  wish  that  they  might  see  angels,  and  converse  with  them. 
Some  have  done  so,  and  God  hath  been  provoked  with  them  for  their  curiosity  and  pre- 
sumption, and  hath  permitted  devils  to  come  unto  them,  whereby  they  have  been  deceived 
and  undone." 

More  Particular  Prognostications  upon  the  Future  State  of  New-Englandi 

But,  oh  my  dear  New-England,  give  one  of  thy  friends  leave  to  utter 
the  fears  of  thy  best  friends  concerning  thee ;  and  consider  what  fearful 
cause  there  may  be  for  thee  to  expect  sad  things  to  come  I  If  every  wise 
man  be  a  prophet,  there  are  some  yet  in  thee  that  can  prophesie.  Predic' 
tions  may  be  form'd  out  of  these. 

t  REASONABLE    EXPECTATIONS. 

I.  Where  schools  are  not  vigorously  and  honourably  encouraged,  whole 
colonies  will  sink  apace  into  a  degenerate  and  contemptible  condition,  and 
at  last  become  horribly  barbarotis:  and  the  first  instance  of  their  barbarity 
will  be,  that  they  will  be  undone  for  want  of  men,  but  not  see  and  own 
what  it  was  that  undid  them. 

II.  Where  faitiiful  ministers  are  cheated  and  grieved  by  the  sacriledge  of 
people  that  rebel  against  tlie  express  word  of  Christ,  "let  him  that  is  taught 
in  the  word,  communicate  unto  him  that  teacheth  in  all  good  things,"  the 
righteous  judgments  of  God  will  imjmve.'i^h  that  people;  the  gospel  wiW  be 
made  lamentably  iinsiiccessjul  unto  the  souls  of  such  a  people;  the  minis- 
ters will  either  be  fctch'd  away  to  heaven,  or  have  their  ministry  made 
wofuUy  insipid  by  their  incumbrances  on  earth, 

III.  Whore  the  ^)«stors  of  churches  in  a  vicinity  despise  or  neglect 
formed  associations  for  mutual  assistance  in  their  evangelical  services,  "wo 
to  him  that  is  alone."    'Tis  a  sign  citlicr  that  some  of  the  pnstors  want 


656 


MAGNALIA    CHBI8T1    AMEBICANA; 


hve  to  one  another,  or  that  others  may  be  conscious  to  some  faulty  which 
may  dispose  them  to  avoid  inspection ;  but  fatal  to  the  churches  will  bo 
the  tendency  of  either. 

IV.  Where  churches  have  some  hundreds  of  souls  under  their  disci^tUuc, 
hut  the  single  pastors  are  not  strengthened  with  consistories  of  e/</cj\*,  or  an 
agreeable  number  of  wise,  and  good,  and  grave  men,  chosen  to  join  with 
the  pastor,  as  their  president  in  that  part  of  his  work,  which  concerns 
the  well-ruling  of  the  /lock,  their  discipline  will  by  degrees  be  utterly 
lost;  the  grossest  offenders  will  by  degrees,  and  thro'  parties,  be  scarce  to 
be  dealt  withal. 

V.  Where  pastors  do  not  quicken  orderly  private  vieetings  of  both  elder 
and  younger  Christians,  for  exercises  of  religion  in  their  neighbourhood, 
the  power  of  religion  will  observably  decay  among  those  Christians;  the 
"seed  sown"  in  the  publick  will  not  so  much  prosper,  for  want  of  being 
"watred  "  in  private:  and  when  the  pastor  shall  fall  sick,  there  will  not  be 
so  much  as  one  company  of  Christians  in  all  his  Jlock  that  can  come  to- 
gether to  pray  for  his  life. 

VI.  Where  churches  professing  a  great  reformation,  shall  in  their  consti- 
tution cease  to  represent  unto  the  world  the  holiness  of  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  of  his  heavenly  kingdom,  they  will  become  loathsome  to  that 
holy  Lord;  their  glory  is  gone,  and  their  defence  goes  with  it;  the  dreadful 
wrath  of  Heaven  will  astonish  the  world  with  the  things  which  it  will  do 
unto  them. 

VII.  Where  churches  are  loath  to  give  unto  councils  regularly  upon 
complaints  enquiring  into  their  administrations,  an  account  thereof,  'tis 
much  to  be  suspected  that  they  are  chargeable  with  male-administrutiom: 
and  if  the  advice  of  regular  councils  come  once  to  be  trod  under  foot  bv 
any  particular  churches,  all  serious  men  will  be  afraid  of  joining  to  such 
unaccountable  societies. 

VIII.  Where  a  mighty  body  of  people  in  a  country  are  violently  set 
upon  running  down  the  ancient  church  state  in  that  country,  and  are  violent 
for  the  hedge  about  the  communion  at  the  Lord's  table  to  be  broken  down ; 
and  for  those  who  are  not  admitted  unto  the  communion,  to  stand  on  equal 
terms  in  all  votes  with  them  that  are;  the  churches  there  arc  not  far  lVon> 
a  tremendous  convulsion,  and  they  had  need  use  a  marvellous  temper  of 
resolution  with  circumspection  to  keep  it  off. 

IX.  Where  churches  are  "bent  upon  backsliding,"  and  carried  away 
with  a  strong  spirit  of  a^wstasie,  whatever  minister  shall  set  himselF  to 
withstand  their  evil  bents,  will  pull  upon  himself  an  inexpressible  eontenipt 
and  hatred;  be  his  merits  never  so  (jrcat,  a  thousand  arts  will  be  used  for  to 
make  him  little;  he  had  need  be  a  man  o(  great  fait/i,  and  great  prayrr: 
but  God  will  at  length  honour  such  a  man  with  wonderful  reeomiieneos. 

X.  W'hcrc  a  fountain  shall  become  corrupt,  there  the  streams  will  no 
longer  "make  glad  the  city  of  God." 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


657 


upon 
'lis 


y  sot 

•iolent 

own ; 

iVom 

IK'I'  of 


XT.  The  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  we  have  with  much  expence 
lately  sent  unto  several  of  our  southern  plantations;  if  it  be  rejected, 
there  are  terrible  things  to  come  upon  them;  'twere  better  to  have  lived 
in  Sodom,  than  in  one  of  those  plantations. 

XII.  God  prepare  our  dear  brethren  in  Connecticut  for  certain  changes 
that  are  impending  over  them  I 

Finally,  there  was  a  town  called  Amyclae,  which  was  ruined  by  silence. 
The  rulers,  because  there  had  been  some  false  alarums,  forbad  all  people 
under  pain  of  death  to  speak  of  any  enemiea  approaching  them:  so,  when 
tlie  enemies  came  indeed,  no  man  durst  speak  of  it,  and  the  town  was 
lost.  Corruptions  will  grow  upon  the  land,  and  they  will  gain  by  silence: 
'twill  be  so  invidious  to  it,  no  man  will  dare  to  speak  of  the  corruptions; 
and  the  fate  of  Amyclae  will  come  upon  the  land. 

Reader,  I  call  these  things  prophecy;  but  I  wish  I  be  not  all  this  while 
writing  history. 

Now,  if  any  discerning  persons  apprehend  any  dangers  to  impend  over 
New-England,  from  any  of  the  symptoms  mentioned,  it  is  to  be  hoped  they 
will  employ  their  best  thoughts  how  to  anticipate  those  dangers.  And 
whereas,  'tis  the  sense  of  all  men,  who  discern  any  thing,  that  it  is  in  vain 
to  hope  for  any  good,  until  a  "spirit  of  grace"  be  poured  out  from  Heaven 
to  dispose  men  unto  it;  I  beg  them  to  consider,  whether  the  only  way  to 
obtain  that  "spirit  of  grace"  be  not  humbly  to  ask  it  by  prayer  with 
fasting  before  the  God  of  heaven. 

It  was  therefore  an  article  in  an  advice  agreed  by  some  of  the  principal 
ministers  in  this  province;  and  with  the  mention  of  that  advice,  (which, 
doubtless,  all  but  the  sleeping  will  follow,)  I'll  conclude: 

"Solemn  days  of  prayer  with  fasting,  celebrated  in  our  churches,  to  implore  the  grace  of 
God,  for  the  rising  generation,  would  probably  be  of  blessed  consequence  for  the  turning 
of  our  young  people  unto  the  God  of  our  fathers.  The  more  there  is  this  way  ascribed 
unto  grace,  the  more  the  grace  of  God  is  like  to  be  communicated;  and  there  is  in  this  way 
a  natural  and  a  plentiful  tendency  to  awaken  our  unconverted  youth  unto  a  sense  of  their 
everlasting  interests;  which,  were  it  generally  accomplished,  a  remarkable  reformation  were 
therein  effected." 

Vol.  II.— 42 


ll 


I? 

!3  ■ 


awoy 

ioir  to 

tlMUpt 

for  iv) 
rai/tr: 

COS. 

ill  no 


668 


HAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


'  OBSERVABLE    THINGS. 

THE  HISTORY  OF  TEN  TEARS, 

ROUIED  AWAY  UNDER  THE  GREAT  CAlAMniES  OP  A  WAE  WITH  INDIAN-SALVAGES,    '  * 

EEPEATEO  AND  IMPROVED  IN  A  SERMON  AT  BOSTON  LECTURE,  Z7  D.  7  M.,  1698. 

Jdd«.  Ti.  3. 5, 6 :  The  cbOdren  of  the  east  came  ap  againat  them ;  and  they  entred  into  the  land  to  destroy  It ; 

•nd  Israel  was  greatly  impoverished. 

PREFACE. 

When  the  Israelites  were  engaged  in  a  war,  they  made  choice  of  a  priest  among  them,  to  serve 
some  of  their  greatest  occasions  in  it,  and  after  a  sacred  utiction  bestow'd  upon  him,  we  are  tolj 
by  Maimonides,  he  was  call'd  Mashuach  Milchamah,  that  is  to  say,  Unctus  Belli;  which  was  as 
much  as  to  say, "  the  priest  of  the  war." 

To  bring  unto  a  people  profitable  advices  and  reflections  upon  a  war,  wherein  they  are  engaget^, 
and  sound  the  "silver  trumpet"  of  the  gospel,  with  agreeable  notes  unto  them  in  it,  is  to  do  in 
■ome  sort  the  office  of  the  Mashuach  Milchamah ;  and  this  office  the  ensuing  discourse  presumes 
to  do,  with  endeavours  that  the  voice  of  Heaven,  by  the  trumpet  of  our  late  war,  may  be  heard 
giving  a  certain  sound  in  these  eccho't  of  it. 

The  history  of  a  long  war  hath  with  all  possible  care  of  truth  been  given  you.  The  author 
earnestly  prays,  that  if  the  least  material  mistake  have  happened  in  the  history,  he  may  be  advised, 
and  it  may  be  corrected.  The  noise  that  may  be  made  by  a  few  sordid  people  here  and  there  in  a 
room  tophetized  with  smoke,  and  rheum,  and  spittle,  and  malice,  and  lies,  crying  out  concerning 
the  most  conscientious  essays  to  preserve  mernqrable  truths,  "  they  are  a  parcel  of  lies !"  he  values 
not.  But  he  now  tenders  to  the  acceptance  of  the  more  civilized  readers  an  improvement  of 
wumorable  truths,  which  it  was  Am  duty  to  make,  and  it  will  be  theirs  to  mind. 


THE  REHARKABLE8  OF  A  LONG  WAR,  COLLECTED  AND  IMPROVED. 

■-     BOSTON  LtCTURE,  37  D.  7  M.,  1696. 

If  a  booh  of  some  consequence  be  laid  open  before  one  that  cannot  read, 
he  may  look  and  gaze  upon  it;  but  unto  what  purpose,  as  long  as  he  can- 
not understand  it?  This  very  comparison  is  by  the  great  Austin  well 
applied  unto  the  judgments  of  God.  And  I  will  therefore  so  far  improve 
the  comparison,  as  to  observe,  that  the  judgments  of  God,  under  which 
we  have  been  languishing  for  ten  years  together,  are  a  sort  of  a  book  put 
into  our  hands;  a  book  indeed  all  written  in  blood;  a  book  yet  full  of 
divine  lessons  for  us.  But  can  every  man  read  this  terrible  book?  No; 
methinks  I  see  the  book  managed  like  the  book  brought  unto  the  blessed 
prophet  of  old  in  Isa.  xxix.  12:  "The  book  is  delivered  unto  him  that  is 
not  learned,  saying.  Read  this,  I  pray  thee;  and  he  saith,  I  am  not  learned." 
It  will  certainly  be  a  work  well  becoming  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  every 
serious  Christian  will  be  glad  of  seeing  the  work  done;  to  take  this  book, 
and  help  you  as  well  as  we  can  to  spell  the  divi7ie  lessons  contained  in  it. 

Christians,  let  us  now  do  a  work  for  which  the  great  God  hath  given 
us  that  Warrant,  and  that  command  in  Psal.  cvii.  43:  "Who  is  wise,  and 
will  observe  these  things?" 


OR,    THE    H18T0KY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


m» 


The  various  and  marvellous  dispensations  of  the  Divine  Providence 
towards  the  children  of  men,  are  in  this  elegant  Psalm  admirably  set 
before  us.  Among  those  dispensations  there  is  a  particular  mark  set  upon 
this,  that  the  God  of  heaven  "turns  a  fruitful  land  into  barrenness,  for  the 
wickedness  of  them  which  dwell  therein;"  and  though  men  have  "sown 
fields  there,  and  have  multiplied  greatly,  yet  they  are  again  diminished, 
and  brought  low  through  oppression,  affliction,  and  sorrow."  Of  such  dis- 
pensations is  this  passage  to  be  understood,  as  a  question,  "Who  is  wise, 
and  will  observe  these  things?"  But  if  you  will  rather  take  it  as  'a  sen- 
tence, it  still  comes  to  the  same  sense,  "  Whoso  is  wise,  will  observe  these 
things."  And  the  French  version  very  expressively  intimates  the  design,  as 
well  as  the  event  of  this  observation:  "that  so  they  may  consider  the  favors 
of  the  Lord."  No  less  than  ten  years  have  rouled  away  since  we  have 
been  plunged  into  the  distresses  of  a  war  with  a  barbarous  enemy.  In 
this  war  we  have  seen  the  "fruitful  land"  of  almost  one  whole  province, 
and  another  whole  county,  "turned  into  barrenness;"  doubtless  not  with- 
out provocations  of  "wickedness  in  them  who  dwelt  therein;"  men  had 
"sown  fields"  there  along  the  shore  in  settlements  for  an  hundred  miles 
together,  and  had  "multiplied  greatly"  into  a  cluster  of  towns,  (besides 
lesser  villages,)  that  might  challenge  the  name  of  a  Decapolis,  but  in  this 
war  we  have  seen  them  "diminished  again,  and  brought  low,  through 
oppression,  affliction,  and  sorrow."  I  am  to  lead  you  this  day  through  a 
spacious  country,  which  has  been  on  many  accounts  the  most  charming 
part  of  New-England;  and  I  must  herewithal  say,  "Come,  behold  the 
works  of  the  Lord,  what  desolations  he  has  made  in  that  land."  Sirs,  'tis 
time  for  us  to  "observe  these  things;"  and  this  not  with  a  meer  At?ienian, 
but  with  a  more  profitable  observation.  I  must  not  be  discouraged  from 
this  holy  service,  by  the  vain  scoffs  of  those  that  blaspheme  all  attempts, 
to  "consider  the  wondrous  works  of  God,"  as  if  it  were  nothing  but  a 
"telling  of  news  in  the  pulpit."  The  biggest  part  of  the  'Toly  Bible, 
which  is  but  a  relation  of  such  "wondrous  works,"  would  be  s  loffed  by 
such  prophane  men,  if  they  might  not  thereby  become  obnoxious.  No, 
if  "  whoso  is  wise  will  observe  these  th'ngs,"  then  let  no  man  call  it  folly 
to  make  the  observation.  A  long  war  is  the  text  which  I  am  now  to  insist 
upon :  and  if  we  would  approve  our  selves  wise,  after  all  the  stripes  that  have 
in  this  war  been  given  us,  these  things  will  occur  to  our  observation  in  it, 

L  In  the  war  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "  whoso  is  wise  may  observe  "  the 
consequence  of  entertaining  the  gospel  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and 
obtaining  and  maintaining  the  ordinances  of  that  glorious  gospel.  The 
Gadarcns  of  old  were  loth  to  have  any  of  Christ  in  their  coast:  and  anon 
comes  a  Roman  war  which  distrcss'd  all  the  land:  but  the  woful  town  of 
Gadara  was  the  very  first  place  besieged  in  that  war,  and  sad  things  were 
done  unto  it.  Alas,  how  little  of  an  "evangelical  church  state"  was  there 
to  be  seen  among  all  our  eastern  settlements/    It  hajh  been  for  the  want  of 


660 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMEBICANA; 


this,  that  the  judgments  of  God  have  more  than  once  forbidden  them  to 
be  called  settlements.    The  towns  were  generally  without  preachers  of  Christ, 
and  much  more  generally  without  churches  of  Christ,  for  to  irradiate  'em : 
yea,  not  one  of  the  towns  that  are  utterly  broken  up,  had  any  minister  in 
it  for  a  long  while  before  their  final  darkness  came  upon  them.     Such  a 
"way  of  living"  did  content  many  of  them,  that  it  were  horrible  to  tell 
what  ignorance  of  Christ  they  were  thereby  sunk  into.    I  would  never 
have  told  you  that  some  young  men,  twenty  years  old,  in  this  land,  never 
so  much  as  once  heard  the  name  of  Christ  in  all  their  lives,  if  I  did  not 
think  that  the  God  of  heaven  required  us  all  to  mourn  before  him  for 
such  an  "horrible  thing  in  the  land."    Indeed,  the  strange  disasters  whicli 
attended  the  first  essays  to  settle  that  good  country,  made  many  peoj)le 
imagine  the  Indian  sorcerers  had  enchanted  the  ground,  so  that  no  Enghsh 
could  thrive  on  such  an  enchanted  soil.    But  had  they  carried  the  gospd 
of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  with  them,  doubtless  they  had  confuted  that  vain 
imagination;  all  the  spells  of  hell  would  have  been  insignificant;  there 
would  not  have  prevailed  any  enchantment  against  a  Qod-spel  which  wo 
have  in  our  gospel.     The  original  design  of  New-England  was  to  settle 
congregations^  wherein  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  should  be  known  and  served 
according  to  his  gospel;  and  instruct /ami7ies  that  should  be  the  nurseries 
of  those  congregations.    The  plantations  of  the  East  had  little  of  this 
illustrious  design  in  their  eye ;  the  enjoyments  of  Gadarens  did  seem  too 
much  to  satisfie  too  many  of  them.     "For  this  cause"  we  may  believe  it 
is,  that  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  looking  down  from  heaven  upon  these 
unchristian  undertakings,  thunder-struck  them  with  his  indignation:  "lie 
saw  the  foolish  taking  root,  but  suddenly  he  cursed  their  habitation." 
When  some  of  our  eastern  people  have  been  pining  away  under  the 
fatigues  of  their  captivity  among  the  Indians,  who  had  stript  them  of  all 
they  had,  Hien  they  cried  out,  "Now,  now  the  Lord  is  punishing  of  us  for 
our  leaving  of  his  ordinances,  and  removing  to  a  place  of  no  gospel  for 
larger  accommodations  in  the  world,  and  exposing  our  children  to  be  bred 
up  like  the  very  Indians,  into  whose  hands  we  are  fallen  1"    That  which 
invites  one  to  think  it  may  be  "for  this  cause,"  is  the  singular  distinction 
KoA  protection  which  the  Churches  of  our  Lord  have  enjoyed  throughout 
the  whole  progress  of  our  calamity.    No  places  that  have  had  Churches 
gathered  in  them,  have  all  this  while  been  broken  up ;  however,  some  of 
them  have  had  much  "bread  of  adversity,  and  water  of  affliction."    The 
enemy  that  have  come  in  upon  our  land  "like  a  flood"  carried  all  before 
them  as  an  "irresistible  torrent,"  until  they  came  to  places  that  have 
churches  as  it  were  to  garrison  them.    There  the  Almighty  Lord  hath 
check'd  the  "proud  waves,"  and  said,  "Hitherto,  ye  shall  come,  and  no 
furtherl"    But  here  let  me  add  a  very  observable  thing:  the  Lord  had 
some  of  his  elect  among  our  Eastern  people;  but  he  has  brought  those 
elect  home  unto  himsellj  by  burning  them  out  of  their  homes  and  habita- 


tion 

the 

unt( 

thes 

will 

atioi 


m 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


661 


tions.  The  Indians  have  driven  'em  hither,  and  here  they  have  met  with 
the  gospel  of  Christ,  and  been  effectually  called  unto  the  Lord,  and  join'd 
unto  our  churches,  and  blessed  the  name  of  God  for  bringing  them  unto 
these  churches.  Pcriissent,  nisi  periissentf*  Now,  "whoso  is  wise,  and 
will  observe  these  things,"  cannot  but  wish,  that  the  folly  of  erecting  plant- 
ations, without  the  worship  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  may  be  no  more 
committed  among  us.  It  was  wholesome  counsel  given,  and  usually  taken 
in  the  bepjinning  of  New-England,  "Let  Christians  no  where  sit  down 
without  good  ministers,  but  let  them  rather  tarry  where  they  are,  as  Ezra 
tarried  by  the  river  Ahava,  till  he  had  got  some  Levites  to  go  with  them." 
And  it  was  even  then  observed,  that  places  which  made  beginnings  any 
long  while  without  ministers,  were  with  miserable  unsettkments  broken  all 
to  pieces.  I  suppose  our  eastern  country  will  shortly  again  be  peopled : 
but  let  the  people  which  intend  there  to  settle  themselves  in  the  fear  of 
God,  remember  this  admonition :  don't  venture  to  form  towns  without  the 
gospel  in  them  any  more.  If  the  lamentable  experience  which  you  have 
more  than  once  had,  of  a  blast  from  Heaven  upon  erfterprizes  to  live  with- 
out the  gospel  of  the  Son  of  God,  will  not  inspire  you  with  more  of  wis- 
dom for  the  future,  I  will  foretel  your  fate  in  those  awful  words,  Psal. 
x^viii.  5:  "Because  they  regard  not  the  works  of  the  Lord,  nor  the  oper- 
ation of  his  hands,  he  shall  destroy  them,  and  not  build  them  up."  Yea, 
but  let  all  New-England  at  the  same  time  learn  what  the  welfare  or  the 
ruin  of  all  will  turn  upon.  The  whole  world  was  made  for  our  Lord 
Messiah,  and  the  curse  of  God  will  more  or  less  plague  the  world,  accord- 
ing to  the  respects  which  that  second  Adam,  our  Lord  Messiah  finds  in  it. 
But  New-England  is  by  a  more  eminent  profession  that  "Immanuel's 
land."  Let  the  interests  of  the  Christian  religion  in  reformed  Churches  be 
pursued  and  preserved  among  us,  then  "all  will  go  well!"  Our  acknowl- 
edgment of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  in  churches  that  shall  be  so  ordered 
as  to  represent  him  and  his  kingdom  unto  the  world,  this  will  be  our 
glory ;  and  this  glory  will  be  our  defence;  or,  as  'tis  promised  in  Isa.  iv.  5: 
"Upon  all  the  glory  shall  be  a  defence."  But  if  once  the  "spirit  of  this 
world"  eat  out  the  spirit  and  power  of  religion,  and  the  order  of  our 
churches,  and  men's  value  for  a  room  in  the  churches  be  lost,  then  write 
Ichahod  upon  all  our  glory ;  and  let  us  expect  that  our  Holy  Lord  will 
"spew  us  out  of  his  mouth." 


II.  In  the  war  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise,  may  observe" 
in  the  very  instrximents  of  our  calamity,  shrew'd  intimations  of  the 
"provoking  evils"  for  which  the  righteous  God  hath  chastised  us  by 
such  instruments. 

When  the  miseries  of  the  stcord  are  inflicted  on  a  people,  it  becomes 
them  to  consider  what  provocations  they  have  given  to  the  Almighty  God, 

*  Th(ty  would  havo  been  toel,  hiid  tlu-y  not  been  Io«t 


!l! 


662 


MAGNALIA    CIIRISTI    AMERICANA; 


who  •'  makes  peace,  and  creates  evil ;  for  'tis  he,  the  Lord,  who  doth  all 
these  things."  The  sword,  by  which  we  have  been  so  grievously  harassed, 
hath  been  in  the  hands  of  God ;  and  if  our  Father  had  not  been  very 
angry,  would  he  have  taken  a  sword  into  his  hands?  Wo  are  blind  before 
lightning,  we  are  deaf  unto  thunder,  if  we  do  not  sensibly  perceive  the 
anger  of  God  in  the  tremendous  rebukes  that  we  have  suffered:  and  we 
are  unaccountably  and  inexcusably  stupid,  if  we  do  not  enquire,  "What 
means  the  heat  of  this  anger?"  It  was  once  the  commination  of  God  in 
Ezek.  vii.  24.  27,  "I  will  bring  the  worst  of  the  heathen,  and  they  shall 
possess  their  houses,  and  the  hands  of  the  people  of  the  land  shall  be 
troubled:"  such  "trouble"  hath  come  upon  us  from  the  "worst  of  the 
heathen!"  But  what  was  the  cause  of  all?  It  follows:  "I  will  do  unto 
them  after  their  way,  and  I  will  judge  them  according  to  their  deserts, 
and  they  shall  know  that  I  am  the  Lord."  It  is  but  seasonable  for  us  now 
to  look  back  upon  our  own  xcay,  and  see  how  much  wo  have  deserved  all 
this  vengeance  by  going  out  of  the  way.  Two  persons  in  their  travels 
beholding  the  horrid  ruins  of  Germany,  one  of  them  said,  7/iV  fiiH  hostili- 
tas — "behold  the  fruit  of  hostility!"  His  friend  answered,  llicfuitini- 
quitas — "behold  the  fruit  of  iniquity!"  If  you  will  travel  over  our  east 
country,  how  frequent,  how  dismal  occasions  will  you  see  to  sigh,  "^e 
what  has  been  done  by  hostility!"  But  there  will  be  as  many  occasions 
for  a  sadder  sigh  than  that:  namely,  "See  the  sad  effects  of  iniquity!" 
Now,  in  this  contemplation,  I  do  not  go  to  charge  them  that  were  once 
inhabitants  of  the  now  ruined  plantations  with  any  sins^  but  what  are  more 
or  less  to  be  found  in  all  our  colonies.  I  ask  no  more  from  our  brethren, 
who  yet  survive  the  desolations  that  have  come  upon  their  estates  and 
neighbours  in  those  plantations,  but  that  they  join  with  the  rest  of  us  all 
in  "searching  and  trying  of  our  ways,"  and  "judging  of  ourselves."  For, 
alas!  "every  mouth  must  be  stopp'd,  and  all  the  land  is  become  guilty 
before  God!"  Let  us  all  then  enquire,  what  may  have  been  those  "pro- 
voking evils"  for  which  the  "holy  and  blessed  God"  hath  given  the  sword 
a  commission  so  dreadful  to  devour  us?  But  then  let  us  bo  sure  "to 
enquire  wisely  concerning  that  matter."  And  here  I  will  not  enquire 
whether  those  that  went  before  us  might  never  be  too  forward  in  any  nnjus- 
tifiahh  encroachments  to  possess  and  command  those  lands  which  have  since 
proved  so  expensive  unto  us?  Older  men  than  I  are  best  able  to  manage 
that  enquiry,  though  I  also  have  heard  it  made.  But  thai  whereupon  1 
rather  bespeak  your  thoughts,  is  this:  will  you  please  to  enquire  into  tlu3 
properties  and  qualities  of  our  adversaries?  'Tis  possible,  that  in  their 
properties  and  qualities  we  may  read  something  of  those  miscarriages,  for 
which  our  God  hath  raised  tlieni  up  to  be  our  adversaries.  It  hath  boon 
commonly  seen,  that  when  the  j)eople  of  God  have  sinfully  come  to  iinidtfe 
the  evil  maniiers  of  other  nations,  God  hath  made  those  very  nations  to  bo 
a  sore  scourge  unto  them.     And  the  sense  of  this  was  that  which  long  ago 


woul 
made 
whet 
of  th 


Ti^! 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OP    NEW-ENGLAND. 


663 


caused  many  sensible  persona  to  foretel,  which  of  the  neighbour  nations 
would  bring  our  dear  England  low.  Now,  since  the  Indians  have  been 
niado  by  our  God  "the  rod  of  his  anger,"  'tis  proper  for  us  to  enquire 
whether  we  have  not  in  some  instances  too  far  imitated  the  evil  manners 
of  the  Indians?  The  Indians  are  infamous,  especially  for  three  scandalous 
vices:  First,  they  are  liars  of  the  first  magnitude;  one  cannot  believe  a 
word  they  speak.  Secondly,  they  are  sluggards  to  a  proverb ;  they  are  for 
any  way  of  living  rather  than  work.  Thirdly,  they  are  abominably  in- 
dulgent unto  their  children ;  there  is  no  family  government  among  them. 
Will  you  now  enquire,  sirs,  how  far  we  are  Indianized  in  every  one,  but 
especially  the  last  of  these  evil  manners?  If  we  find  these  Indian  vices  to 
grow  epidemical  among  us,  ob  I  dont  wonder  that  our  God  hath  been  with 
Indian  hatchets  cutting  down  the  tree  that  brings  forth  fruits  thus  disagree- 
able to  him  that  planted  it 

Now,  "  whoso  is  wise,  will  observe  these  things."  And  yet  the  observa- 
tion may  extend  it  self  a  little  further.  Sometimes  the  sovereign  God 
chuses  a  nation  remarkably  laudable  for  some  good  thing,  to  punish  his  own 
people  for  the  want  of  that  thing.  Thus,  when  the  Christian  churches  fell 
into  idolati-y,  God  sent  the  Mahometans  upon  them,  to  torment  them  with 
one  woe  after  another  horribly ;  and  the  Mahometans  are  very  remarkable 
for  this,  that  they  are  great  haters  of  idolatry,  and  where-ever  they  come, 
they  destroy  those  "idols  and  works  of  men's  hands,"  which  are  adored  in 
the  anti-Christian  apostacy.  Well,  but  can  any  good  thing  be  reported  of 
our  Indian-invaders?  Yes,  there  is  one  good  thing  which  the  French  have 
taught  them:  there  is  family  prayer  among  them,  a  daily  family  worship 
upheld  among  them.  I  fear,  I  fear,  this  is  more  than  can  be  said  of  many 
English  sufferers,  that  have  been  annoy 'd  by  those  Indian-invaders.  It 
may  be,  the  wretched  Indians  have  cut  off  multitudes  of  families,  to  whom 
they  might  have  said,  "these  families  never  pray'd  unto  God  once  in  a 
month,  and  we  have  done  it  every  day!"  and  many  of  our  poor  folks 
never  heard  any  family  prayer  in  their  lives,  till  they  were  dragg'd  into 
the  forlorn  and  howling  wigwams  of  those  wretched  salvages.  I  have 
heard  it  said,  that  in  a  town  of  it  may  be  more  than  seventy  families,  there 
have  not  been  twice  seven  families  that  have  had  any  constant  invocation 
of  God  in  them.  If  it  be  so,  then  hear  the  voice  of  God  in  it,  when  he 
sent  those  monstrous  and  furious  barbarians  to  burn  down  such  prayerhss 
houses;  the  voice  (-i"  Ikavou  iu  it  is,  "If  Indians  will  pray  in  their  families 
more  than  English,  then  let  Indians  destroy  those  English  families."  It 
was  once  the  direful  imprecation,  in  Jer.  x.  25,  "Pour  out  thy  great  wrath 
upon  the  heathen  that  know  thee  not,  and  upon  the  families  that  call  not 
on  thy  name."  Truly,  God  has  used  a  sort  of  heathen,  to  "pour  out  his 
great  wrath  upon  families,"  which  in  this  one  point  were  worse  than  those 
heathen,  that  they  "did  not  call  on  his  name."  For  God's  sake,  be  so  wise 
as  to  observe  these  things,  and  let  family  prayer  be  no  where  neglected 


F 


i^Mi 


664 


MAGNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


throughout  the  land,  lest,  while  God  is  punishing  us  by  the  Pagans,  we 
become  worse  than  Pagans.  Let  me  faithfully  and  solemnly  advise  you ; 
sirs,  a  prayerless  family  is  a  Pagan  family.  Do  not  now  imagine  that  it  is 
only  the  more  strict  and  severe  doctrine  of  a  non-conformist  that  now  smitos 
your  consciences;  it  is  the  doctrine  of  a  Christian;  and,  it  may  be,  'twill 
have  the  more  force  upon  some  of  you,  if  I  tell  you,  that  the  late  arch- 
Bishop  of  Canterbury,  in  a  book  on  that  subject,  has  this  passage:  "that 
constant  family  worship  is  so  necessary  to  keep  alive  a  sense  of  God  and 
religion  in  the  minds  of  men,  that  he  sees  not  how  any  family  that  neglects  it 
can  in  reason  be  esteemed  a  family  of  Christians,  or  indeed  to  have  any  reli- 
gion at  all."  I  will  add  but  this  word  unto  all  the  rest:  If,  after  this,  there 
be  a  prayerless  family  among  us,  I  would,  if  I  could,  write  upon  their  door, 
"Lord  have  mercy  upon  us  I"  for  there  \s  a.  plague  in  that  Pagan  family. 

IIL  In  the  WAB  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "  whoso  is  wise,  may  observe," 
that  the  very  objects  of  our  sins  have  been  made  the  very  engines  of  our 
plagues.  It  is  a  thing  extraordinarily  observable,  though  it  ordinarily 
happens,  that  in  quo  quis peccat  in  eo  punitur:  "men  are  plagued  by  those 
very  things  with  which  they  have  sinned."  If  an  Eli  omit  his  duty  towards 
his  children,  it  follows,  in  1  Sam.  ii.  33,  those  very  children  shall  "con- 
sume thine  eyes,  and  grieve  thine  heart."  I  am  very  much  mistaken,  if 
our  eyes  have  not  been  consumed,  and  if  our  hearts  not  grieved,  by  those  to 
whom  we  have  omitted  our  duty  exceedingly.  The  grand  crime  of  the 
Jews  was  in  relation  to  the  Eomans,  and  God  made  the  Romans  the 
destroyers  of  the  Jews.  You  will  now  demand  of  me,  whether  I  think 
that  we  are  chargeable  with  any  crime  relating  to  the  Indians,  which  have 
been  so  bloodily  destroying  of  us.  I  must  freely  tell  you  I  think  we  are. 
The  old  Britains  did  not  what  they  should  have  done,  to  convert  the 
Saxons  unto  Christianity;  and  when  the  Britains  were  afterwards  fear- 
fully destroyed  by  the  Saxons,  their  famous  countryman  Gildas  told  them, 
"This  is  the  vengeance  of  God  upon  you,  because  you  did  no  more  for 
the  conversion  of  those  miserable  heathen."  And  I  admire  that  the  Eng- 
lish Protestants  in  Ireland,  after  such  massacres  from  the  Irish  Papists,  do 
no  more  effectually  make  this  reflection.  But  that  which  I  am  now  to 
reflect  upon,  is  this:  had  we  done  but  half  so  much  as  the  French  Papists 
have  done,  to  proselyte  the  Indians  of  our  east  unto  the  Christian  faith, 
instead  of  being  "snares  and  traps"  unto  us,  and  "scourges  in  our  sides-, 
and  thorns  in  our  eyes,"  they  would  have  been  "a  wall  unto  us,  both  by 
night  and  day."  What  a  sting  was  there  in  those  words  which  the  Indians 
have  used  unto  some  of  our  captives! — "Had  the  English  been  as  careful 
to  instruct  us  as  the  French,  we  had  been  of  your  religion!"  Indeed,  it 
can  scarce,  without  an  harsh  catechresis,  be  called  "the  Christian  faith," 
which  the  French  Papists  have  made  the  salvages  to  swallow :  but  if  the 
salvages  had  been  enlightened  with  "the  Christian  faith"  from  us,  the 


In 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 

French  Papists  could  never  have  instilled  into  them  those  French  poisons^ 
that  have  made  such  raging  devils  of  them.  Through  the  blessing  of  God, 
upon  the  endeavours  of  good  men  in  this  one  Massachuset-province,  the 
Indians  have  mostly  embraced  the  Christian  religion. 
*  There  are,  I  suppose,  more  than  thirty  congregations  pLteioccoLiattue^^ 
of  Indians,  and  many  more  than  thirty  hundred  Indians  ^|;j:L^t^r;::'.r.3t: 
in  this  one  province,  calling  on  Qt)d  in  Christ,  and  hear-  »'!'>.  u>at  an  hopeful  and 

„,.         F     .  '      J        .f,,,,  .  .  .,,       ,  „     worthy  young  man,  Mr.  tx- 

mg  of  his  glorious  word.     "  W  hOSO  is  wise,  will  observe        penence  Mayhew,  omitted  in 

.    ,  ,  .,  1.  /^      i  .1  >i      ■    1  1  •!         that  printed  Journal,  meerly 

a  notable  smile  oi  God  upon  those  that  have  worthily  because  he  was  more  i»rgciy 
encouraged  and  prosecuted  this  Evangelical  work.  But  "ro?Ii^of"uw°Beutiemm 
shall  we  not  at  the  same  time  observe,  how  signally  the  "«' made  it,  which  are  not 

'  O  J  printed  with   it,  must  now 

wrath  of  God  hath  fallen  upon  the  persons  or  estates  of  have  the  justice  done  wm  of 

£hem  that  have  debauched  the  Indians,  by  selling  of  drink  evan^iicui  Lrvice"  of"  the 

unto  them?    The  trading  houses  where  the  Indians  of  |;rllTe™'':^oZ::Vhu"t 

the  east  had  so  much  of  their  drink  and  bane,  what  is  «ceeds  that  Mr  Muyhew,  ^ 

'  tnere  be  any  that  equids  him. 

become  of  them — every  one  of  them?  The  sword  has  soi  am  informed  concerning 
been  "drunk  with  the  blood"  of  the  English,  in  the 
hands  of  those  very  Indians  which  have  been  so  often  drunk  among 
them.  And  these  bloody  merchants  of  the  souls  of  the  Indians,  when 
they  have  summed  up  all  their  gains,  the  foot  of  the  account  has 
been  this:  "Wo  to  him  that  gives  his  neighbour  drink,  that  puts  the 
bottel  to  him  to  make  him  drunk  1"  Those  men  are  not  wise,  but 
mad,  who  can  observe  these  things,  and  now  dare  to  repeat  this  ini- 
quity, or  dream  that  any  gains  are  to  be  got  by  feeding  the  Indian  Ittst 
of  drunkenness. 

IV.  In  the  war  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise,  may  observe" 
the  loud  calls  of  Heaven  to  "all  ranks  of  men,"  in  the  sharp  strokes  of 
Heaven  on  "all  ranks  of  men."  As  it  was  said  in  Mic.  vi.  9,  "The  Lord's 
voice  crieth  unto  the  city,  and  the  man  of  wisdom  shall  see  thy  name; 
hear  ye  the  rod;"  so  I  say,  tlioro  has  been  a  voice  of  God  unto  all  the 
country  in  that  Indian  rod  which  hath  been  used  upon  us:  and  "men  of 
wisdom  in  all  ranks  "  of  men  will  observe,  and  see,  and  hear,  the  meaning 
of  this  rod;  inasmuch  as  all  ranks  of  men  have  smarted  under  it;  yea,  it 
has  fetched  blood  from  uU  ranks  of  men  among  us.  We  will  a  little  par- 
ticularize 'em.  And  first  of  all,  you  that  are  our  honoured  shepherds; 
will  you  observe  how  many  of  oui'  shepherds  have  been  worried  unto 
death  by  the  Scythian  wolves  of  our  wilderness?  Two  of  our  magis- 
trates have  been  treacherously  and  barbarously  killed  by  the  Indian 
murderers;  they  whom  God  entrusted  with  the  "sword  of  justice,"  have 
had  their  lives  taken  away  by  the  "sword  of  the  wicked."  I  perswade 
my  self,  that  the  rest  will  bo  so  wise  as  to  "observe  these  things,"  and 
observe  how  to  answer  the  just  expectation  of  God  in  their  administrations. 
After  this.  Oh  I  why  should  not  our  civil  rulers,  with  more  zeal  than  ever, 


!;l 


l:i 


li 


666 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


set  themselves  to  ponder,  "How  may  I  most  glorifie  God  and  Christ,  and 
serve  his  dear  people  with  my  opportunities." 

Two  of  our  MINISTERS  have  been  struck  down  into  the  earth  by  the 
Indian  dragons.  They  who  have  used  nothing  but  the  "sword  o£  the 
spirit,  which  is  the  word  of  God,"  for  the  saving  of  all  about  them,  have 
had  the  "destroyers  coming  upon  them,"  and  have  been  "waited  for  of 
the  sword."  I  assure  my  self,  that  the  rest  will  be  so  wise  as  to  "observe 
these  things,"  and  observe  how  to  fulfil  our  ministry,  with  a  very  excited 
watchfulness.  May  all  our  settled  pastors,  upon  such  a  thing  befallen  our 
brethren,  resolve  with  themselves:  "Am  unworthy  I  spared?  I  will  do 
more  for  my  Lord,  add  more  for  my  flock,  and  more  for  all  the  churches,, 
than  ever  I  did."  We  will  pass  on :  there  have  been  some  rich  men,  that 
were  finely  scituated,  and  "had  all  things  richly  to  enjoy:"  but  this  war 
has  reduced  them  to  such  necessity,  that  within  less  than  one  year  they 
have  come  to  beg  their  bread/  All  their  treasures  have  been  "treasures  of 
snow;"  one  summer  has  melted  all  away  to  nothing.  I  remember  the 
Jewish  "  I'almnds^^  tell  us  of  a  gentlewoman  who  had  a  thousand  thousand 
pieces  of  gold  given  with  her  at  her  marriage,  by  her  father  Nicodemus, 
for  her  portion;  and  yet  she  was  reduced  unto  such  penury,  that  she 
picked  barley  corns  out  of  the  cattel's  dung  for  her  food.  Have  not  we 
seen  almost  such  vicissitudes?  Eich  men,  if  you  are  wise,  (which  the  rich 
are  not  always!)  you  wilF " ob-^erve  these  things,"  and  upon  the  observation 
say,  "Well,  what  man  in  his  right  wits  will  now  set  his  heart  upon  such 
transitory,  as  all  sublunary  vanities!  Ohl  my  soul,  do  thou  make  sure 
of  a  better  and  a  lasting  substance  in  heaven :  for  earthly  riches  take 
themselves  wings,  and  flee  away  towards  heaven." 

Again,  there  have  been  abundance  of  poor  men,  who  have  been  by  this 
war  plunged  still  into  deeper  poverty:  they  have  gone  without  a  bit  of 
bread  for  many  days  together.  The  straits,  the  wants,  the  cares  of  widows, 
and  orphans,  or  of  those  that  have  had  many  mouths  to  feed,  especially 
in  our  exposed  frontiers,  none  can  express  them,  none  can  conceive  them, 
but  they,  (nor  they  I)  who  did  endure  them  all.  Poor  men,  if  you  are 
wise,  (which  i\\Q poor  may  be!)  you  will  "observe  these  things,"  and  upon 
the  observation  say,  "Well,  I  had  need  make  sure  that  my  soul  may  not 
be  starved  by  wanting  the  bread  of  life,  and  that  my  soul  may  not  bo 
naked  without  the  garments  of  righteousness.  How  dolefully  am  I  cir- 
cumstanced, if  I  go  down  from  one  hell  unto  another  at  the  last. 

Once  more:  how  many  icomen  have  been  made  a  ^jrey  to  those  bnUish 
men  that  are  "skilful  to  destroy?"  How  many  o,  fearful  thing  has  been 
suffered  by  the  fearful  sex,  from  those  mm  that  one  would  fear  as  dcvik, 
rather  than  men?  Let  the  daughters  of  our  Zion  think  with  them  'l, oh 
what  it  would  be  for  fierce  Indians  to  break  into  their  houses,  and  brain 
their  husbands  and  their  children  before  their  eyes,  and  lead  them  away 
a  long  journey  into  the  woods;  and,  if  they  began  to  fail  and  faint  in  the 


OE,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


667 


journey,  then  for  a  t«"  y  salvage  to  come  with  hell-fire  in  his  eyes,  and 
cut  'em  down  with  his  ihet;  or,  if  they  could  miraculously  hold  out,  then 
for  some  filthy  and  ugiy  squaws  to  become  their  insolent  mistresses,  and 
insolently  to  abuse  'em  at  their  pleasure  a  thousand  inexpressible  ways; 
and,  if  they  had  any  of  their  sucking  in/ants  with  them,  then  to  see  those 
tender  infants  handled  at  such  a  rate,  that  they  should  beg  of  the  tygres  to 
dispatch  them  out  of  hand.  Such  things  as  these,  I  tell  you,  have  often 
happened  in  this  lamentable  war.  ^nd  now,  0  ye  handmaids  of  the 
Lord,  will  you  not  be  so  wise  as  to  "observe  these  things?"  But  upon 
the  observation  say,  "Well,  I  will  bless  God  for  my  enjoyments;  my 
afflictions,  be  they  never  so  many,  are  not  such  as  my  neighbours  have 
seen :  My  enjoyments  are  more  than  my  afflictions.  But,  Oh !  let  me  love 
and  serve  the  good  God,  that  has  distinguished  me  with  his  mercies." 

It  is  to  be  added:  We  have  had  our  old  men,  whose  "gray  hairs  have 
not  come  down  to  the  grave  in  peace."  Young  Indians  have,  with  grievous 
flouts  and  wounds,  butchered  many  of  our  old  English  men.  The  gray 
hairs  of  our  old  men  have  been  dyed  red  with  their  own  blood,  and  their 
carcases  h'  ye  been  thrown  unto  the  swine  to  mangle  them.  Old  men,  if 
you  are  wise  men,  you  will  "observe  these  things;"  but,  observing  of  them, 
say,  "Oh!  let  my  hoary  head  be  found  in  the  way  of  righteousness!" 

But  our  young  men  are  they  whom  the  fury  of  war  hath  been  chiefly 
poured  out  upon.  Alas,  alas,  for  our  young  men!  they  are  the  persons 
with  whom  it  seems  to  have  been  the  very  errand  of  this  war  to  manage 
the  terrible  controversie  of  God.  New-England  sets  a  peculiar  accent  of 
grief  upon  this,  among  all  her  lamentations:  The  Lord  has  trodden  under 
foot  my  mighty  men  in  the  midst  of  me;  he  hath  called  an  assembly 
against  me,  to  crush  my  young  men."  Come  then,  my  young  men ;  be  so 
wise  as  to  observe  these  things;  and  upon  the  observation  say,  "Lord,  let 
not  me,  and  the  rest  of  my  generation,  continue  among  the  generation 
of  thy  wrath!" 

Yea,  to  have  done :  children  also  have  not  been  excused  from  a  share  in 
the  blows  of  this  hideous  war.  Little  boys  and  girls,  even  these  little 
chickens,  have  been  seized  by  the  Indian  vultures.  Our  little  birds  have 
been  spirited  away  by  the  Indian  devourcrs,  and  brought  up  in  a  vile 
slavery,  till  some  of  them  have  quite  forgot  their  English  tongue,  and 
their  Christian  name,  and  their  whole  relation.  Yea,  those  Babylonians 
have  "dash'd  out  the  brains  of  our  little  ones  against  the  stones."  And 
our  little  ones  have  been  hideously  whipt  unto  death  by  those  merciless 
tygres,  whose  "tender  mercies  are  cruelty." — Children,  God  make  you  so 
mse  as  to  observe  these  things;  and,  upon  the  observation,  "Oh,  see  that 
you  become  serious,  jn'ous,  orderly  children ;  obedient  unto  your  jiarents,  con- 
scicncious  to  keep  the  I<ord's  day,  and  afraid  of  committing  any  wickedness." 

Upon  the  whole,  when  a  dead  man  was  thrown  into  the  grave  of  Elisha, 
a  touch  from  the  bones  of  the  prophet  in  the  grave  rais'd  him  from  the 


668 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


dead.  I  am  desiring  that  religion  may  be  revived  out  of  the  death  which 
has  too  much  enfeebled  it  among  us.  Behold,  sirs,  I  have  now  cast  you 
into  the  graves  of  our  dead  friends ;  it  may  be,  by  wisely  observing  oi  tham^ 
and  the  things  that  have  befallen  them,  we  may  be  somewhat  raised  out 
of  our  deadly  security.  Let  our  "observation  of  these  things  "  give  somo 
life  to  the  practice  of  religion  among  us.  -  n 

V.  In  the  war  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise  may  observe" 
those  tragical  things  undergone  by  many  in  captivity,  that  are  full  of 
admonition  unto  us,  that  have  never  felt  the  tragedies  of  such  a  captivity. 
Several  hundreds  of  our  neighbours,  first  and  last,  have  been  carried  into 
captivity  by  the  most  beastly  and  bloody  things  that  ever  wore  the^a|)e 
of  men  in  the  world.  JSew-EiigltiMd  makes  tlmt  moan  in  Lam.  i.  IS: 
"Hear,  I  pray  you,  all  people,  and  behold  my  sorrow;  my  virgins  and  my 
young  men  are  gone  into  captivity."  But,  Oh,  the  prodigious  and  stupend- 
ous things  that  they  have  undergone  in  this  captivity !  What  weary  davs 
and  nights  have  rouled  over  the  miserable  captives,  while  they  have  not 
had  a  bit  of  meat  allow'd  'em,  except  what  a  dog  would  hardly  meddle 
with.  Wliile  they  have  sometimes  been  pinched  with  the  bitter  frost, 
without  rags  to  cover  their  nakedness,,  and  sometimes  been  parched  with 
the  burning  heat,  without  any  cordial  or  shelter  to  refresh  them:  While 
they  have  seen  their  nearest  relations  torn  in  pieces  alive  before  their  eyes, 
and  yet  those  eyes  afraid  of  dropping  a  tear  at  the  mournful  sight:  Yea, 
while  they  have  every  hour  looked  when  they  should  be  themselves 
roasted  alive  to  make  Si  feast  and  a  sport  for  the  horrid  cannibals/  Need  I 
tell  you,  that  those  "devils  incarnate"  have  tied  then*  captives  unto  trees, 
and,  first  cutting  off  their  ears,  have  made  them  to  eat  their  own  ears,  and 
then  have  broiled  their  whole  bodies  with  slow  fires,  dancing  the  mean 
while  about  them,  and  cutting  out  coUops  of  their  flesh,  till  with  lingring 
tortures  they  have  martyred  them  to  death!  Such  things  have  been  done 
by  the  inhumane  salvages  upon  our  captives,  that  it  is  a  sort  of  inlmmanittj 
barely  to  mention  them.    Now,  shall  we  be  xoise,  to  "observe  these  things?" 

The  observation  must  be  made  with  that  admonition  in  Luke  xiii.  4,  5, 
"Think  ye,  that  these  were  sinners  above  all  men?  I  tell  you,  nay;  but 
except  ye  repent,  ye  shall  all  likewise  perish."  Wherefore,  let  us  peni- 
tently confess  that  we  have  all  deserved  those  "miserable  things,"  whco- 
with  some  have  been  so  marked  out  by  the  Sovereignty  of  heaven.  In  the 
things  that  have  been  done  to  our  captives,  the  great  "Lord  of  Hosts" 
hath  dealt  with  us  as  generals  use  to  do  upon  the  sedition  and  mutiny  of 
military  legions:  He  makes  a  sort  of  decimation  among  the  offenders,  and 
by  what  he  does  to  some,  he  declares  what  he  might  justly  do  to  all  the 
rest.  We  must  all  ascribe  it'unto  the  meer  sovereign  mercy  of  God,  that 
we  are  not  every  one  of  us  "broken  in  the  place  of  dragons,"  as  these 
desolate  captives  were.    That  which  the  Scripture  calls  "the  place  of 


>?!' 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


669 


dragons,"  I  remember  one  of  the  Jewish  rabbi's  expounds,  "a  wilderness." 
Truly,  our  "wilderness"  hath  been  "the  place  of  dragons."  But  while 
we  "observe  these  things,"  we  shall  not  be  wise,  if  we  do  not  learn,  "Oh! 
what  an  evil  and  a  bitter  thing  is  our  sin  1"  And  what  horrendous  miseries 
must  we  expect  among  the  devils,  if  we  die  with  our  sin  unpardoned! 

VT.  In  the  war  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "  whoso  is  wise,  may  observe," 
a  work,  a  strange  work  of  Heaven,  as  it  were  devising  of  ways,  very  strangely 
to  distress  all  sorts  of  people,  in  all  sorts  of  interests.  Truly  the  very 
character  of  our  calamity  hath  all  along  been  this:  the  great  G<d  has 
, written  still  upon  it,  we  may  read  upon  it,  in  a  very  legible  charactei-,  those 
words  in  Jer.  xviii.  11:  "Thus  saith  the  Lord,  behold  I  frame  evil  against 
you,  I  devise  a  device  against  you."  It  hath  been  as  if  ways  had  been 
deliberately  and  exquisitely  studied,  and  as  if  with  much  contrivance  plotted 
for  to  bring  us  all  within  the  reach  of  the  general  calamity.  We  have 
now  languished  through  ten  years,  which  have  been  the  saddest,  and  the 
darkest,  and  the  stormiest  years  that  ever  we  saw.  If  the  history  of  these 
ten  years  were  to  be  written,  I  am  thinking  what  should  be  the  title;  truly 
it  may  be  entituled,  as  Ezekiel's  roll  was,  "lamentation,  and  mourning, 
and  wo."  Yea,  you  shall  now  have  the  history  of  these  ten  years  written 
for  you;  I'll  give  it  you  in  as  expressive  words  as  can  be;  even  in  those 
words,  2  Chron.  xv.  5,  6:  "In  those  times  there  was  no  peace  to  him  that 
went  out,  nor  to  him  that  came  in,  but  great  vexations  were  upon  all  the 
inhabitants,  for  God  did  vex  them  with  all  adversity."  There  is  a  variety 
of  adversity  with  which  the  tedious  war  it  self  hath  veoced  us.  The  general 
fate  oi'  the  war  hath  involved  numberless  families  in  several  circumstances 
of  adversity,  and  the  expensive  part  of  the  war  hath  been  an  heavy  scourge 
of  adversity  upon  those  that  could  not  be  reach'd  by  the  destructive  part 
of  it.  You  could  not  but  "observe  these  things:"  But  then  have  you  not 
observed  what  a  further  variety  of  ad\  ersity  hath  been  contemporary  with 
this  vexatious  war.  Alas,  there  hath  been  such  a  complication  of  other 
distresses  added  unto  the  war,  in  the  time  of  it,  that  no-body — no,  I  say, 
no-body — hath  been  left  free  IVom  those  dolorous  ejaculations,  "  I  am  one 
that  hath  been  afflicted  by  the  rod  of  the  wrath  of  God!" 

A  great  king  of.  Persia,  having  by  death  lost  the  nearest  relation  he 
had  in  the  world,  and  being  too  passionate  a  mourner  for  his  loss,  an  inge- 
nious man  undertook  to  raise  the  dead  relation  unto  life  again,  if  the  king 
would  but  furnish  him  in  one  point  that  he  apprehended  necessary.  It 
was  demanded  what  that  was?  And  it  was  replied,  "Furnish  me  but  with 
the  names  of  three  persons  who  have  never  met  with  any  sadness  and 
sorrow,  and  by  writing  those  names  on  the  monument  of  the  dead,  I'll 
bring  the  dead  person  to  life."  Truly,  the  ten  years  of  our  war  have  set 
many  ten  hundreds  of  persons  a  mourning  over  their  dead  friends;  we 
have  seen  every  where  the  mourners  go  about  the  streets:  Now,  I  durst 


670 


MAQNALIA    CHLISTI    AMERICANA; 


make  you  tbis  offer,  that  if  you  can  find  three  pevsons  who  have  met  with 
no  matter  of  sadness  and  sorrow  in  these  ten  years,  with  the  names  of 
them,  we'll  fetch  your  dead  friends  to  life  again.  It  was  said  in  Job  xxi. 
17,  "God  distributeth  sorrows  in  his  anger."  You  may  observe  a  marvel- 
lous distribution  of  sorrows  made  among  us  by  the  anger  of  God. 

And  here,^r5^,  I  say  nothing  of  that  amazing  time,  when  the  evil  angels 
in  a  praeternatural,  and  in  an  unparallell'd  manner  being  let  loose  anioug 
us,  "  God  cast  upon  us  the  fierceness  of  his  anger,  and  wrath,  and  indig- 
nation, and  trouble."  It  was  the  threatning  of  God  against  a  people  which 
he  had  called  his  children,  in  Deut.  xxxii.  23,  24:  "I  will  heap  mischiefs 
upon  them;  I  will  spend  my  arrows  upon  them;  they  shall  bo  t^nourcd 
with  a  bitter  destruction."  What  was  the  bitter  destruction  thus  uireatnoil 
unto  an  apostatizing  people?  I  remember  the  famous  Jew,  Onkelos,  ren- 
ders it,  "they  shall  be  vexed  with  evil  spirits;"  and  indeed  that  sense 
well  agrees  with  what  follows,  "  I  will  send  upon  them  the  poison  of  the 
serpents  of  the  dust."  Sirs,  for  our  apostasie,  (which  is  the  very  sin  of  the 
evil  spirits,)  the  God' of  heaven  a  while  ago  turned  in  the  armies  of  hell 
upon  us,  and  in  that  matchless  dispensation  of  God  we  underwent  a  bitter 
destruction  from  the  "poison  of  the  serpents  of  the  dust." 

But  there  are  other  points,  not  a  few,  wherein  the  great  God  hath  heaped 
mischiefs  upon  us,  and  fulfill'd  unto  us  that  holy  comminatiou,  Kzok.  vii. 
26,  "Mischief  shall  come  upon  mischief."  What  shall  I  say?  While  the 
Lord  of  Hosts  hath  been  against  us,  the  Hosts  of  the  Lord  hath  been  so  too: 
all  the  elements  have,  as  it  were,  been  up  in  arms  against  us. 

Particularly  you  may  observe,  that  epidemical  sicknesses  have,  in  these 
years,  been  once  and  again  upon  us;  wherein  the  angels  of  death  have 
shot  the  arrows  of  death  into  such  as  could  not  be  reached  by  the  bullets 
of  the  Indian  enemy.  This  one  town  did  in  one  year  lose,  I  suppose,  at 
least  six  or  seven  hundred  of  its  people  by  one  contagious  mortality. 
And  tho'  of  about  three  and  twenty  hundred  men  that  we  employ M  in 
one  action,  we  did,  in  that  action,  lose  hardly  thirty  men,  yet  how  many 
hundreds  did  afterwards  miserably  perish? 

Again,  you  may  observe,  that  the  harvest  hath  once  and  again  grievously 
failed  in  these  years,  and  we  have  been  "struck  thro'  with  tho  terrible 
famine,"  almost  as  much  as  if  the  Indian  enemy  had  been  all  tho  while 
sculking  about  our  fields.  The  very  course  of  nature  huth  been  altered 
among  us;  a  lamentable  cry  for  "bread,  bread  I"  hath  been  heard  in  our 
streets:  The  towns  that  formerly  supplied  other  places  with  grain,  hud 
now  been  famished,  if  other  places  had  not  sent  in  a  supply  to  them,  and 
had  a  black  prospect  of  being  flimished,  notwithstanding  that  supply. 

Once  more,  you  may  observe,  that  the  sea  hath  in  these  years  been  swal- 
lowing up  our  neighbours  and  their  estates,  far  more  than  tho  "sword  of 
the  wilderness."  Alas,  the  devouring  displeasure  of  God  hath  saitl,  con- 
cerning us,  "Though  they  go  to  hide  themselves  from  my  sight  afar  off 


"^'"i* 


OE,    THE    HI8T0BY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


671 


upon  the  sea,  thence  will  I  command  the  serpent,  and  he  shall  bite  them." 
And  here,  hath  it  been  enough  that  our  vessels,  enough  to  make  an  hige 
fleet,  have  been  taken  by  the  French  enemy?  A  certain  writer  hath 
computed  it,  that,  in  only  the  first  two  or  three  years  of  the  war,  the  Eng- 
lish nation  lost  unto  the  French  more  than  fifteen  millions  of  pounds  ster- 
ling. But  no  part  of  the  English  nation  hath  been  more  frequently  or 
sensibly  prey'd  upon  by  the  French,  than  what  hath  gone  out  of  New- 
England,  ever  since  the  Avar  began.  I  say,  has  this  been  enough?  No; 
the  wrath  of  Grod  said,  "This,is  not  enough!"  I  appeal  to  you  that  have 
been  owners  of  vessels,  or  Sailors  in  them,  whether  horrible  shipwracks 
have  not  been  multiplied  since  the  v/ar  began,  very  much  more  than  ever 
they  were  before  ?  Ah,  Lord  1  how  many  of  us  have  shed  "  rivers  of  tears  " 
over  our  dear  friends  that  have  been  "buried  in  the  ocean." 

Moreover,  you  may  observe,  that  in  these  years  those  very  things  which 
were  intended  for  our  defence,  have  oftentimes  been  so  much  improved  for 
our  damage,  that  it  was  hard  for  us  to  say  which  was  the  greater,  the 
defence,  or  the  damage,  which  we  had  from  them.  It  was  a  lamentable 
time  with  the  Jews,  when  that  curse  came  upon  them,  "  That  which  should 
have  been  for  their  welfare,  let  it  brcome  a  trap,  and  pour  out  thine  indig- 
nation upon  them."  Truly,  the  "ir  dignation"  of  God  hath  been  "poured 
out"  upon  us  in  this  fruit  of  the  curse,  no  less  frequently  than  sensibly, 
that  some  things  which  should  have  been  "for  our  welfare,"  have  at  the 
same  time  served  also  to  entrap  the  persons  and  interests  of  many  people 
into  sore  inconveniences.  There  is  no  need  of  explaining  this  article; 
they  that  have  been  under  this  "indignation"  of  God  know  the  explain- 
ing of  it. 

Finally,  you  may  observe  what  untimely  ends,  and  what  surprizing  fates, 
have  come  upon  our  sons  in  these  "years  of  the  wrath  of  the  right  hand 
of  the  Most  High."  When  Crcx3sus  was  in  war  taken  by  Cyrus,  this 
captive  made  unto  the  conqueror  this  remark  upon  the  difference  between 
peace  and  war:  "O,  sir,  I  see  that  in  a  time  oi  peace  the  sons  bury  t^ieir 
fathers ;  but  in  a  time  of  itar,  the  fathers  bury  their  sons."  Truly,  sirs, 
our  time  of  war  has  in  various  ways  of  mortality  been  embittered  with 
this  remark,  "The  fathers  have  been  burying  their  sons  ah  the  country 
overl"  Many  of  us  have  had  our  sons,  even  those  very  sons  of  whom 
we  said,  "This  same  shall  comfort  us!"  We  have  had  them  violently 
snatch'd  away  from  us,  and  cropt  in  the  very  flower  of  their  youth;  and 
they  have  left  us  deploring,  "Oh,  my  son,  with  all  my  heart  could  I  have 
died  for  thee,  my  son,  my  son!"  But  in  the  midst  of  these  deplorable 
things  God  hath  given  up  several  of  our  sons  into  the  hands  of  the  fierce 
monsters  of  Africa.  Mahometan  Turks,  and  Moors,  and  devils,  are  at  this 
day  oppressing  many  of  our  sons  with  a  slavery,  wherein  they  "wish  for 
death,  and  cannot  find  it;"  a  slavery,  from  whence  tlicy  cry  and  write  unto 
us,  "It  had  been  good  for  us  that  wo  had  never  been  born." 


672 


MAQNALIA    CHBISTI    AMERICANA; 


-Quia  talia  fando 


Temperet  a  lacrymia?*- 


Thus,  as  Job  sometimes  complained,  chap.  x.  17,  "Thou  renewest  thy 
witnesses  against  me,  and  increasest  thine  indignation  upon  me ;  changes 
and  war  are  against  me:"  Thus  in  our  long  war  we  have  seen  those 
changes  on  all  hands,  and  in  all  kinds,  which  have  witnessed  against  us  the 
dreadful  indignation  of  God.  God  threatned  his  people,  (so  I  read  it,) 
Amos  ii.  13,  "Behold  I  will  press  your  place  as  a  full  cart  presses  the 
sheaf:"  ['Tis  an  allusion  to  the  old  way  of  threshing  the  corn,  by  drawing 
a  loaded  cart  with  wheels  over  the  corn — q.  d.  You  shall  undergo  tribula- 
tion.]    Ah,  New-England,  thou  hast  been  under  such  a  tribulation  I 

Sirs,  have  you  not  observed  these  things?  But  you  must  wisely  observe 
them.  And  a  wise  observation  of  these  things  will  cause  you  to  see, 
"That  the  war  which  hath  been  upon  us  hath  been  a  war  of  God."  The 
Indians  have  been  but  a  small  part  of  those  armies  which  the  great  God 
hath  been  bringing  out  against  us  for  ten  years  together;  and  we  may 
conclude  that  all  the  l,>nd  have  been  more  or  less  concerned  in  those  crimes 
for  which  the  Almighty  God  hath  been  with  these  armies  managing  his 
controversie  with  us:  Our  confession  must  be  Peccavimxis  omnes — "We 
have  all  gone  astray  1"  But  shall  we  not  upon  this  observation  take  up 
some  resolution?  If  we  are  wise,  we  shrl^  thus  resolve:  "'Tis  time,  'tis 
time,  'tis  high  time  for  us  to  make  our  peace  with  God.  0  let  us  not  go 
on  to  harden  ourselves  against  God!  we  are  not  stronger  than  he:  But  let 
us  all  fly  to  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  who  is  our  peace,  and  so  lay  down  the 
arms  of  rebellion,  that  God  may  be  reconciled  unto  us." 

VII.  In  the  WAR  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise,  may  observe" 
those  dispensations  of  Heaven  towards  us,  that  have  carry'd  more  than 
ordinary  humiliations  in  them.  It  was  said  concerning  Miriam,  (the  type 
of  the  now  leprous  and  outcast  church  of  Israel,  "The  Lord  hasten  that 
seventh  day  wherein  it  shall  be  restored!")  Numbers  xii.  14,  "If  her 
father  had  spit  in  her  face,  should  she  not  be  ashamed  ?"  Ah,  New-England, 
th_y  Father  hath  been  "spitting  in  thy  face"  with  most  "humbling  dispen- 
sations;" God  hath  been  bringing  of  thee  "down  to  sit  in  the  dust."  When 
the  war  commenced,  New-England  might  say,  "My  God  will  humble  me!" 

For,  first,  shall  our  Heavenly  Father  put  a  rod  into  the  hands  of  base 
Indians,  and  bid  them  to  scourge  his  children  I  Oh  I  the  humiliation  of 
such  rebellious  children !  Oh !  the  provocation  that  certainly  such  sons  and 
Buch  daughters  have  given  him !  It  is  a  very  humbling  thing  that  the 
Lord  threatned  unto  his  "provoking  sons  and  daughters"  in  Deut.  xxxii. 
21,  "I  will  move  them  to  jealousie  with  those  which  are  not  a  people:  I 
will  provoke  them  to  anger  with  a  foolish  nation."  Should  a  child  of 
yours  be  refractory ;  and  you,  sir,  should  bid  a  negro  or  an  Indian  slave 

*  At  luch  a  lale,  though  by  himself  Hwure  tuld,     |     Who  could  run-in  Troin  tears? 


in  your  I 
of  himll 
doth  th] 
vile  han| 
Agair 
are  broJ 
effectual] 
had  smilj 
there  rei 
every 
"smittei 
twenty 
were  lef 
have  "ri 
Certainly 
Moreo 
Indians 
a  ihousan 
more  of 
then  in  t 
Is  it  n< 
afterwarc 
together, 
charges,  1 
we  shouh 
Is  it  n 
opportuni 
still,  by  i 
humbled 
Is  it  I 
undertak 
plunged 
has  hum 
Is  it  n 
have  sui 
away  wi 
somethir 
Is  it  n 
us"  at  SI 
London, 
a  countr 
.    What 
restored 
America 


OB,    THE    EirTORT   OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


678 


in  your  house,  "Go,  take  that  child,  and  scourge  him  till  you  fetch  blood 
i)f  himl"  surely  this  would  be  to  humble  him  unto  the  uttermost.  Thus 
doth  thy  God  humble  thee,  O  New-England,  by  putting  thee  over  into  the 
vile  hands  of  those  which  a:;re  "not  a  people,  but  a  foolish  nation."- 

Again,  Who  are  they  by  whose  means  we  are  now  crying  out,  "We 
are  brought  very  low?"  "When  the  Most  High  God  was  determined 
effectually  to  humble  his  people,  he  said,  in  Jer.  xxxvii.  10,  "Though  ye 
had  smitten  the  whole  army  of  the  Caldeans,  that  fight  against  you,  and 
there  remained  but  wounded  men  among  them,  yet  should  they  rise  up 
every  man  in  his  tent,  and  bum  this  city  with  fire."  Truly  we  had 
"smitten  the  whole  army  "  of  the  Indians  thai  fought  against  us  three  and 
twenty  years  ago,  from  one  end  of  the  land  unto  the  other;  only  there 
were  left  a  few  "wounded  men  among  them"  in  the  east;  and  now  they 
have  "risen  up  every  man,"  and  have  set  the  whole  country  on  fire. 
Certainly,  a  more  humbling  matter  cannot  be  related! 

Moreover,  is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  when  about  an  hundred 
Indians  durst,  begin  a  war  upon  all  these  populous  colonies,  an  army  of 
a  thousand  English  raised  must  not  kill  one  of  tLem  all ;  but  instead  thereof, 
more  of  our  soldiers  perish  by  sickness  and  hardship  than  we  had  enemie$ 
then  in  the  world?     "Our  God  has  humbled  us!" 

Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  when  the  number  of  our  enemies 
afterwards  increased,  yet  an  handful  of  them  should,  for  so  many  summers 
together,  continue  our  "unconquered  spoilers,  and  put  us  to  such  vast 
charges,  that  if  we  could  have  bought  them  for  an  hundred  pound  an  head, 
we  should  have  made  a  saving  bargain  of  it?     "  Our  God  has  humbled  us  1 " 

Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  we  should  have  had  several  fair 
opportunities  to  have  brought  this  war  unto  a  Jinal  period,  but  we  should 
still,  by  some  fatal  oversight,  let  slip  those  opportunities?  "Our  God  has 
humbled  us!" 

Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  whatever  expeditions  we  have 
undertaken,  for  the  most  part  we  have  come  off  losers,  and  indeed  but 
plunged  our  selves  into  deeper  straits,  by  our  undertakings?  "Our  God 
has  humbled  usl" 

Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  more  than  one  or  two  of  our  forts 
have  surrendred,  and  one  of  them  that  was  almost  impregnable  given 
away  with  a  most  shameful  surrender,  by  one  that  hath  since  received 
something  of  what  he  deserved?    Thus  "our  God  has  humbled  usl" 

Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  we  should  have  "evil  pursuing  of 
us"  at  such  a  rate,  that  in  other  lands  afar  off,  and  on  the  Exchange  in 
London,  strangers  have  made  this  reflection:  "Doubtless  New-England  is 
a  country  in  ill  terms  with  Heaven?"    But  so  "our  God  has  humbled  usl" 

What  shall  I  say  ?    Is  it  not  a  very  humbling  thing,  that  when  peace  is 
restored  unto  the  whole  English  nation,  and  when  peace  is  enjoyed  by  all 
America,  poor  New-England  should  be  the  only  land  still  embroil'd  in 
Vol.  II.— 43 


674 


MAONALIA    CHRISTI    AMERICANA; 


war?  But  thus,  "our  God,  thou  host  humbled  us,  and  shown  us  great 
and  sore  troubles,  and  brought  us  down  into  the  depths  of  the  earth  I" 

O  my  dear  people,  how  can  I  "observe  these  things,"  and  not,  like 
Joshua,  now  "fall  to  the  earth  on  my  face  before  the  Lord,"  and  say, 
"What  shall  I  s>»y?"  But  if  you  will  "wisely  observe  these  things,"  you 
will  now  "get  up,  and  sanctifie  your  selves,"  and  "put  away  the  accursed 
thing  from  among  you,  0  Ncw-Ehiglish  Israel  T 

Certainly  the  "high  and  lofty  One,'*  who  "dwells  in  the  high  and  holy 
place,"  expects  that  we  should  be  a  very  humbled  people.  I  beseech  you, 
sirs,  "observing  these  things;"  let  us  in  all  the  methods  of  repentance, 
"humble  our  selves  under  the  mighty  hand  of  God."  Afler  such  humUing 
things  as  have  befallen  us,  God  forbid  that  it  should  be  said  of  us,  as  in 
Jer.  xliv.  10,  "They  are  not  humbled  even  unto  this  dayl" 

VIII.  In  the  WAR  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise,  may 
observe"  the  compxssions  of  God,  wonderfully  exercised,  and  manifested, 
and  magnified,  in  the  midst  of  our  confusions.  There  was  a  time  when  a 
"bush  burned  with  fire,  and  yet  the  bush  was  not  consumed:"  whereupon 
said  Moses,  in  Exod.  iii.  8,  "I  will  now  turn  aside,  and  see  this  great 
sight!"  Sirs,  I  am  now  to  call  upon  you,  "0  turn  aside,  and  see  such  a 
great  sight  as  that  I" 

Indeed,  in  the  midst  of  all  our  laTnentations,  we  must  own,  with  the 
church,  in  Lam.  iii.  22,  "It  is  of  the  Lord's  mercies  that  we  are  not  con- 
sumed, because  his  compassions  fail  not."  But  there  are  many  particular 
and  astonishing  artwles  of  mercy  which  we  have  seen  in  this  tedious  war. 
Sirs,  come  now  to  observe  some  of  those  things  which  prepared  hallelujahs/ 

It  was  the  petition  in  Hab.  iii.  2,  "0  Lord,  in  wrath  remember  mercy!" 
New-England,  thy  God  hath  heard  this  petition  for  thee  in  very  wonderful 
instances! 

For,  first,  after  a  very  amazing  manner  has  mercy  been  remembred  in  the 
midst  of  torath,  when  we  have  been  rescued  by  the  mercy  of  God,  at  the 
very  point  of  our  being  else  ruin'd  by  his  wrath.  Lord,  "  thou  hast  shewed 
thy  people  hard  things,  and  made  us  drink  the  wine  of  astonishment." 
But  our  extremity  hath  been  God's  opportunity  to  relieve  us.  Several  times 
in  the  late  years  of  our  aflSiction  we  have  been  brought  unto  a  dismal 
non-plus  in  our  affairs,  and  we  would  scarce  imagine  it  possible  for  us  to 
subsist  any  longer.  But  just  then  the  bowels  of  our  compassionate  God 
have  been  moved  for  us!  He  hath  said,  "How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  0 
NeW'Englandf  how  shall  I  give  thee  up,  O  Massachusetsf"  and  so  he 
would  not  "execute  upon  us  the  fierceness  of  his  anger,"  but  with  some 
unexpected  succours  from  the  "  machin  of  Heaven "  he  hath  relieved  us. 
We  have  several  times  bcvm  like  a  little  vessel  in  a  storm;  the  swelling 
waves  have  dashed,  and  raged,  and  roared;  the  rude  billows  have  been 
going  over  us,  and  we  have  been  ready  to  sink.    But  just  tfien  our  com- 


i 


OB,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


(uo 


passionate  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  awaked  for  our  safety,  and  marvellously 
caiiued  our  circumstances  1  O  thou  land,  strangely  saved  by  the  Lord, 
say  now,  as  in  Psal.  cxxxvi.  23,  "0  give  thanks  unto  the  Lord,  who 
remembrcd  us  in  our  low  v  tate,  because  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever!" 
When  our  dd/ts  have  become  insupportable,  God  has  then  "remembred  us 
in  our  low  estate,  because  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever,"  and  strangely 
extricated  us.  When  our  foes  have  been  as  an  "overflowing  scourg<>," 
like  to  carry  all  before  them,  God  has  then  "remembred  us  in  our  low 
estate,  because  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever,"  and  strangely  lifted  up  a 
standard  against  them.  When  fearful  divisions  have  arisen  among  us,  and 
horrid  convulsions  have  been  ready  to  pull  all  to  pieces — I  don't  care  to 
remember  them  any  farther  than  to  say,  God  has  then  "remembred  us  in 
our  low  estate,  because  his  mercy  endureth  for  ever,"  and  strangely  healed 
those  breaches  that  set  the  land  a  trembling. 

Moreover,  it  hath  been  a  very  strange  tiling,  and  a  wondrous  remem- 
brance of  mercy  in  the  midst  of  wrath,  that  the  Indians  have  been  uuuc- 
countably  restrained  from  giving  us  an  hundredth  part  of  the  trouble,  whicli 
they  might  have  done,  had  they  but  known  or  used  their  own  advantiiges. 
This  one  thing,  whosoever  does  "wisely  observe"  it,  must  needs  ascribe 
it  unto  a  special  operation  of  that  God,  who  "forms  the  spirit  of  man 
within  him."  It  was  the  promise  of  God  unto  his  people,  (Exod.  xxxiv. 
24,)  "No  man  shall  desire  thy  land,  when  thou  shalt  go  up  to  appear 
before  the  Lord  thy  God."  The  faithful  God  strangely  fulfilled  this 
promise  for  many  hundreds  of  years  together;  "no  enemy  desired  the 
land"  of  that  people,  at  the  time  of  their  going  up  to  worship  the  Lord  in 
his  temple.  And  whereas  the  Boman  enemy  did  at  length  "desire  their 
land"  at  the  time  of  their  going  up  to  the  Passover,  this  one  thing  was 
enough  to  prove  that  the  Messiah  was  come,  and  the  Passover  no  longer 
commanded.  It  shows  that  there  is  a  strange  ojjeration  of  God  upon  the 
minds  of  men,  to  curb,  and  check,  and  blind  the  eviUminded.  Well,  wc 
have  had  our  frontier  towns,  in  many  of  which  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ 
hath  been  worshipped,  and  sought  and  served  continually.  Had  the 
lurking  enemy  done  as  they  might  have  done,  how  easily  might  one 
dozen  of  them  have  kept  the  towns  in  such  perpetual  and  perplexing 
alarms,  as  would  have  caused  them  even  to  have  broken  up!  and  what 
unknown  mischiefs  might  a  few  more  of  'em  have  brought  upon  our  scat- 
tered plantations!  I  do  again  and  again  say,  this  is  from  the  strange  oper- 
ation of  God,  upon  the  minds  of  the  enemy,  that  they  have  no  more 
"disturbed  our  land."  For  my  own  part,  I  will  observe  it,  and  admire  it 
in  such  terms  as  Austin  used  upon  a  remarkable  providence:  Quisquis 
iion  videt,  Cvecus;  Quisquis  videt,  nee  Laudat,  Ingratus;  Quisquis  Laudanti 
rdnctatur,  Insamis:*  they  are  blind  and  mad  that  are  insensible  of  it! 

*  Whoever  does  nut  eee,  is  blind :  whoever  sees,  but  doea  not  pnUao,  is  ungrateful :  whoever  rebukes  another 
fur  |>rui«ing,  is  iniid. 


676 


MAONALIA    CIIBISTI    AMERICANA; 


Yet  again,  have  not  our  English  prisoners  been  favoured  with  such  h 
"remembrance  of  mercy"  in  the  "midst  of  wrath,"  aa  ought  never  to  be 
forgottenf  The  mercy  of  God  inchned  the  French  to  buy  'em  out  of  the 
bands  of  the  Indians,  and  use  them  with  an  exemplary  humanity  and 
civility.  The  mercy  of  God  preserved  many  of  them  alive,  under  pro- 
digious and  incredible  hardships,  and  at  length  returned  many  scores  of 
them  home.  And  may  not  our  English  women,  that  were  prisoners,  take 
notice  of  one  singular  mercy  shown  by  God  unto  them,  in  preserving  them 
from  violations  by  the  outrageous  lusta  of  the  salvages?  This  one  thing 
will  be  thought  by  some  almost  as  great  and  strange  an  instance  of  un 
immediate  interposition  of  the  angels  of  God,  as  the  muzzling  of  the  lions 
in  the  den  of  Daniel  1  "0  ye  redeemed  of  the  Lord,  you,  whom  he  hath 
redeemed  from  the  hand  of  the  enemy,  give  thanks  to  the  Lord,  for  he  is 
goodl"  Charge  your  own  souls,  that  you  "never  forget  his  benefits;"  ask 
your  own  souls  what  you  "shall  render  to  the  Lord  for  all  his  benefits:" 
and  remember  that  admonition  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ  unto  you,  "Sin 
no  more,  lest  a  worse  thing  do  come  unto  thee." 

Furthermore,  who  could  not  see  "mercy  remembered"  in  the  midst  of 
"wrath,"  when  God  hath  put  it  into  the  hearts  of  his  people  in  the  south- 
ern parts  of  the  country,  to  make  liberal  contnbutions  of  money,  and  corn, 
and  men,  for  the  relief  of  the  northern  parts?  More  than  once  has  the 
noble  charity  of  our  brethren  in  Plymouth,  and  in  Connecticut,  as  well  as 
of  this  town,  been  expressed  in  such  contributions.  Their  alms  are  "  gone 
up  for  a  memorial  before  the  Lord!"  the  blessing  of  many  that  have  been 
"ready  to  perish"  hath  come  upon  you,  "0  ye  merciful  children  of  God," 
and  you  shall  "obtain  mercy"  from  him. 

Once  more.  Was  every  "mercy  remembered"  in  the  midst  of  "wrath," 
more  conspicuously  than  when  powerful  adversaries^  designing  inroads  upon 
us,  have  been  diverted  wonderfully?  Advice  hath  been  seasonably  dis- 
patcheid  unto  us  of  the  intentions  in  our  enemies  to  fall  upon  our  frontiers, 
and  this  advice  hath  proved  our  safety.  Yea,  sometimes,  when  we  have 
had  no  advice,  a  strange  direction  from  Heaven  ha'  led  us  to  those  actions, 
which  have  as  much  defeated  the  intentions  of  our  enemies,  as  if  wo  had 
received  the  fullest  advice  in  the  world.  Besides  this,  Boston,  and  Salem, 
and  Portsmouth  especially,  will  they  ever  forget  the  last  year?  It  was  a 
"year  of  salvation,"  yea,  it  was  a  "year  of  miracles!"  Never,  never  such  a 
year  passed  over  us.  The  Almighty  show'd  that  flvvour  to  his  people  of 
old,  Zech.  ix.  8,  "I  will  encamp  about  my  house,  because  of  the  army, 
because  of  him  that  passeth  by,  and  because  of  him  that  rcturneth."  Alex- 
ander, in  an  expedition  to  the  southward,  did  pass  by  the  land  of  Israel, 
and  he  did  return  again  to  the  northward,  without  hurting  that  land  lliat 
h:xd  the  "house  of  God"  in  it.  Formidable  French  squadrons  have  more 
than  once  passed  by  to  the  southward,  and  have  returned  again  to  tlio 
northward,  intending  doubtless  a  destroying  visit  into  this  land  by  the  way ; 


but  o 
of  th( 
won 
som ; 
when 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENOLAKD. 


67f 


but  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ  hath  "encamped  about  his  house  here,  because 
of  the  navy."  Yea,  once,  O  New-England,  "the  Lord  thy  God,"  he  that 
won  be  the  "holy  one  of  New-England^'  gave  Carthagena  for  thy  ran- 
som; he  "gave  men  for  thee,  and  Spaniards  for  thy  life."  Another  time, 
when  a  force  likely  enough  to  have  carried  ull  before  them,  were  almost 
arrived  unto  us,  we  are  advised  that  God  sent  such  a  sudden  and  such  a 
wasting  sickness  among  them,  as  to  make  them,  for  want  of  hands,  to  desist 
from  their  attempt.  These  were  illustrious  deliverances  I  and  yet  he  gave 
me  leave  to  say,  we  did  the  last  year  see  another  deliverance,  that  for  ought 
I  know  may  be  equal  to  any  of  the  rest.  There  was  an  English  fleet  of 
our  good  friends  with  a  direful  plague  aboard  'em,  intending  hiOier.  Had 
they  come,  as  they  intended,  what  an  horrible  desolation  had  cut  us  off,  let 
the  desolate  places  that  some  of  you  have  seen  in  the  colonies  of  the  south 
declare  unto  us;  and  that  they  did  not  come,  it  was  the  signal  "hand  of 
Heaven,"  by  which  the  "goings  of  men  are  ordered." 

In  fine,  because  God,  "being  full  of  compassion,"  would  not  "stir  up 
all  his  wrath,"  he  hath  "remembered  mercy  "  to  us  in  the  midst  of  "wrath," 
by  raising  us  up  generous  benefactors,  who  have  been  able  and  willing 
to  oblige  us  with  their  benefits.  It  must  be  with  shame  acknowledged, 
our  usage  of  our  publick  servants  has  commonly  been  such,  that  for  ;iny 
thinking  man  to  be  willing  at  all  to  serve  the  publick,  seems  to  be  a  mark 
and  fruit  of  no  little  generosity.  Nevertheless,  we  have  had  persons  of 
exemplary  patience,  and  prudence,  and  self-denial,  sitting  at  the  helm  of  our 
government,  all  this  while  that  the  horrible  tempest  hath  been  enough  to 
make  any  man  living  sick  of  being  there.  We  have  had  persons  who  have 
disbursed  and  expended  of  their  estates,  and  considerably  damnified  their 
interests  for  us  in  our  distresses,  when  yet  they  foreknew  what  pay  they 
should  have  after  all.  Yea,  we  have  had,  and  still  have,  (I  can  at  this 
moment  fasten  my  eye  upon  some  of  them  in  the  assembly  where  I  am 
now  speaking)  brave  men,  who  have  bravely  "jeoparded  their  lives  in  the 
high  places  of  the  field"  for  our  defence.  O  treat  'em  not  with  viU  ingrati- 
tude, after  all  the  service  they  have  done :  p-efer  them  on  all  fit  occasions 
while  they  live,  embalm  their  memories,  and  requite  their  families  when  they 
are  dead.  But  while  we  are  thankful  to  them,  let  us  much  more  give  thanks 
to  God  for  them,  even  for  such  gifts  of  Heaven  as  we  have  enjoyed  in  them. 

Well,  will  you  "  wisely  observe  "  these  things  ?  Wisely  !  That  is  to  say, 
thankfully  and  fruitfully.  It  may  be,  if  more  distinct  and  solemn  thanks- 
givings were  made  unto  God  our  Saviour  for  these  things,  the  reliques  of 
our  enemies  would  quickly  feel  the  rebukes  of  God  upon  them,  not  unlike 
those  in  2  Chron.  xx.  22 :  "  When  they  began  to  sing  and  to  praise,  the 
Lord  set  ambushments  against  their  enemies,  and  they  were  smitten." 

IX.  In  the  WAR  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "  whoso  is  wise,  may  observe " 
those  things  that  may  mightily  encourage  our  prayer,  and  out  faith  for  a 
total  ruin  to  be  hastened  on  the  remainders  of  our  enemies. 


(573 


MAGNALIA    CHRI8TI    AMERICANA; 


There  yet  remains  a  knot  of  our  enemies  in  those  "inaccessible  thickets," 
where  we  despair  ever  to  "find  'em  out,"  but  I  will  read  their  doom  fiom 
Psal.  xxi.  8,  9,  10:  "Thine  hand,  0  Lord,  shall  find  out  all  thine  enemies; 
thy  right  hand  shall  find  out  those  that  hate  thee;  the  Lord  shall  swallow 
them  up  in  his  wrath,  and  the  fire  shall  devour  them;  their  fruit  shult 
thou  destroy  from  the  earth,  and  their  seed  from  among  the  children  of 
men."  What  remains  for  us  is,  that  we  do  by  prayer  and  faith  put  oi.r 
enemies  over,  into  those  omnipotent  hands  that  can  "find  them  out,"  and 
cut  them  off.  Oh!  Let  us  keep  our  "hands  lifted  up  in  prayer,"  for  a  totiil 
dissipation  of  those  Amalekites,  which  have  thus  long  and  thus  far  prevailed 
against  us!  We  have  already  had  many  notable  "answers  of  prayer"  in 
this  our  war:  every  one  of  our  deliverances  have  been  very  notably  such! 
We  cannot  say,  how  many  particular  persons  have  received  "answers  of 
prayer"  in  the  particular  troubles  which  this  evil  time  hath  ensnared  them 
withal.  Doubtless  many  a  Christian  has  in  this  time  had  opportunity  to 
say,  "This  poor  man  cried,  and  the  Lord  heard  him,  and  saved  him  out 
of  all  his  troubles !"  And  several  towns,  that  have  had  a  remarkable  pro- 
tection of  God  upon  them  in  this  long  time  of  danger,  they  have  had  a  "pray- 
ing people"  in  them,  and  that  "praying  people"  have  been  the  "chariots 
and  the  horse-men  "  thereof.  Why  else  does  Deerfield  stand?  How  should 
our  prayer  be  quickened  by  such  experiences !  But  there  is  this  further  quick- 
en iny  for  it,  that  with  the  cry  of  our  prayer,  there  will  go  up  unto  the  Lord 
the  cry  of  blood;  much  innocent,  and  righteous,  and  precious  blood,  cries 
to  Heaven  from  the  ground  against  those  bloody  and  crafty  men,  that  have 
treacherously  shed  it.  Certainly  they  must  not  "live  out  all  their  days!" 
And  we  have  this  prevailing  plea  against  them  in  the  "court  of  Heaven!" 
That  they  have  most  falsely  broken  their  covenants  in  their  outrages.  We 
may  venture  to  present  our  memorials  in  the  "court  of  Heaven"  against 
the  covenant-breakers,  who  are  "implacable  and  unmerciful,"  aiid  we  may 
use  the  words  of  Jephtha  against  his  heathen  adversaries,  "The  Lord  the 
j iidge  be  judge  between  us  and  them !"  We  may  use  the  words  of  Jehosha- 
phat  against  his  heathen  adversaries,  "O  our  God,  wilt  thou  not  judge  them?" 
Uladislans,  the  king  of  Hungary,  scandalously  breaking  his  league  with 
Amurath,  the  Turkish  emperor,  brought  an  army  into  the  field  against  him. 
The  Turkish  army  being  horribly  broke  and  slain,  and  almost  vanquished 
by  the  Hungarian,  Amurath  in  his  anguish  took  out  of  his  bosom  the 
written  league  that  Uladislans  had  made  with  him;  and  holding  it  up  in 
his  hands,  with  his  eyes  to  Heaven,  he  cried  out,  "Behold,  0  crucified 
Christ,  the  league  which  thy  Christians  in  thy  name  have  made  with  me, 
and  now  without  cause  do  violate.  If  thou  be  a  God,  revenge  the  wrong 
that  is  now  done  unto  thy  name,  and  shew  thy  power  upon  a  perjurious 
])oople,  who  in  their  deeds  deny  their  God  I"  Immediately  the  course  of 
the  battel  turn'd,  the  perjurious  king  was  kill'd,  and  the  Turks  wan  a  most 
unexpected  victory.    Truly  we  may  in  like  manner  now  take  the  instru- 


ment 
of  th 
it  up 
be  re 
less 
make 
at  th( 
this 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


cries 
lave 

ays!" 
veni" 
We 
ainst 
may 
the 
loslia- 
em?" 
with 
him. 
ishcd 
the 


me, 
frong 
nous 
se  of 
most 
stru- 


ment  of  the  submission  and  Offreement  of  the  eastern  Indians,  which  thirteen 
of  their  chief  commanders  did  sign  more  than  five  years  ago ;  and  holding 
it  up  to  Heaven,  we  may  cry  out,  "Ah,  Lord  God  of  truth,  wilt  thou  not 
be  revenged  upon  the  false  wretches  that  have  broken  this  league!"  Doubt- 
less our  God  will  execute  a  dreadful  vengeance  upon  them,  if  we  humbly 
make  our  suit  unto  him  for  it;  and  he  has  ways  for  his  vengeance  to  comie 
at  them,  which  we  cannot  imagine.  'Tis  affirmed  that  several  times  in 
this  war  our  enemies  have  in  the  woods  met  with  parties  of  Indians,  which 
were  their  own  JriendSf  but,  by  a  mistake,  apprehending  each  to  be  enemies 
unto  eacli  other,  they  have  hotly  fallen  upon  one  another,  and  many  have 
been  kill'd  on  both  sides  before  the  mistake  was  discovered.  Yea,  'tis 
aflirmed  that  not  a  few  of  the  chief  murderers  among  our  enemies  have 
accidentally  killed  themselves;  the  most  murderous  Indians  have  in  a  little 
while  been  their  own  executioners.  Who  can  tell  what  strange  ways,  the 
God  "  unto  whom  vengeance  belongeth,"  hath  to  inflict  it  on  a  generation 
of  his  curse? 

Only  let  us  remember  to  plead  the  "sacrifice  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ" 
in  our  prayer,  with  onrjctith  for  the  perfection  of  our  deliverance.  Our  Lord 
Jesus  Christ  hath  been  a  "sin-offering  for  the  congregation,"  and  a  sacr*"- 
fice  pleadable,  not  only  for  persons,  but  also  for  peoples  that  belong  unto 
him.  We  read  in  1  Sam.  vii.  9,  10,  "Samuel  offered  a  burnt-offering 
wholly  unto  the  Lord,  and  Samuel  cried  unto  the  Lord  of  Israel,  and  the 
Lord  heard  him ;  and  the  Lord  thundered  with  a  great  thunder  on  that 
day  upon  the  Philistines,  and  discomfitted  them."  When  we  cry  to  the 
Lord,  let  us  plead  the  burnt-offering  of  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ,  and  plead, 
that  God  has  more  glorified  his  justice  in  the  sufferings  of  our  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  than  if  our  houses  were  all  fiU'd  with  the  cries  of  our  people  mas- 
sacred by  Indian  salvages.  Then  will  our  God  "thunder  with  a  great 
thunder"  of  his  consuming  wrath  upon  our  Indian  Philistines!  That  note 
which  the  great  Calvin  has  above  an  hundred  times  over  in  his  comment- 
aries on  the  Psalms,  Nu7iquain  Irrifasfore  preces;  or  "prayers  will  never 
be  lost!  prayers  will  never  be  lost!"  It  will  much  oftner  be  repeated  in 
our  blessed  experience,  if  our  prayers  do  present  before  God  that  blessed 
sacrifice,  of  which  he  says,  "'Tis  a  sweet  odour  to  me!" 

X.  In  the  WAR  that  hath  been  upon  us,  "whoso  is  wise,  may  observe" 
those  loud  calls  to  a  reformation  of  our  viiscarriages,  which  'tis  a  dangerous 
and  a  desperate  thing  to  neglect  any  longer.  It  was  the  voice  of  the 
blessed  God,  in  Psal.  xxxi.  13, 14,  "O  that  my  people  had  hearkened  unto 
me,  and  Israel  had  walked  in  my  ways!  I  should  soon  have  subdued 
their  enemies,  and  turned  my  hand  against  their  adversaries."  Ah,  New- 
Enjrland,  thy  God  hath  not  "soon  subdued  thine  enemies,  nor  soon  turned 
his  hand  nirniiist  thine  adversaries;"  but  let  'em  vex  thee  for  ten  years 
together.     Surely  thou  hast  not  "hearkened  unto  him,"  nor  "walked  in 


^8 


m 


MAGNALIA    CHBI8TI    AMEBICANA; 


his  waysl"  In  that  which  was  called,  "the  holy  war,"  the  embassadors 
of  a  Saracen  prince  demanded  of  a  famous  Christian  general,  how  he  came 
to  have  Mantis  tarn  Doctas  ad  Prceliandum — "hands  that  were  so  able  to 
fight?"  The  Christian  general  replied,  Qui  Manus  Semper  habui  puras — 
"Because  I  never  defiled  my  hands  with  any  notorious  wickedness." 
Alas,  our  hands  have  made  but  poor  work  dX  fighting.  'Tis  time  for  us  then 
to  reform  ail  the  "notorious  wickedness"  in  our  hands  I  Do  we  dream  that 
the  Almighty  hath  spent  all  his  arrows f  No;  after  all  that  for  ten  years 
together  have  been  spent  upon  us,  there  are  yet  more  arrows  and  judgments 
left  in  the  quiver  of  God:  and  except  we  turn  unto  him,  who  can  say 
what  arrows  he  may  next  ordain  against  us?  The  Roman  emperor 
upbraided  his  general  Terentius  for  losing  a  battel;  but  the  general,  having 
too  much  occasion  to  say  so  much,  replied,  "Sir,  I  must  tell  you  that  it  is 
you  that  lost  the  day  for  us,  by  your  open  fighting  against  the  God  of 
heaven  as  you  do."  If  it  be  asked,  how  'tis  come  to  pass  that  we  have 
sped  so  ill  in  many  a  battel  since  this  war  began?  some  will  blame  one, 
and  some  will  blame  another;  but  I  will  take  leave  to  tell  all  them  that 
lead  an  ungodly  life,  "Sirs,  'tis  to  you  that  we  owe  all  our  ill  success!"  I 
need  not  quote  one  of  the  ancients,  namely,  Ambrose,  for  that  observation, 
"  Graviores  Inimici  sunt  mores  pravi,  quam  Jlostes  Infensi:  we  have  had 
enough  in  our  own  experiments  to  convince  us,  "that  our  worst  enemies 
are  our  vices,  which  provoke  Heaven  to  chastise  us  with  all  our  other 
enemies:"  and  indeed,  if  our  "ways  did  please  the  Lord,  our  enemies 
would  be  at  peace  with  us."  Observe  wisely,  and  you  cannot  but  observe 
the  language  of  Heaven  in  the  circumstances  thro'  which  we  have  passed 
for  a  -whole  decpd  of  years  together,  to  be  that  in  Lev.  xxvi.  23,  24,  "If 
ye  will  not  be  reformed  by  me  by  these  things,  but  will  walk  contrary 
unto  me,  then  will  I  also  walk  contrary  unto  you,  and  I  will  punish  you 
yet  seven  times  for  your  sins."  And  that  the  demand  of  reformation 
may  be  loud  enough,  it  arrives  to  us  now  with  a  more  than  ordinary 
accent  of  autliority  upon  it.  We  have  seen — and  blessed  be  God  that  we 
have  seen  1 — the  greatest  monarch  that  ever  sat  upon  the  British  throne, 
issuing  out  his  royal  proclamation  upon  the  pious  address  of  the  Commons 
of  England  assembled  in  Parliament,  a  jyroclamation,  wherein  that  illustri- 
ous prince  declares  his  royal  resolution  to  discountenance  all  vice  whatsoever, 
and  requires  all  officers  whatsoever  to  be  vigilant  in  the  discovery,  prose- 
cution and  punishment  thereof.  We  have  seen  a  most  excellent  governor, 
who  is  the  greatest  person  that  ever  set  foot  on  the  English  continent  of 
America,  beginning  his  government  with  proclaiming  for  the  suppression 
of  all  vice  in  one  of  his  provinces:  that  noble  person  has  therein  done  like 
a  vicegerent  of  God!  his  \rery  honourable  lieutenant  hath  worthily  done  his 
part,  with  the  advice  of  his  council,  in  another  of  his  provinces.  If  these 
things  prove  but  meer  formalities  among  a  people,  "hating  to  be  reformed  " 
after  all,  what  will  they  be,  but  more  terrible  prognosticks  of  tremendous 


"II 


OR,    THE    HISTORY    OF    NEW-ENGLAND. 


681 


and  amazing  desolations  at  hand,  than  so  many  blazing  stars  on  fire  in 
heaven  over  us.  It  is  to  be  hoped,  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  will  do 
what  belongs  to  them  for  the  assistance  of  all  holy  essays  about  reformation ; 
and  their  churches,  if  call'd  upon,  will  join  with  them  in  the  methods  of 
covenant^  and  of  discipline,  for  the  promoting  of  it.  Yea,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
that  we  shall  all  zealously,  in  our  several  stations,  do  all  that  we  can  for  the 
pleasing  of  God,  and  for  the  correction,  and  suppression,  and  reformation 
of  the  sin  that  may  be  displeasing  to  him.  It  is  a  thing  very  notorious 
unto  us,  that  idleness,  Vunkenness,  uncleanness,  cheating,  lying,  prophane 
swearing,  and,  above  all,  that  which  is  the  root  of  all,  the  profanation  of 
the  Lord's-day,  gains  ground  upon  us.  Let  all  that  have  any  power  in 
their  hands,  unto  the  utmost  of  their  power  endeavour  to  keep  under  those 
enormities.  But  last  of  all — nay,  I  should  rather  say  first  of  all — 0  let 
every  man  set  upon  self-refonnation  with  all  his  might!  I  remember  that 
passage  in  Prov.  xviii.  17,  "  He  that  is  first  in  his  own  cause  seemeth  right," 
is  translated  by  the  vulgar  Latin,  so  as  to  carry  a  further  and  an  useful 
admonition  in  it:  Justus  primus  est  Accusator  sui* — "a  just  man,  before  he 
meddles  with  the  rejaroo/"  of  others,  m\\  first  accuse  himself,  and  search  the 
state  of  his  own  soul  and  life,  and  faithfully  reform  it."  Oh  1  that  very 
much  of  this  might  be  done  among  us!  How  doth  an  army  of  thrice  ten 
thousand  men  presently  turn  from  east  to  west,  because  everyone  turns  one  f 
Sirs,  we  have  "wisely  observed"  the  things  that  have  in  our  afflicted  years 
befallen  us,  and  we  have  now,  to  good  purpose,  heard  a  sermon  of  observa- 
tions upon  those  things,  if  we  will  now  retire,  and  ponder  seriously  with 
our  selves,  "What  is  there  amiss  in  my  own  heart,  and  in  my  own  life, 
and  in  my  own  family;  and  by  what  reformation  of  my  self  may  I  best 
answer  the  expectation  of  the  God  who  has  chastised  us  all. 

We  have  been  under  the  lameniuUe  punishments  of  our  sins  for  two  lus- 
tres of  years  together;  'tis  time  for  every  man,  and  for  all  of  us,  as  one  man, 
to  say,  as  in  Lam.  iii.  40,  "Let  us  search  and  try  our  ways,  and  turn  again 
unto  the  Lord." 

*  Hie  Just  miui  Drat  accusoa  htmseir. 


FINIS. 


682 


MAGNALIA    CHRISTI    AMElilCANA; 


ERRATA. 


Eeader,  Carthagena  was  of  the  mind,  that  unto  those  Oiree  things  vilaxch. 
the  ancients  held  impossible,  there  should  be  added  this  fourth,  to  find  a 
book  printed  without  errata's.  It  seems,  the  hands  of  Briareus,  and  the 
eyes  of  Argus,  will  not  prevent  them. 


THE    END. 


irhich 
nd  a 
1  the 


